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Chelmsford City Racecourse, Chelmsford

3.1

#7 of 34 in Things to do in Chelmsford

Casino Horse Track

Chelmsford City racecourse, originally known as Great Leighs Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Great Leighs near Chelmsford, Essex, England. In fact the course is much nearer Braintree than Chelmsford. When it opened in April 2008, it was the first entirely new racecourse in the UK since Taunton opened in 1927. It went into administration in January 2009, and racing did not resume until January 2015.Chelmsford City (known as Great Leighs at the time) was developed and owned by entrepreneur John Holmes and his son, Jonathan. It aimed to exploit potentially the largest unserved market in British horseracing. Overall there is slightly more than one racecourse per million people in Great Britain, but there was no racecourse in Essex (population >1.6 million), in east London (formerly in part, part of Essex) or in the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire (population >1 million). The new course is only 50mi from Newmarket, the largest racehorse training centre in Britain. The course is laid out as an 8.5furlong left-handed Polytrack oval, with a 2furlong home straight. The 10,000-capacity grandstand was used at the 2006 Ryder Cup.OpeningGreat Leighs racecourse was originally scheduled to open in October 2006, but the opening was deferred several times. On 20 March 2008, the racecourse announced that the opening fixture would be postponed to 20 April 2008, with the original opening date, 4 April 2008, being used a test day.

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Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

235 reviews

Google

4.2

clairefincham

Had a fantastic day - great venue, great staff, great atmosphere and great food. Love coming to this place - they really have it right here. Back for Ladies Day and UB40 - cannot wait!!! more »
BatWillow68

I took my family to the Fairwood Restaurant on Thursday night. A cold buffet with plenty of food, extra if you wanted to go again. Desserts and coffee with entrance and race card £35.00. Staff were al... more »
Louise H

We love a day at the races and having Chelmsford City Racecourse so near by we decided to take the children to their Family Fun Day on Bank Holiday Monday. We had a really nice day and enjoyed the rac... more »

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Google

Samuel Spilsbury

The Beer festival was a fantastic experience! The races were a real joy to be a part of. The atmosphere created via the food, drink, staff and betting was great! I came here with a few of my friends and will be returning with my family.

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James Cochrane

Good up and coming racecourse. More relaxed crowd than a traditional race track. Nice and modern. Good for a fun, relaxed evening out. The Fairwood Restaurant is GREAT value! (Refund policy after race abandonment is definitely not great though...)

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Jeremy Ellis

A fun experience even if you're not particularly interested in horse racing.

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Sinead Nunn

Exceptional customer service and a very warm welcome made our evening of racing and dinner at Chelmsford City Racecourse unforgettable. Your team are second to none with service. Will definitely be back for another visit.

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CoPilot UK

Went on the dining package, facilities are new and fresh, very good access and not too busy on the evening we went - very good night.

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