Nottingham Racecourse achieved its highest aggregate crowd for nine years during 2015.
The total attendance figure of 34,139 – up by more than six per cent over 2014 – was buoyed by the highest single day crowd for seven years as well as an array of other themed fixtures over the summer.
The highlights of 2015 included:
Ladies' Day in May attracting the largest crowd to Colwick Park of any racing fixture since 2008
The new Nottinghamshire Oaks race being introduced in the summer, so there are now three 'listed' - the highest rank of contest - races at the racecourse
The richest day's racing ever being run in June - worth £95,500 in prize-money, as part of a season which offered a £1.1m total prize fund
The ground staff being chosen as the best in Britain by the Institute of Groundsmanship.
James Knox, General Manager, said: “2015 was a superb year at Nottingham Racecourse, with many fantastic days of racing and entertainment for our visitors. We are already looking ahead to 2016 with optimism when we will again stage 23 fixtures, starting on Wednesday, 6 April.”
2015 was a most encouraging year not only for Nottingham Racecourse but all the venues within its parent group. Jockey Club Racecourses, which runs the likes of Newmarket’s QIPCO Guineas Festival, the Cheltenham Festival, the Crabbie’s Grand National and the Investec Derby within its nationwide portfolio, welcomed a record 1,946,644 people to 336 fixtures it staged.
As The Jockey Club is governed by Royal Charter to act for the long-term good of British racing, all profits generated by its racecourses are reinvested into the nation’s second-biggest spectator sport.
The Group has contributed more than £400m in the past decade alone, predominantly through prize-money, to support the livelihoods of those who work in the sport and provide a return to racehorse owners, and through investments in top quality facilities for customers and participants.
Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “More people than ever before went racing with The Jockey Club in 2015. I’m very proud we’ve broken our attendance record in spite of slow economic growth and consumer confidence that isn’t exactly racing away.”