New lease of life for troubled racecourse

Horse racing could return to Essex after a new operator was appointed.

There have been no fixtures at Chelmsford City Racecourse since March after the track's previous tenant, Great Leighs Estates Limited (GLEL), collapsed into administration with debts of more than £22m.

But the racecourse said it had agreed a "multi-year lease" with Arena Racing Company (ARC) and had pencilled in a fixture for 2 November.

The return of racing is subject to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) granting the company a licence.

ARC operations director Kieran Gallagher said he was "delighted" with the news.

"We are grateful to the BHA for their ongoing support during the process currently under way of relicensing the racecourse and we look forward to getting everything prepared to welcome horses, owners, trainers and racegoers back in November, and starting a new era under the ARC banner."

ARC says it is the largest racecourse operator in the UK, made up of 16 venues.

Paul Ellison, executive director of Brighton Racecourse, is due to oversee day-to-day operations at Chelmsford.

The company has scheduled five further fixtures this year, on 5 and 26 November, as well as 3, 10 and 17 December.

Earlier this year, the BHA refused to grant a licence to Golden Mile Racing Limited, and also rejected a subsequent appeal by the company.

The BHA told the BBC it did not comment on the licensing process.

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