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Chelmsford City racecourse appears to have been saved from permanent closure after Arena Racing Company (Arc) reached an agreement to run the venue.
Arc said it had agreed terms with freeholders Chelmsford City Racecourse Ltd and Moulsham Hall Estates Ltd to allow racing to resume at the track, which has not staged a meeting since March.
With terms being agreed, Arc said that all parties would now enter a period of exclusivity in order to enter into a “long-term, legally-binding, agreement”.
It anticipates that the agreement would be executed shortly so that racing could restart at Chelmsford “at the earliest available opportunity”.
Arc chief executive Martin Cruddace said: “Racing at Chelmsford City racecourse is hugely important to the fixture list and we are therefore delighted to work with the freeholders to reach agreement that will allow racing to return to the venue.
“We are in discussion with the BHA with regards to the relevant licences required to resume racing as soon as possible.”
Arena Racing Company chief executive Martin CruddaceCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
Chelmsford City said in a statement: “We are delighted to have agreed a partnership with Arena Racing Company to bring racing back to Chelmsford. Arc is the UK’s largest racecourse operator, and its long-term vision aligns closely with our own ambitions for the future of the racecourse.
“Chelmsford City racecourse has become a destination for exceptional racing and events, and we look forward to welcoming racegoers back at the earliest opportunity.”
Earlier this month the BHA transferred the latest tranche of Chelmsford meetings to other venues, covering the fixture that took place at Southwell on Thursday and the cards that were scheduled to take place on August 6 and 13.
The timing of Chelmsford’s ability to resume racing this year will depend on when the BHA will agree to license the racecourse again. That could also affect its position in the 2027 fixture list.
The 12 fixtures that Chelmsford owns are still in the hands of the administrators.
A BHA spokesperson said: “We are aware of the agreement that has been reached regarding Chelmsford City racecourse. We will consider any licence application once it has been submitted.”
As and when Chelmsford returns, its meetings would likely switch to being broadcast by Sky Sports Racing rather than Racing TV, while betting shop rights would be expected to switch to The Racing Partnership from SIS.
Arc was not the only major racecourse group to hold an interest in Chelmsford’s position, with Jockey Club group chief executive Jim Mullen having told the Racing Post recently that he had been monitoring the situation.
How did it get to this point?
Chelmsford has not been able to stage fixtures since March after the company running the venue, Great Leighs Estates Limited (GLEL), went into administration.
The prospects of racing returning to the venue had looked increasingly bleak after the BHA last month dismissed an application by a new vehicle – Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL) – to take over the running of the Essex all-weather track.
GMRL had hoped to assume management of Chelmsford but the BHA rejected its proposals in April, saying that it “did not consider it appropriate” to grant them a licence due to concerns around GLEL’s creditor position, the ownership of racecourse fixtures and the suitability of GMRL’s directors.
When the appeal was rejected last month, the licensing committee cited a lack of confidence in GMRL’s governance, which was due to be overseen by two independent directors following the resignation of former GMRL director John Holmes in April, stating “the evidence did not satisfy the committee that GMRL would be placed sufficiently beyond the influence of John Holmes to permit it to run competently and properly”.
Great Leighs Estates Limited, the company previously running Chelmsford, owed £30 million to creditors at the time of its administrationCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)
The committee also found that GMRL had “failed properly to address” how the new owners would pay for the track’s 12 fixtures without reliance on Holmes, who the committee found had misled the BHA about GLEL’s finances.
The approximate figure GLEL owed to creditors at the time of its administration was revealed to be £30 million, of which a sum of £3.6m was owed to media rights company Sports Information Services (SIS).
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