A HUGELY successful season for Warwick Racecourse which saw an attendance in crease of 18 per cent has led to an investment in upgrades to its track and facilities.
A total of 11 fixtures were held at the popular racecourse this year and culminated in its inaugural Warwick May Racing Carnival that linked together three spring meetings for the first time.
More than 10,000 visitors attended the Wonderful Warwick Family Raceday, the Proudly Warwick Raceday and the Think Pink Warwick Ladies Day.
The three meetings featured a total of 220 runners – up from 178 in 2015 – while attendance increased by 18 per cent on the previous year, with hospitality numbers up by as much as 35 per cent.
Now the Jockey Club racecourse has announced a programme of works to improve the racing surface as well as refurbishing fences as it looks ahead to the start of the new season on September 20.
“We are pleased to confirm that we are continuing our investment in the racecourse’s track and facilities,” said Andre Klein, general manager at Warwick Racecourse.
“We have enjoyed a really good season and was topped off by the success of the Warwick May Racing Carnival which attracted really good attendances, hospitality numbers and runners – despite some pretty average weather at times.
“We’re committed to improving the racing experience at Warwick, so we’re pleased to be in a position to invest in this project as we build up towards the start of the new season in September.”
The latest improvement works include the continued integration of the old flat track with the existing National Hunt course.
A section of track, approximately 500m in length, will be drained and levelled to allow more flexibility in the placing of rail and improve the racing surface.
In addition, a rolling programme of fence refurbishment has begun, with the final three fences in the back straight being targeted this summer.
The fences will be completely rebuilt and will have the ability to be extended 12ft when the outer hurdle track is in use, giving the availability of more running lines on the Steeplechase track.
The work has just begun and is expected to be completed within around six weeks, with a view to the ground being recovered in time for the opening fixture of the new season.
Jane Hedley, Clerk of the Course, added: “We have had fantastic support from trainers throughout the 2015/2016 season, and we are delighted to be in a position to further improve our track and racing surface, thanks to continued investment from Jockey Club Racecourses.”
The fixture list for the remainder of 2016 includes six racedays on September 20, 29, November 4 and 16, December 8 and 31.
Further information, including admission and booking details, is available at www.warwickracecourse.co.uk.
