The Jockey Club, the prominent UK horse racing organization, has unveiled multi-million-pound plans to modernize its portfolio of 15 tracks after receiving significant investment from Levy, the sports and entertainment division of Compass Group UK and Ireland, as part of a 20-year partnership.
The new deal, which The Jockey Club said is worth £100 million ($133 million) to the organisation, is an expansion of a partnership that has been in place for 15 years and will see the existing joint venture, Jockey Club Catering, rebranded as Jockey Club Experiences.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
This rebranding will see a shift in responsibilities, with Jockey Club Experiences now overseeing hospitality packages, conferencing, and events outside of racedays, and retail merchandising, alongside its role as the ongoing food and beverage partner across all retail and hospitality.
Investment by Levy will “unlock significant funds for The Jockey Club to invest into its business.”
The Jockey Club’s group chief executive, Jim Mullen, revealed in December 2025 that the organisation would be investing “tens of millions of pounds” and that details on funding would be made available in due course.
Speaking on today’s tie-up with Levy, Mullen said: “I joined The Jockey Club because I want it to succeed, and with that at the forefront of my mind, I have made it my mission to find money for us to invest in growth.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“This is an important moment for racing and The Jockey Club. We have agreed on a long-term opportunity with a proven worldwide operator to help us improve our customer experience and grow our ability to invest in the sport.
“We want customers at our venues to enjoy the sport, enjoy the hospitality and the overall customer experience so that they come back more often. Levy and Compass have the experience of operating world-class sporting venues, which, allied to our expertise and experience in racing, means they can play a significant role in helping racing and us grow.”
The Jockey Club has announced a five-year project that would see a major revamp of its Cheltenham Weighing Room to include modern facilities for participants and rooftop hospitality for racegoers, subject to planning approval, and “significant investment” to introduce a digital-based ticketing system across its 15 racecourses, including Cheltenham, Aintree, and Epsom Downs.
The plans will see digital ticketing introduced across the racecourses over the next 12 to 18 months.
Explaining where most of the investment will be aimed at, Mullen added: “We will be upgrading to a digital-based ticketing system that will make us more efficient but also enhance our ability to grow our customer database and to market to it more effectively. This will cost several million pounds and is a significant piece of work, but it’s a key priority.
“We will also invest further into our core festival courses, Cheltenham, Aintree, and Epsom Downs. These venues host our biggest events, and by investing in them, we can improve the experience of the customer and drive returns that can be invested in other parts of the business. We have earmarked a significant proportion of our investment for projects put forward by these courses.”
The horse racing body also plans to invest “millions of pounds on transforming The Epsom Derby and restoring its reputation for great customer experience and a race of international importance.”
This includes a major revamp of the main entrance to the racecourse, upgrading facilities in the Duchess Stand, and a full refurbishment of the Queen Elizabeth II Stand.
At Aintree, upgrades will include the creation of new racegoer facilities and enclosures within the centre of the course during the iconic Grand National, with investment into infrastructure.
