British Racecourses post encouraging attendance returns for first quarter

• Multiple racecourses post significant uplifts in annual attendance returns for Q1.
• Comparison with 2024 (with Easter) shows a 2.3% decrease, comparison with 2023 (without Easter) shows a 0.2% increase.
• Non-festival fixtures show strong signs of growth.
• Abandonments for quarter decrease despite weather extremes.

Attendances at British racecourses stood at 666,483 for the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, according to official figures collated by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB).

The figure represents a 2.3% decrease from the period January-March in 2024, however last year’s figure was boosted by Easter falling in Q1 rather than Q2. A like-for-like comparison with 2023, another year where Easter fell in Q2, shows a 0.2% increase in overall attendance. This increase rises to 6% when reviewing non-festival fixtures in the quarter.

The average attendance at fixtures in Q1 was 2,282, a figure assisted by the reduction in abandonments (28). This represents a 1.7% decrease from 2024 (2,321), however in the comparable analysis from 2023 the average attendance at fixtures in Q1 has grown 3%. When reviewing non-festival fixtures, the increase extends to 8%.  

Several racecourses posted significant increases to attendances at key fixtures in Q1. 

Newbury in particular enjoyed a fantastic first quarter, with the BetVictor Jumps Season Finale welcoming its largest crowd since 2019 (5,266), a 26% year-on-year increase. Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle fixture saw 6,093 racegoers enjoy a day’s racing, an increase of 13.% from 2024’s return, whilst the BetVictor Weekend Raceday at the start of March saw a 32% year-on-year increase (5,714).

Uttoxeter’s Midlands Grand National fixture continued its recent upward trajectory with a further 6.4% annual increase (10,147), whilst Chepstow’s St Patrick’s themed day was a hit with racegoers demonstrated by the 27.3% increase. The ever-popular New Year’s Day fixture at Musselburgh continued to be the perfect Hogmanay celebration with a further 6.4% increase in racegoers (6,907).

In a period where abandonments are more likely due to the winter weather, significant storms such as Storm Eowyn in early January, described by the Met Office as the UK’s strongest storm in a decade, and an exceptionally wet end to February caused disruption to the fixture list and naturally dented customer demand for outdoor activities. The quarter ended with a more settled outlook; the Met Office state it was the sunniest March on record.

Q1 Attendance Figures

David Armstrong, RCA Chief Executive, commented: “The overall attendance returns for Q1 represent another consistent quarter for the sport with encouraging signs of growth. We have seen multiple racecourses post strong attendance figures at significant fixtures during this period, and whilst 28 abandonments is still a large number of races lost, we have been fortunate to see the overall number of abandonments in the quarter drop.

“As we report on attendances based on the calendar year, there will be natural peaks when key Bank Holidays such as Easter fall in different months. A more natural comparison for 2025 is therefore 2023, as that year also saw Easter come in April. Both total and average attendances have increased since then, and we have seen particularly strong growth in non-festival fixtures in the quarter. This is a really encouraging metric which demonstrates that our grassroots product is resonating with the public, and bodes well for the marquee fixtures remaining in 2025.”