'It looks a great facility' - plans revealed for all-weather track in Newmarket

Further details of a proposed new all-weather racecourse in Newmarket have emerged with the unveiling of plans to build a right-handed track on land behind the Rowley Mile.

Details of the floodlit venue have been presented to the public in a consultation that is due to last until Wednesday, with training yards, additional housing and a country park being put forward by the Jockey Club as part of its vision for the town.

The most striking of the plans on display was the layout of a training and racing facility that would feature a right-handed circuit with a six-furlong chute in the straight and a further chute to enable a ten-furlong start along the back.

Artist's impression of the proposed facility behind the Rowley Mile

The racecourse would be on gallops land behind the Rowley Mile known as Southfields Farm. The proposed facility would have a small stand and a viewing facility known as 'clockers' tower', which is a play on the famous 'Clockers' Corner' at Santa Anita in California.

The project, which would be at least four years away if it is adopted into the 2024 local plan, also involves starter yards at the racecourse that could double up as satellite yards in the future, the building of housing on Jockey Club-owned Pinewood Stud on Hamilton Road and development of a country park in the same area.

Southfields: site of the proposed track with the Rowley Mile in the background

Five years ago, the Jockey Club secured planning permission to build a £10 million 'sky gallop' in that area, which would create a raised training surface with a similar incline to the famous Warren Hill gallop on the other side of town. No further development has occurred since.

Amy Starkey, managing director of Jockey Club (East), said: "Newmarket has been the Jockey Club's home for nearly 400 years and today marks the start of a new conversation of how we play our part in helping it thrive in the longer term. Thrive as a community and also as the world's most significant equine cluster.

"After these three days will go live and people can see for themselves and comment. We'll probably have another consultation at the Craven meeting [April 12-14] and this is ahead of the West Suffolk local plan in May as part of 'call for sites'.

"First, we're having a conversation with local people to hear their views and subject to that we'll decide which of these proposals we take forward into the process, which could well span the next 20 years."

Computer-generated image of how the new track would look at Newmarket

The plans were lauded by trainer Simon Crisford, who said: "The concept has huge potential from a training perspective – it could give trainers much more flexibility and deliver a much more efficient way of training in terms of how work-riders are staffed and how work is run.

"More widely it will be fascinating to see how such a training model, along the lines of those more widely used in Australia, America and Dubai, translates to training in the UK and it could create a genuine shift in how horses are trained for the better."

'It looks a long way off'

Rae Guest, who trains on Hamilton Road, said: "It looks a great training facility if it comes in and we wouldn't have to travel to race. I'm less keen on the housing as we have enough traffic issues in the town centre as it is and that's before Hatchfield Farm is even built."

Fellow trainer Chris Dwyer said: "We would certainly have runners at the track if it comes off but it looks a long way off at the moment."

The plans also include the creation of a country park

Should the Jockey Club receive approval for its project, it would create the seventh all-weather course in Britain and the second to race right-handed, the other being Kempton, also owned by the Jockey Club.

In 2017 plans had been put forward by the Jockey Club to build an all-weather venue on land by the Links golf club in Newmarket as a makeweight for closing Kempton and building housing on the course.

Read more on this subject:

Jockey Club brings back idea for Newmarket all-weather track in new consultation

Hatchfield Farm development finally cleared to proceed after long-running saga

Shock plan to close Kempton and open all-weather course in Newmarket

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