The Jockey Club Reveals Ambitious Plans Through £100 Million Partnership with Levy

[Wandering Eyes]

The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing, has agreed an exclusive new 20-year deal with Levy, the sports and entertainment division of Compass Group UK & Ireland. The partnership will enable The Jockey Club to make a capital investment of £100 million to revolutionise the spectator experience across its UK racecourses, funded by a payment from Compass as part of the new deal.

The Jockey Club's investment plans include a significant revamp of the main entrance to Epsom Downs Racecourse, home to the Betfred Derby Festival. A full refurbishment of Epsom's Queen Elizabeth II Stand is also in the works, along with upgrades to the facilities in the Duchess Stand.

At Cheltenham Racecourse, the weighing room will undergo a major revamp to include state-of-the-art facilities for participants and rooftop hospitality for racegoers while, at Aintree Racecourse, improvements will be made to the facilities for owners and trainers, creating more dedicated spaces on site for connections. The investment will also enable the development of the centre of the course during the Randox Grand National Festival, with additional facilities for racegoers.

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 evolution of the partnership between The Jockey Club and Levy sees the existing joint venture, Jockey Club Catering, rebranded as Jockey Club Experiences. Jockey Club Experiences will now oversee end-to-end hospitality package sales and delivery, conferencing and events and retail merchandising, alongside their role as the ongoing food and beverage partner across all retail and hospitality.

Jon Davies, CEO of Levy, said, “This partnership is a defining moment for British racing and a statement of intent. Together with The Jockey Club, we are committed to setting a new global standard for the raceday experience.

“Our evolution into Jockey Club Experiences reflects the scale of our ambition and the responsibility we carry. By investing for the long term, we are elevating the experience for racegoers and strengthening the sport's position on the world stage.”

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