Arena still on course for a steady win
DONCASTER racecourse owner Arena Leisure said today that its business had given a “creditable” performance despite the economic downturn and poor weather.
The group, which owns seven UK racecourses in total including Windsor and Lingfield Park, said trading for the period January 1 to May 18, 2009 had been in line with expectations.
However, seven race meetings had to be abandoned earlier in the year due to weather conditions. But Arena said that all-weather tracks at three of its courses enabled it to sustain its racing programme and benefit from transferred fixtures.
During the four months to April 30, Arena hosted 142 fixtures including 15 additional unscheduled fixtures.
Twelve of those were as a result of Great Leighs Racecourse, which Arena manages under contract, going into administration.
Total attendance at Arena racecourses in the four months was 131,000 compared to 133,000 in the same period 2008. The average attendance for the four months was 5% ahead of the same period in 2008 at 920 (2008, 873).
Arena continued in its statement: “With trading in the period having been in line with both expectations and the same period in 2008, we anticipate this pattern continuing, despite some uncertainty over the outlook for the hospitality business through the important summer period.”
