Sunday Night Racing a First for Chelmsford

Chelmsford City Racecourse will stage its first ever Sunday night fixture on 21 January as part of a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) initiative which has seen the introduction of a six-meeting trial to drive betting revenue for the sport.

The tremendous prize-money on offer throughout the series includes £145,000 for Chelmsford City’s seven races on the card, which kicks off at 5.15pm with what is bound to be a competitive ten-furlong novice contest. The most valuable race of the evening is the the Class 3 sprint with a total of £28,000.

“We pride ourselves on the level of prize-money on offer to owners and trainers throughout our programme and are delighted to take part in this trial,” said Neil Graham, Director of Racing at Chelmsford City Racecourse.

“It might take a while for people to adjust to the idea of racing on a Sunday evening but the extra valuable races on offer will almost certainly guarantee large fields and competitive racing, and that’s what we are all about here at Chelmsford.”

In recognition of the extra work this will entail for some of racing’s participants, the BHA is making bonus payments of £150 to each groom who accompanies a horse to the races for one of the Sunday evening fixtures.

Visitors to Sunday’s race meeting will be able to attend for just £5, with the trailblazing fixture included in a special General Admission ticket offer running this January.

Chelmsford City Racecourse will stage 41 fixtures throughout 2024, with feature days including the running of the Listed Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes on 2 May, the popular Ladies’ Day meeting during Royal Ascot week on 20 June, and the Listed Queen Charlotte Stakes on 7 July.