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2015
In January 2015 the racecourse opened its doors to the public for the first time in six years to a fevered audience, with the first race being won by the Godolphin owned Tryster, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by Adam Kirby.
A first year of operation was of immense success, providing a platform from which the racecourse quickly established a reputation for some of the most generous prize money in British racing and an attendance of more than 80,000.
The racecourse immediately attracted racing’s finest to its unique surface, most notably when Hugo Palmer’s Covert Love used Chelmsford City as a launch page for a campaign which saw her win the Irish Oaks and Prix de l’Opéra.
The racecourse’s first year open also saw its first major music concert, when Madness played an outdoor concert after racing to a crowd of more than 10,000. Guests were able to enjoy a full evening of racing followed by one of the most popular bands of the 80s as Chelmsford City signed off its first successful summer.
2016 - 2017
The second year of racing at Chelmsford City saw more excitement on the track and even more world-class entertainment with a selection of outstanding concerts from Simply Red, Rick Astley and Jools Holland among others.
The racecourse’s facilities were honoured when selected to stage the prestigious rearranged Greenham meeting following the decision to abandon the original Newbury fixture. This card featured three Group races and was incredibly well-received by the racing community thanks to all of the staff who made it a success at such short notice.
2017 was another trailblazing year for the racecourse with more quality racing, great entertainment and more big names such as Boyzone playing at the Essex destination. Chelmsford City’s annual Ladies Day was a sell out, becoming a focal part of the Essex social calendar.
2018 - 2019
2018 saw the racecourse stage its busiest year of racing to date, with 63 fixtures which provided a massive £5.2 million in prize money, this included the UK’s most valuable evening meeting in history and Chelmsford City Racecourse’s first ever Listed race, the Queen Charlotte Stakes. Chelmsford City quickly broke this record just two months later with an even more valuable meeting which featured the inaugural running of the Chelmsford City Cup worth an astonishing £100,000.
Chelmsford City Racecourse also found itself the recipient of three Racecourse Association Excellence awards, firmly establishing its position as one of the the UK’s most exciting racecourses.
2019 was another massive year of racing with the addition of another Listed race, the Chelmer Stakes and 60 race meetings. It was a wonderful summer that also saw us co-host our first music festival in partnership with the legendary Clockwork Orange, to create ‘Clockstock’. This sell-out music festival saw 60 of dance music’s most iconic DJs and acts including Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez, and Todd Terry come to the racecourse and deliver undoubtedly the biggest party in Essex.
2020-Present
What looked to be a sensational sixth year at Chelmsford City Racecourse, like most the racecourse found itself disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The racecourse prevailed becoming one of the first to return with ‘behind closed doors’ racing, managing to successfully stage the majority of its calendar as well as opening as one of the South East’s largest vaccination centres in the new year. Even paving the way for jockeys to get their COVID-19 vaccinations with Luke Morris being one of the first jockeys to receive the vaccine.
The racecourse has continued to grow year on year and strength to strength, with bigger and better races with even more prize money than ever before. Including our legendary good Friday racing in 2024 with a record number of tickets sold for any racing event that year. Chelmsford City Racecourse is committed to its ongoing expansion, aiming to become the premier destination in Essex. Visitors can look forward to not only exhilarating racing but also a diverse array of events, including live music and family-friendly fun days.
Celebrating 10 years
2025 marks 10 years since the racecourse opened its doors, and even though we have accomplished so much in the past 10 years, we still have so much more to look forward to and celebrate.
As part of our celebrations the racecourse is hosting a 10 year celebratory raceday on the 9th January as well as a business showcase on the 30th January which will highlight all the exciting music and racing events planned for 2025, such as Chelmsford City Live a brand new festival which will take place in July 2025 with headliners such as the incredible Justin Timberlake and more!
This year is also a big year for racing with bigger races than ever, including our ITV Sunday series which will see the racecourse broadcasted on ITV in June of this year. The year will also include our prestigious Queen Charlotte Stakes which will take place on the 1st July.
This year has so much on offer and something for everyone so be sure to check out everything going on, view our events here.
High Stakes
Major Races at Chelmsford City Racecourse
Chelmsford City Racecourse has demonstrated a strong commitment to enhancing its racing program, with a clear focus on both grassroots and top-tier levels. The racecourse has invested significantly in its facilities and infrastructure to support an expanded and more ambitious racing calendar. This dedication is evident in the growing scale and prestige of the races hosted, featuring increasingly larger prize pools and attracting high-profile participants from across the country and beyond.
