BRIGG RACE-GOERS HELP RASEN STAY ON COURSE

Brigg race-goers will be interested to know that a bumper crowd on Boxing Day helped Market Rasen Racecourse to record its highest aggregate attendance for a calendar year since 2002.
The crowd of 9,023 at the festive finale on 26th December took the 2015 figure  to 80,786 spectators.
Crowds have been buoyed by clement weather, the summer concert by Sir Tom Jones and a free family fun day in March.  Attendance was 34 per cent higher than in 2014 and 27 per cent higher than the average annual attendance over the last ten years.
It was a most encouraging year not only for Market Rasen Racecourse but all the venues within its parent group.  Jockey Club Racecourses, which runs the likes of the Cheltenham Festival, the Crabbie’s Grand National and the Investec Derby within its nationwide portfolio, welcomed a record 1,946,644 people to 336 fixtures it staged in 2015.
Nadia Gollings, General Manager at Market Rasen Racecourse (pictured), said: “2015 was a fantastic year at Market Rasen Racecourse.  We enjoyed a modern-day record attendance for a single day during the summer and a superb Boxing Day fixture which is growing strongly in popularity again after being lost to the wintry weather a couple of times in recent years.”
As The Jockey Club is governed by Royal Charter to act for the long-term good of British racing, all profits generated by its racecourses are reinvested back into the nation’s second-biggest spectator sport.
The Group has contributed more than £400 million in the last decade alone, predominantly through prize-money to support the livelihoods of those who work in the sport and provide a return to racehorse owners, and through investments in top quality facilities for customers and participants.  That included the £800,000 Tattersalls Enclosure development at Market Rasen Racecourse in 2014.
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.
“I’m very proud we’ve broken our attendance record in spite of slow economic growth and consumer confidence that isn’t exactly racing away.  Our sales and marketing teams deserve huge credit as well as our operations personnel for delivering great experiences.”
Market Rasen Racecourse is staging 22 jump racing meetings in 2016. The season begins on Friday, 22nd January. 
More information is available at www.marketrasenraces.co.uk