Great Leighs (Chelmsford City) strikes prize-money agreement

Great Leighs, or Chelmsford City as it now to be known are now eligible to apply for BHA fixtures after the course management struck a prize-money agreement with The Horsemen's Group. The agreement was reached days before the BHA fixture allocation process for 2015 starting on Monday giving the all-weather course the opportunity to expand on the initial 12 start-up fixtures granted by the BHA. The agreement will run until the end of 2016, and means Chelmsford City will contribute at least 40 per cent of its total media rights income to prize-money,

Phil Siers, managing director of Chelmsford City, said: "With the significant investment we are making at  the racecourse, it is intended we provide the best facilities we can. Whilst a large part of this will be focused on providing a new grandstand and infrastructure, we are not neglecting our horsemen. Horses are the lifeblood of any track, and we intend to offer class leading prize- money levels.

"Additionally, we plan to ensure the raceday experience for connections with runners will surpass the offerings at other racecourses, and we are confident that Chelmsford City Racecourse will quickly become the all-weather destination of choice, where horsemen most want to run their horses."

Philip Freedman, chairman of the Horsemen's Group, added: "We welcome the re-opening of Chelmsford City and look forward to its staging fixtures from the beginning of next year. Its popularity with horsemen reflects not only its proximity to Newmarket but also its design, layout and surface.

"Greater competition for all-weather fixtures can only have a positive impact on the quality of racing and the financial returns to horsemen, and the fact Chelmsford City has signed a Premier Tier agreement indicates their commitment to significantly improving all-weather racing."

Great Leighs fails in its bid to bring back horse racing in 2013

THE owners of Great Leighs racetrack have seen their dreams of bringing horse racing to the course next year fall at the final fence.

The British Horseracing Association (BHA) has decided not to include Great Leighs in next year's flat-racing calendar and the owners must now reapply to start racing in 2014.

"We are disappointed that BHA has turned down our application for inclusion in the 2013 fixture process," said Great Leighs chairman Keith Brown, a former chairman of the Racecourse Association.

"While we satisfied the BHA on a number of issues, particularly our high-quality racing surface, BHA need to be satisfied in other aspects of our application.

"We intend to seek an early meeting with BHA to resolve the outstanding matters before making a new application so that racing can be resumed at Great Leighs at the earliest opportunity."

Great Leighs was the first track to open in Britain for 81 years but only lasted a few months before going into administration in January 2009.

It is now under new ownership which had hoped to bring back racing by 2013.

But Will Lambe, head of external affairs for the BHA, said: "We have informed those involved with the Great Leighs submission of the Board's concerns, and although we won't be discussing them publicly we have offered to provide the racecourse with some guidance as to how they might be addressed in any future applications.

"When it is appropriate, we have said they are welcome to submit an application to be part of the 2014 fixture list."

The news delays a multimillion pound media deal Great Leighs had struck with betting broadcasters Betsi.

It would have provided additional prize money of £2.5million in the first year, boosting the area's local economy and putting Essex on the global betting map.

Owners MC Racetracks Ltd (MCR) who will now reapply to start racing in 2014, said a green light from the BHA would have enabled them to re-establish the all-weather track and beam live TV coverage across the world.

MCR's chief executive Tony James said: "The money is lost to British racing as it cannot be rolled over into 2014. It's a use it or lose it situation and the race horse owners will be the main losers in 2013."

Betsi managing director John Wright, a former director of Saatchi & Saatchi, said: "This deal was a real opportunity not only for British Racing as a whole but for promoting Chelmsford City's newly acquired status around the world."

Betsi director Steve Shore who met the BHA together with Mr James, said: "I understand that the BHA would have liked more information, but rather puzzled that they did not make further contact to get additional information which was offered and we had to hand."

Racecourse builder and former owner John Holmes, now a consultant for Betsi, successfully brokered the broadcasting deal between Betsi and MCR.

He said: "Newmarket trainers had given the course their blessing – little wonder as 75 per cent of the additional £2.5m prize money would go straight up the M11 to Newmarket."

http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/Great-Leighs-fails-bid-bring-horse-racing/story-16237946-detail/story.html