Bath Racecourse, which last year completed a multi-million pound redevelopment, is to stage its first Good Friday meeting in April.
The event will launch the new flat racing season with the venue’s highest-ever prize pot of £175,000. It increases its number of fixtures from 22 last year to 23.
The racecourse is keen for the day – on April 14 – to appeal not only to racing fans but also families and groups of friends looking to celebrate the start of the long Easter weekend.
It will feature free Easter-themed activities for children – who will gain free entry when accompanied by an adult – along with live music, entertainers, bars and food stalls.
There will be seven races with the feature event a £60,000 handicap for three year olds over 1m 3f, with a 1m handicap for three year olds and upwards worth £50,000, and a pair of 5f sprints for two year olds and older horses both worth £20,000.
Bath Racecourse executive director Jo Hall said: “2016 welcomed in a new era for the racecourse following our multi-million pound redevelopment and to host a new feature day of this calibre is fantastic.
“The redeveloped facilities have enabled us to think with more ambition about the events we hold, including race meetings. We have already seen a 58% increase in non-raceday revenue since the new facilities opened. We are confident the Good Friday meeting and indeed the rest of our 2017 season, will be a huge success.”
Last year’s redevelopment of the course, owned by the UK’s largest racecourse operator Arena Racing Company (ARC), included a new three-storey grandstand and a hospitality stand.
The redevelopment aimed to substantially increase the course’s income from corporate and other events on non-racedays while also boosting attendances at its 22 racing fixtures each year.
The Langridge Grandstand building is set to become a landmark thanks to its exclusive roof garden, which offers visitors an unrivalled viewing spot on race days and is set under an enormous sail-inspired canopy.
The grandstand also features the spacious ground-floor 1811 public bar with viewing steps for up to 400 people as well as a 200-seat trackside restaurant and function room with a balcony, named after Bath’s famous Royal Crescent.
