Jockey Club Racecourses operates a diversified portfolio of 15 racecourses in the UK. Its strategic objective is to be the best racecourse operator in Europe in terms of profitability and promotion of the best quality flat, jump and all weather track racing, thereby maximising the funds available for re-investment in the long term development of its venues and the sport in general.
Formed in 1964 with the objective of securing the future of racecourses for horseracing, Cheltenham was the first course acquired by the group, which was originally entitled Racecourse Holdings Trust.
The Jockey Club’s trustee ownership ensures that there is no distribution of profits to shareholders. Instead, profits are re-invested into racing.
Historically, we have saved much-loved courses such as Cheltenham and Aintree from being sold and developed.
Now we are setting our sights on developing the sport’s future, with a seven-year, £145 million investment programme that aims to improve the quality of racing in the UK still further, and broaden the appeal of the sport to new audiences.
To find out more about our historical roots, click here to go to the Jockey Club site.
Looking after the sport
We are Britain’s leading racecourse operator and we reinvest all our profits into the sport.
Jockey Club Racecourses strives to ensure that its courses are always in excellent condition so that racing is fair, safe and of a consistently high quality. Our groundstaff continue to set the standard for turf management in the UK, ensuring that racing at all of our 15 courses is the highest quality possible and we value their expertise enormously.
Over the last few years we have spent a considerable amount of money on improvements including widening and extending our courses in order to upgrade the quality of the racing surface and to enable us to safely stage more fixtures. We have taken the lead in the sport with regard to the use of frost covers to minimise the chances of our race meetings being lost as a result of frozen ground.
We support research into equine welfare and the emphasis we place on horse welfare issues encourages trainers to choose to run their best horses at Jockey Club Racecourses – resulting in a higher quality of racing. Jockeys and stable staff appreciate the accommodation and other facilities we provide for them, including the food and drink. As part of the Jockey Club family, we also enjoy close links with the Club’s charity, Racing Welfare, who are on hand to help the 60,000 people who work within the racing and breeding industry. Without those people’s care and devotion, racing simply wouldn’t be the same.