The Jockey Club, which operates 15 racecourses, including Aintree, Epsom Downs, Cheltenham and Newmarket, has posted record annual turnover for '15, according to Bill Wilson of the BBC. Turnover was £181.3M ($260M), up 7.1% on a year earlier, with operating profits "also up," to £21.9M ($31.4M) from £21.7M. Its contribution to prize money "also hit a record," of £19.9M ($28.5M). The Jockey Club said that in '15 it attracted "record crowds of nearly two million people to its racecourses nationwide" -- up 8% from 1.79 million the previous year. It added that turnover growth "was also driven by record hospitality sales and generally strong performance from Jockey Club Catering at its racecourse venues, media incomes and a successful year for its Jockey Club Live joint venture" (BBC, 4/21). REUTERS' Ossian Shine reported the club said that it would be increasing the record-setting contribution to prize money by another £1M ($1.4M) in '16. Jockey Club CEO Simon Bazalgette said, "Every penny we make at The Jockey Club we reinvest into British Racing, in line with our Royal Charter commitments to support the sport's long-term health. In 2015, more people than ever came racing with us and more horses than ever used our training facilities at Newmarket and Lambourn" (REUTERS, 4/21). SKY SPORTS reported the Jockey Club has put more than £415M ($595M) back into Britain's second-biggest spectator sport over the last 10 years "through contributions to prize money and upgrading facilities for customers and participants." A "commercially successful" '15 enabled The Jockey Club to deliver its prize money outlay and "plough operating expenditure into enhancing a range of customer facilities during the year." For the seventh consecutive year the Group posted record turnover, which "also out-paced" its '14 turnover growth of 5.1% (SKY SPORTS, 4/21).
