Bangor-on-Dee Raceourse named as a top 10 growing UK racecourse

They have had a 9.59 per cent increase in attendance.

According to research by OLBG, the racecourse saw its total attendance rise from 30,130 in 2014 to 33,019 in 2023.

The research looked at various factors, including the racecourses with the highest attendance per event, those increasing and decreasing in popularity, and the venues with the highest number of annual searches.

Bangor-on-Dee took fourth place in the rising popularity rankings, standing behind Warwick, Plumpton, and Newcastle racecourses.

Warwick topped the list with a 49.60 per cent increase in attendance over the past decade, growing from 28,201 in 2014 to 42,190 in 2023.

It has also been named in the top 20 list of most-searched-for racecourses.

Plumpton came in second with a 46.39 per cent increase, while Newcastle ranked third with a 26.38 per cent rise.

Ludlow, Exeter, Cartmel, Bath, Cheltenham, and Goodwood followed Bangor-on-Dee in the list, showing varying degrees of growth in attendance.

The study also revealed that Cheltenham has the highest average race day attendance in the UK, with 27,192 visitors per event.

In contrast, Kempton Park experienced the highest decrease in average attendance at 48.94 per cent.

Ascot Racecourse was identified as the most searched-for venue over the past year, with more than 94,000 online searches.

Musselburgh saw the most significant increase in popularity, with searches growing by more than 3,400 per cent since 2021.

The research also showed that flat racing drew more attendees than jump racing over the past decade, with more than 31 million people attending flat racing events compared to just over 19.3 million for jump racing.

This may be because jump races faced around 9 per cent more abandonments than flat races.

The findings highlight the changing trends in the racing industry over the past decade, showing a clear picture of the racecourses that have successfully attracted more visitors.

The full research can be found on OLBG’s website – https://www.olbg.com/blogs/horse-racing-attendance-report.