Horse racing will not take place after appeal lost

Horse racing will not take place at an Essex track after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) rejected an appeal.

There has been no racing at Chelmsford City Racecourse since March after the track’s previous tenant, Great Leighs Estates Limited (GLEL), collapsed into administration with debts originally thought to be £22m.

The track’s new management company, Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL), challenged the decision to deny them a racing licence.

However, the British Horseracing Authority threw out the appeal during a private hearing, where it also emerged that GLEL’s debts were even higher than previously thought, at approximately £30m.

The BBC has contacted Chelmsford City Racecourse for comment, although it has said previously that it was “working hard to resolve this situation as quickly as possible”.

‘Misled’

The appeal was heard by the BHA’s licensing committee disciplinary panel in a two-day hearing from 24-25 June, during which a revised business plan for GMRL was submitted.

But the panel said in its decision that the objective had been “the promotion of public confidence in racing by ensuring proper standards of conduct and competence”.

“The entry into administration of GLEL… seriously undermined the BHA Board’s trust and confidence in those responsible for the racecourse,” it continued.

The panel said it had been “misled” about the likelihood of GLEL going into administration, and it had “not been frank” about the extent of its debts.

The updated business plan was also “deficient”, the panel added, saying “it failed properly to address how GMRL would raise money for the acquisition of the 12 racecourse fixtures”.

In a statement, the BHA said the racecourse’s 12 fixtures remain with the administrator “and may be sold or transferred to a licensed racecourse operator, with the consent of the BHA”.

In May, a report from administrator BTG Begbies Traynor noted that GLEL was unlikely to be rescued, but that if the position changed and a rescue of GLEL was possible, then amended proposals would be made available at an appropriate time.

The report showed that GLEL owed money to nearly 180 creditors, including £19m to E-Money Capital, as well as Live Nation, which has claimed nearly £670,000 in liabilities following a Justin Timberlake concert at the racecourse in July 2025.

The organisation of the concert was heavily criticised after significant traffic queues, with some of the 25,000 concert-goers abandoning their vehicles and walking along a dual carriageway after the event.

It led to Chelmsford City Council ruling that the racecourse could no longer hold music events for more than 10,000 people.

GLEL, which has launched a counterclaim against Live Nation, also owes £2.4 million to another company for new floodlights after being unable to keep up with repayments.

Refunds

In a recorded message on its main switchboard, a spokesperson for the racecourse said it had cancelled fixtures in May, June and for 5 July.

“We understand this is disappointing and we will provide updates when more information becomes available,” they said.

The racecourse apologised that refunds for cancelled fixtures were “taking longer than anticipated” and said it was experiencing “high volumes of enquiries”.

The spokesperson added that private and corporate events were “unaffected and will go ahead as planned”.

“We look forward to resuming racing and welcoming you back soon,” they concluded.

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Related internet links

• British Horseracing Authority