Chelmsford City Racecourse Emerges as National Standout in First-Half 2025 Racing Boom

Chelmsford City Racecourse has emerged as one of the standout performers in a resurgent first half of 2025 for British horseracing, helping to drive a nationwide 5.1% increase in attendance figures, according to data from the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB).

The sport welcomed 2,430,225 racegoers across 704 fixtures between January and June, with average attendances rising by 3.5% to 3,452 per fixture. Chelmsford City’s Good Friday Festival played a major role in this growth, recording a staggering 42% increase in attendance compared to 2024—one of the largest percentage rises among major events nationwide.

The second quarter of the year (April to June) was particularly strong, with over 1.76 million fans attending races—a year-on-year rise of 8.3%. This was buoyed by a spell of record-breaking warm and sunny weather, with April and May officially declared the warmest and sunniest on record, and June seeing two official heatwaves, according to the Met Office.

Chelmsford City Racecourse’s success has been attributed to strong local engagement.

Other festivals also saw impressive growth: Aintree’s Grand National Festival (+4.1%), Newmarket’s Guineas Festival (+13.2%), Chester’s May Festival (+7.9%), York’s Dante Festival (+6%), Newbury’s Lockinge Festival (+8.4%), Royal Ascot (+4.8%), and Uttoxeter’s Summer Cup Day (+20%) all posted strong gains.

Despite early-year challenges caused by named storms, only 32 fixtures were abandoned in the first six months—down from 56 in the same period last year. The vast majority (30) of these were jump racing events, leaving the flat season largely unaffected and benefitting from a dry, appealing outdoor environment for racegoers.

David Armstrong, Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association (RCA), praised the collective effort behind the attendance rise. “Racecourse teams have worked tirelessly to promote and deliver events. A 5.1% increase is a major achievement during this testing time for both British racing and the wider economy,” he said.

Armstrong also noted that The Going Is Good campaign is beginning to bear fruit and looked ahead optimistically to the rest of the racing calendar. However, he issued a cautionary note about proposed government tax reforms affecting the industry, calling the #AxeTheRacingTax movement vital to protecting the sport’s economic health.

“Government must take note of the popularity of horseracing, and what it stands to lose if irreversible damage is done to our sport,” Armstrong warned.

As British racing continues its summer surge, Chelmsford City stands as a prime example of what targeted investment, strategic marketing, and community-focused engagement can achieve—cementing its position as one of the key venues driving the sport forward in 2025.