Jockey Club Racecourses Confirm Record Attendances for 2015

Jockey Club Racecourses attracted record numbers of people to enjoy a day at the races during the last year, stomach according to new figures published by Jockey Club Racecourses which show in 2015 its total attendances surpassed 1.9 million for the first time ever.

Jockey Club Racecourses, which runs the likes of the Cheltenham Festival, the Crabbie’s Grand National and The Investec Derby within its nationwide portfolio of 15 racecourses, welcomed a record 1,946,644 people to 336 horseracing fixtures it staged in 2015.

This represents a year-on-year total attendance increase of 8.5% – more than 150,000 people – despite staging 7.2% (26) fewer fixtures compared to 2014 when 1,794,797 spectators attended 362 events. Average crowds per fixture grew even more significantly, up 16.9% on prior year (2015: 5,794, 2014: 4,958).

The previous record attendance at Jockey Club Racecourses was recorded in 2011 when 1,897,453 racegoers attended 365 fixtures – 29 fixtures more than in the year just completed. These figures are based on official data submitted to the Horserace Betting Levy Board. 

Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “More people than ever before went racing with The Jockey Club in 2015 as a result of efforts to promote our thrilling sport and the experience we offer nationwide, and then giving people an excellent day out when they come racing with us.

“We must credit the horses and horsemen at the heart of our sport at the same time as our hardworking teams whose efforts allow us to reinvest all profits from staging our racedays back into British Racing to support its long-term health.”

The largest events were the four-day Cheltenham Festival, which attracted 248,464 people, the three-day Crabbie’s Grand National Festival, which was attended by 142,579, and the two-day Investec Derby Festival, which welcomed around 160,000 spectators.