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I’d bet all I have that the ends have all been tied up quietly already with councillors, planners and whoever else might stand in the way.
Just read on the BBC site that the name of the company they would be selling to it already known so yes it seems it is all done by the signing on the dotted line lol
Maybe someone who lives local would know but my understanding is that the Jockey Club had hoped to sell land to the east of the course for housing but the council refused to remove the land from a green belt designation. Could this proposal just be a negotiating tactic in the hope the council choose the lesser of two evils. If it is sold you can forget this idea of affordable housing. It will be more overinflated “luxury” housing bought by offshore companies like most of London.
I don’t understand the slagging Kempton is getting on here. It’s not an oval for starters(Newbury’s more of an oval) and provides a real test of jumping on what is one of the quickest tracks in the country.
Finally, I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more comment on the plan to desecrate the home of racing with yet another AW track.
At least now we know what happened to Sepp Blatter, seems like he took over at The Jockey Club. Who cares about sporting heritage when we can make a few suits even richer? Disgrace.
Maybe someone who lives local would know but my understanding is that the Jockey Club had hoped to sell land to the east of the course for housing but the council refused to remove the land from a green belt designation. Could this proposal just be a negotiating tactic in the hope the council choose the lesser of two evils. If it is sold you can forget this idea of affordable housing. It will be more overinflated “luxury” housing bought by offshore companies like most of London.
I do wonder if that’s the case. There’s a large area of unused land where the Jubilee Course and Sprint spur used to be and I wonder if this announcement is just being used as lever to get permission to build on that section of the site.
Rob
I’d rather see Sandown Park sold off. Nothing very remarkable there these days. Just another uphill finish track with misaligned winning posts. Make Esher a bit more affordable.
Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.Sandown is one of the few real tests of a jumper left, though I did notice the fences were pretty soft at the weekend.
A real shame about Kempton, think the All Weather has led to this, devaluing the flat fixtures there.
UK racing seems to be hitting something of a downwards spiral.Seems incredible to me that the Jockey Club, an organisation presumably set up to look after the heritage, diversity, character and reputation of racing should connive in the destruction of a major racecourse when there does not appear to be any financial crisis that has been forced upon it to make closure necessary.
It seems totally unnecessary to close Kempton and who the heck wants yet another all-weather racecourse — at Newmarket of all places? There are only two racecourses there already.
I’d hate to see any racecourse go, whether it is largely unloved or not, and am glad to see Hereford back in action. Shame Folkestone will stay closed but I realise that I will be a lone voice on that.
Some good lines of questioning from Nick Luck here:
http://www.racinguk.com/video/watch/simon-bazalgette-kempton-park-anouncement
Much the best thing I’ve found on this so far (made me wonder how ITV racing will play this story).
Apart from the King George meeting it’ll have no impact for me from a personal perspective. The ‘history’ of the Queen’s Prize and Rosebery ended, for me at least, when they transferred from the turf.
All weather racing has never really captured my interest. I don’t think I’ve had a single bet on the all-weather over the last five years. I’d guess, depending on their scheduling, you might see some high class horses running at a Newmarket al-weather as prep for their key turf targets rather than travelling to other turf fixtures. Other all-weather tracks would also no doubt see a sharp decline in number of Newmarket trained horses travelling to their venues.
Very intelligent interview from Luck above, well worth watching. ‘Just explain for the layman why the Jockey Club is £115 million in debt?’
Apart from the King George meeting it’ll have no impact for me from a personal perspective. The ‘history’ of the Queen’s Prize and Rosebery ended, for me at least, when they transferred from the turf.
All weather racing has never really captured my interest. I don’t think I’ve had a single bet on the all-weather over the last five years. I’d guess, depending on their scheduling, you might see some high class horses running at a Newmarket al-weather as prep for their key turf targets rather than travelling to other turf fixtures. Other all-weather tracks would also no doubt see a sharp decline in number of Newmarket trained horses travelling to their venues.
Very intelligent interview from Luck above, well worth watching. ‘Just explain for the layman why the Jockey Club is £115 million in debt?’
£115m in debt and they need to sell a course as they don’t make much money and cannot borrow anymore so when their 14 other courses, of which some are the premier UK racecourses need upgrading next time where will the money come from then?
Epsom should be worried even though he said they had invested in it.
If the jockey club cannot get a grip on it’s debt and make more money then it is going to have a significant issue in years to come.
Might as well sell Kempton and pay off the debt so they don’t have interest.
Every horse racing fan/owners, jockeys should be very worried by that interview the chief executive has just admitted on film that the owners of Cheltenham, Aintree, Newmarket the biggest racecourses in the country have no scope to borrow anymore money and it does not make enough money to pay of it’s debts.
The jockey club should be rolling in money from Cheltenham alone.
Jockey Club very vague on how they’ll spend the half billion if they get it, but I did see mention of ‘prizemoney’ in there.
Given the course portfolio they own, I’d very interested to know how much of the proceeds of any sale will end up in the hands of McManus, O’Leary and the Sheikhs. People who really dont need any more money. Mr Bazalgette has previous in this area, namely the Sovereign Series. We wouldn’t want it called an asset strip…
Also very interested to know how an all weather track at Newmarket would be configured. The straight mile at Newcastle is heaps thanks, a soulless Slowley Mile at Newmarket not required imo.
Disappointed to read the “its okay cause its a flat featureless track” comments. Would it be okay to move the Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs on those grounds??
Steeplechasing…why are you so sure all of this is signed sealed and delivered, given the probable mass opposition of the locals and their politicians? Also do you know just how many tens of millions of pounds the racecourses have had in media rights money over the last five years for example? They seem to be absolute black holes when it comes to expenditure. Where does it all go! Field’s with a few stands, their hardly airports…
Interesting to note in Nick Lucks terrific interview today, that Jockey Club can no longer borrow without putting the company at risk, so where does the other 400 million come from? I presume they haven’t defaulted on the Cheltenham bonds?
I’ve only visited Kempton the once. A quiet midweek jumps do. Got a tingle walking through the gates as I entered an important, prestigious, historic and iconic racecourse. A place synonymous with Christmas and Easter for a long time with me. Part of Racings heritage and hopefully its future. I’m absolutely opposed to this.
Long live Kempton.
It’s a shame for the King George – tradition and history – but one race is about it. So can’t say I’ll miss Kempton and locals still have Sandown within a stone’s throw (almost)… And tbh Esher did a good job in hosting One Man and Kicking King anyway.
Not sure about a third track at Newmarket though. Am sure it’ll get plenty of runners, but what about spectators? When there’s plenty of top stuff at Rowley and July are racegoers going to turn out for the usual AW standard?Value Is EverythingNot sure about a third track at Newmarket though. Am sure it’ll get plenty of runners, but what about spectators? When there’s plenty of top stuff at Rowley and July are racegoers going to turn out for the usual AW standard?
Well surely if the racecourse company cannot control it’s debt, it would ultimately make sense to replace the Turf track(s) at Newmarket with AW ones? Or housing.
On a slightly oblique point, who could ever have predicted that stuffing more & more people onto an overcrowded island could lead to such pressures, eh?
Mike
Can’t they do what they’ve done at Newbury and sell some land on the periphery?
if you watch the video he says it would not raise enough they clearly are in trouble, they cannot borrow, the interest on £115m must be huge and they are not making enough.
What puzzles me is they could almost wipe out their debt and interest by being honest and selling Kempton then start their finances from scratch instead they want to build new courses and make Sandown a super course.
They need to employ new financial advsiers and quick.
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