THE UK’S newest racecourse is producing something of a buzz for local sports fanatics – and the bosses at Chelmsford City say it is only going to get louder.

The second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, horse-racing remains a hugely popular haunt throughout the year.

That is certainly the case at Chelmsford City Racecourse, with races every week courtesy of an all-weather track and ambitious plans to make the venue bigger and better in the months ahead.

The racecourse, based in Great Leighs, shut in 2009 after entering administration but reopened in January 2015 and, as racecourse manager Fraser Garrity explained, it has gone from strength to strength since – with hundreds turning out in the winter and thousands in the summer for meetings.

“It is very much a case of onwards and upwards,” said Garrity, who previously worked for The British Horse Racing Authority. “We are an all-weather course and that is a huge selling point. We can race at night and when some of the other courses are frozen so can pick up extra fixtures if they become available.

“We have 52 meetings in 2017 and the possibility of a few extras. It is a competitive market as we bid for races against other courses but we want to race on days we have historically raced on.

“We would like to make Thursday our day and it is important we have that identity. We use the hashtag ThursdayNightsUnderLights and have reached a lot of people that way.

“There are strong fields and exciting finishes and it really is a good day for everyone.”

With the established Newmarket Racecourse just 50 minutes up the road, Garrity says it is important that Chelmsford City follows its own business model and brings in punters by making their experience as unique as possible.

And with the racecourse used – as Garrity says – 365 days a year for events including exhibitions, conferences, weddings, concerts and police exercises among others, the manager believes the venue will continue to thrive.

“I have worked in racing all my life and, although we have a cordial relationship with Newmarket, we can’t claim to compete with a racecourse with 250 years of history and we don’t want to as this is something different,” he said.

“Our venue is more compact and is more of a sports bar vibe, although we also provide fine dining.

“It is hard to take on Newmarket head on and it is a different business model. But we can stage some very good races and attract some of the best horses here.

“We wanted to a make a mark in the first couple of years to capture the imagination. We had Madness here last year and doubled that up with a race fixture which brought in 9,000 people.

“That put us on the map locally. This year we had Simply Red and that was closer to 10,000 people. UB40 will be performing in August at an Arabian race meeting - which will be another great day and Ladies Day in June gets bigger and better every year.

“People get to see the venue and we get more contact emails and can reach these people so we want to branch out to a wider catchment area.

“We also have pony and trotting races coming to this venue next year which will be something different.”

Chelmsford City offers some of the highest prize money around for their races – with minimum and maximum amounts stipulated by the BHA.

For the first six months of 2016, Chelmsford matched the maximum amount available, with owners also keen to send their horses to the course after a number of success stories saw fillies triumph against the odds in their maiden races.

“The trainers are very happy and everything is going very well,” said Garrity. “If a horse wins its first race here, the owners know it’s a good facility for their horses to run as it has treated them well in the past.

“We want to make a statement and it is good to support the grassroots of racing.

“There are more horses at grassroots than at any other level and we think it’s right they get a better return for their investment.”

More than £1million has been spent on the racecourse since re-opening, with Betfred owner Fred Done investing in track improvements, a big screen TV, and several marquees with more planned for the future.

A £50million plan for a second grandstand and casino are in motion, and Garrity says Chelmsford City is certainly on the up.

“There has been a huge amount of investment and further profits will go into improving this venue.

“We are not standing still at Chelmsford City and I take my hat off to Fred Done and what he has done and is doing.

“This is a destination venue and the future is exciting.”