With nine racecourses, staging some of the world’s most important races, two major training centres at Middleham and Malton, a major Sales venue at Doncaster, the National Racing College, a state of the art rehabilitation and recovery facility for jockeys and stable staff at Jack Berry House and the New Beginnings retraining centre, Yorkshire serves every strata of racing life.
The stimulation to Yorkshire’s economy from racing, both in terms of jobs – many of them in the rural community – and profitability for many other sectors, particularly the hospitality industry, is truly enormous.
With thanks to the Racing Foundation, Ian Wilson, Deputy Director of the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University carried out a study into the economic impact of horseracing in Yorkshire.
The study, commissioned by Go Racing in Yorkshire used pre-Covid data from 2019, and revealed that the horseracing industry in Yorkshire contributes £300.2 million to the county’s economy, through both racing and non-raceday events.
Among the key findings were that racegoers spent £34.1 million off-course, on things such as transport, food, beverages and hotels, while those attending the racecourses for non-racing events such as conferences spent £15.3 million in the county.
The industry supports more than 3,600 full time equivalent jobs, over three quarters of which are in rural areas. Over 2,400 horses are trained in the county, which represents 17% of all racehorses trained in Britain, while the county is home to 15% of Britain’s trainers.
The full report can be read here, along with the Covid Impact Report and a video presentation.