Total attendances at Jockey Club Racecourses -- which include major venues such as Newmarket, Aintree and Cheltenham -- rose by 19%, the "first time that crowds at its racing events" have surpassed the 1 million mark by the end of June, according to SPORTING LIFE. The figures put the Jockey Club "on course to beat its annual attendance record" set in '11, when crowds of 1.9 million were recorded. JCR Managing Dir Paul Fisher said, "The economy is a major factor in the record hospitality sales we're now achieving, which was a revenue stream that crashed and has now returned with interest with the economic recovery and as a result of us creating new hospitality choices with a greater range of price points to attract customers back" (SPORTING LIFE, 7/9). The BBC reported total attendances at tracks run by the Jockey Club were up
170,000 in the period, to 1.08 million, "despite 6% fewer fixtures." Fisher said that the retirement of 20-time champion jockey
AP McCoy and "live post-racing music nights with the likes of Kylie
Minogue and the Kaiser Chiefs had contributed to the increase."
Average attendances were up 27%, from 5,319 to 6,744. The figures "contrast with TV audiences for events such as the
Derby at Epsom and Royal Ascot, which have fallen significantly" in the
two years since being switched from the BBC to Channel Four (BBC, 7/9).
