Hamilton Park Named Among Best UK Racecourses
Hamilton Park Racecourse has been named as one of the best in the country for owners – achieving Gold Standard status.
The award - which is run by the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) – will see Hamilton Park hold Gold Standard status for the next 12 months.
The course was among six winners in the small racecourse category.
Vivien Kyles, Chief Executive at Hamilton Park Racecourse said: “We are absolutely delighted to achieve Gold Standard status. To get this accolade in the first year the award winners have been assessed via a competitive process is deserved recognition of the incredible hard work and dedication of the team here at Hamilton Park Racecourse.
“We are constantly striving to achieve more for the sport and business and the experience of the owners is absolutely key to that.”
Hamilton Park Racecourse will now go up against the five others in its category to be named ‘racecourse of the year’ at the annual ROA Horseracing Awards to be held in London on Thursday 3rd December and staged in association with Weatherbys Bank
The ROA Gold Standard Award was established in 2006. In previous years 21 racecourses were given the accolade but this year ROA organisers demanded courses achieve even higher standards to guarantee Gold Standard status.
The courses went up against each other in a competition format to show they are a positive force for change and evolving in order to meet current demands. ROA representatives visited every track in Britain at least once between January and early October to assess every aspect of the owners’ raceday experience. In addition, feedback was provided by hundreds of ROA members.
Alan Pickering, Chairman of the ROA’s Raceday Committee, said: “We are delighted to name the 12 racecourses that have been awarded Gold Standard status for 2015, the inaugural year that the awards have been a competitive process. Many congratulations to those that have been successful.
“Racing is a competitive sport. Racecourses are competing with one another for their share of the nation’s leisure spend. Improving the owners’ raceday experience should be at the heart of this competition, and we changed the basis of the Gold Standard Award so that tracks are now competing with each other to be one of the six best of class in their own category.
“As our team have travelled the country, we’ve seen many improvements and enhancements to the owners’ raceday experience, including additional complimentary admission badges, a significant improvement in the provision of complimentary food and drink, a greater emphasis on racecourse staff providing a business-class experience, plus entertainment for placed connections as well as winners after races.”
Those awarded the Gold Standard were as follows: Large racecourses: Ascot; Ayr; Chester; Haydock Park; Newmarket (July Course); and York.
Smaller racecourses: Hamilton Park; Kempton Park; Market Rasen; Musselburgh; Newton Abbot; and Nottingham.