A Warm Welcome to Shropshire’s Racecourse

• Ludlow most improved racecourse for raceday experience according to the Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme
• Ludlow secure a near 20% increase on its quality assessment score year-on-year
• Warm welcome and local partnerships at the heart of Ludlow’s ethos
• Strong support from racegoers as Ludlow increase attendances year-on-year

With the news of the top ten racecourses for raceday experience still fresh in the memory, one racecourse in particular caught the eye due to its significant rise in scores.

Shropshire’s Racecourse and a firm favourite with its loyal fan base, Ludlow took the crown of Britain’s most improved racecourse in the RCA’s Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme following a near-20% increase in its score. Throw in two Excellence Accolades: Spotless & Sparkling on account of its immaculate cleanliness and Staff Customer Service for the combined exemplary service of its raceday staff, Ludlow is without doubt the success story of the 2023 scheme.   

“We pride ourselves on allowing racegoers to get to the heart of the action, the biggest names in our sport will often stop and chat with our knowledgeable racing crowd”

Managing Director Simon Sherwood has overseen the transformation of the raceday experience during his tenure. “There is a really friendly feel at Ludlow and this atmosphere is something we work hard to foster. We pride ourselves on allowing racegoers to get to the heart of the action, the biggest names in our sport will often stop and chat with our knowledgeable racing crowd” explained Sherwood.

“At one point we considered moving our existing Owners & Trainers facility, but we were concerned this would take them away from the hustle and bustle of the raceday and they would lose more in terms of experience than they would gain.”

Not wanting to settle for the status quo, Sherwood has looked to progress a number of elements of the raceday experience, both on-course and reaching customers at home.

“We’re always looking to push the boundaries of what we do.”

“We’re always looking to push the boundaries of what we do. In 2023 we had music after racing on our Ladies Day for the first time and our customers loved it. We’ll be doing it again this year, and it’ll be bigger and better than before.”

Supplementing the team with experts in the digital space has transformed Ludlow’s online presence, which consequently has developed a new, positive online community of Ludlow fans. Lindsey Price and Kate Doody of Zebra PR are very much part of the Ludlow team.

“We want to help communicate Ludlow to new audiences” explained Price.

“We have a good mix of racing and non-racing backgrounds in our team, so we can always sense check our content and what will work with new fans. We’ve expanded Ludlow’s social media portfolio to Instagram and Tik Tok and managed to extend the close-knit community feel you sense on track to the online space.

“We’re very proud of Ludlow’s reputation and always looking to work with partners to get the word out. We’ve enjoyed having the orange mic from Raceday TV at some of our busier fixtures and are looking to try some new initiatives on Ladies Day to step up our social content.”

The importance of a warm welcome and fostering a community is not lost on the Chairman of Ludlow Racecourse, Viscount Boyne.

“A smile goes a long way, and this is a mantra that we try and instil across the whole team,” said Boyne. 

“Local partnerships are incredibly important to the racecourse.”

“Local partnerships are incredibly important to the racecourse as they help reflect our standing in the community. They also enable us offer quality and value to our racegoers, as the suppliers are local they understand the price sensitivities of the area and can offer their products for competitive prices.”

A fantastic example of this is the Ludlow Brewing Co Bar in the Jubilee Stand. Co-branded between the racecourse and the Ludlow Brewing Co, the bar provides a proper pub feel with ale pumps and authentic signage. The local brews, including the Ludlow Blonde and Black Knight Stout, are served by knowledgeable staff from the brewery ensuring racegoers get a quality pour with every purchase. Attractively branded reusable cups are also used as part of a re-cup scheme, helping the racecourse to cut down on single-use plastic and litter.

On the track, attractive prize money and the free-draining soil regularly leads to competitive fields for racegoers to enjoy. This combined with the enhanced raceday experience and community feel is in part an explainer for Ludlow bucking the national trend on attendances, with 26,803 visiting in 2023 compared to 24,891 in 2022 despite an increase in abandonments.

There are four fixtures left at Ludlow this year, including the Sinclair Group Ladies Day, and racegoers planning to visit the Shropshire track can go knowing they’ll receive a warm reception and be welcomed straight into the racing action. To book your tickets and to find out more about Ludlow, please visit www.ludlowracecourse.co.uk