The Jockey Club has today unveiled details of a series of ambitious multi-million pound proposals to improve the experience on course for racegoers and participants, as part of its plans to invest for growth.

A transformational five-year project would see:

• A major revamp of its Cheltenham Weighing Room to include state-of-the-art facilities for participants and rooftop hospitality for racegoers, subject to planning approval.
• Enhancement to Aintree Racecourse’s Owners’ and Trainers’ facilities and investment into developing the centre of the course during the Randox Grand National Festival, with additional facilities for racegoers.
• Millions of pounds spent on transforming The Derby and restoring its reputation for great customer experience and a race of international importance.
• Significant investment to introduce a digital-based ticketing system across the organisation’s portfolio of 15 racecourses which delivers more customers into The Jockey Club’s database, more information on their preferences and improves marketing capability in parallel.

 

The Jockey Club’s Group Chief Executive, Jim Mullen, revealed in December 2025 that the organisation would be investing “tens of millions of pounds” and that details on funding would be made available in due course.

Earlier today The Jockey Club and Levy - the market-leading sports and entertainment division of Compass Group UK and Ireland - announced a new, exclusive, 20-year partnership that will revolutionise the customer experience across its portfolio of 15 tracks.

The new deal, which is worth £100 million to The Jockey Club, is an evolution of a partnership which has been in place for 15 years and will see the existing joint venture, Jockey Club Catering, rebranded as Jockey Club Experiences. This name change represents a significant expansion of responsibilities, with Jockey Club Experiences now overseeing hospitality packages, conferencing and events outside of racedays, and retail merchandising, alongside their role as the ongoing food and beverage partner across all retail and hospitality.

Investment by Levy will unlock significant funds for The Jockey Club to invest into its business, with details provided for the first time today of some of the initiatives planned for 2026 and beyond.

Jim Mullen, Group Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said: “I joined The Jockey Club because I want it to succeed and with that at the forefront of my mind, I have made it my mission to find money for us to invest in growth.

“This is an important moment for racing and The Jockey Club. We have agreed a long-term opportunity with a proven worldwide operator to help us improve our customer experience and grow our ability to invest in the sport.

“We want customers at our venues to enjoy the sport, enjoy the hospitality and the overall customer experience so that they come back more often. Levy and Compass have the experience of operating world class sporting venues which, allied to our expertise and experience in racing, means they can play a significant role in helping racing and us grow.”

Explaining where most of the investment will be aimed at, Mullen added: “We will be upgrading to a digital-based ticketing system that will make us more efficient but also enhance our ability to grow our customer database and to market to it more effectively. This will cost several million pounds and is a significant piece of work, but it’s a key priority.

“We will also invest further into our core festival courses, Cheltenham, Aintree and Epsom Downs. These venues host our biggest events and by investing in them, we can improve the experience of the customer and drive returns that can be invested in other parts of the business. We have earmarked a significant proportion of our investment for projects put forward by these courses.”

The plans include:

CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE

• A transformational redesign of the Weighing Room which, subject to planning approval, would create a multi-storey building with greatly improved facilities for participants and officials, with first floor and rooftop ‘Garden Terrace’ hospitality and enhanced food and beverage provision.
• Significant upgrading of areas in the main grandstand as part of a major project to ensure the course-facing facilities are world-class and industry-leading.
• Refurbishment of The Centaur and Gold Cup suite, along with improvements to hospitality areas across the site.

AINTREE RACECOURSE

• Significant investment into improving the Owners’ and Trainers’ facilities, creating more spaces on site for connections, including syndicates.
• The construction of a permanent structure overlooking the Red Rum Garden, to be utilised for both racedays and other outdoor events.
• The creation of new racegoer facilities and enclosures within the centre of the course during the Randox Grand National Festival, with investment into infrastructure.
• Improvements to the on-course irrigation system as part of The Jockey Club’s ongoing commitment to the highest equine welfare standards.

EPSOM DOWNS RACECOURSE

• A major revamp of the main entrance to the racecourse.
• Upgrading facilities in the Duchess Stand to improve the experience both on racedays and for conferences and events.
• A full refurbishment of the Queen Elizabeth II Stand.

DIGITAL TICKETING

• A project to gradually introduce digital ticketing across The Jockey Club’s portfolio of racecourses over the next 12-18 months.
• Refurbishment of arrival points on racecourses and turnstiles to improve the arrival experience on-event.
• New data capture technology introduced to improve communication between The Jockey Club and customers and marketing capabilities.