Chelmsford City Racecourse has cancelled all forthcoming fixtures after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) refused to give the new operator a licence.
The BHA said the fixtures scheduled for Thursday, Friday and 9 April are among those cancelled. A spokesperson said it was “regrettable they have been cancelled at such short notice”. The BHA recognises this will impact owners, participants, trainers, staff, jockeys and racegoers.
Licence Refusal for New Operator
Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL), the new tenant, applied for a fresh licence. The British Horseracing Authority refused the request.
The BHA said GMRL made a case for a new licence to the BHA board on Tuesday. The board considered the matter carefully and refused to grant a licence. The BHA spokesperson said the reasons for this decision are confidential.
Previous Operator’s Administration
The previous tenant of the course, Great Leighs Estates Limited (GLEL), was placed in administration last month. An administrator was appointed for GLEL on 25 March. The BHA said a fixture went ahead the following day with agreement from the administrator. GLEL’s licence expired on Tuesday.
Chelmsford City Racecourse History
Chelmsford City Racecourse opened in 2015. The venue also hosts weddings and music events. Justin Timberlake headlined a festival there in July.
The venue first opened as Great Leighs Racecourse in 2008, becoming the first new racecourse in Britain in more than 80 years. However, it went into administration within a year and hosted its last fixture in January 2009. It reopened six years later with new investment.
Past Issues at the Racecourse
In September, the racecourse was told it could not host music events with more than 10,000 people. This followed police complaints that spectators could have died at the Timberlake concert. Attendees of the Chelmsford City Live festival abandoned their cars and walked on the verge of a dual carriageway because of traffic chaos.
A fixture went ahead at Chelmsford City Racecourse on Thursday, the day after the previous operator went into administration.