Chester Racecourse: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Chester Race Company Limited has no person with significant control recorded on the Companies House register. In the year to December 2025 it reported turnover of £42m.
- In the year to December 2025, Chester Racecourse had turnover of £42m, up 9.3% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £1.9m, keeping £4.47 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 146 people, with staff costs of £13m.
- These figures are from Chester Race Company Limited's group accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 23 September 2026.
- Registered name
- CHESTER RACE COMPANY LIMITED
- Company number
- 00037600
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 21 November 1892
- Registered office area
- Chester
- Industry code on the register
- 55100: Accommodation
- Accounts
- Group accounts, covering the companies it owns
- Accounts type
- Full group accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 23 September 2026
What does Chester Racecourse do?
Chester Racecourse is a flat racecourse on the Roodee in Chester, where racing has been held since 1539; the course says it is recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest racecourse in the world. It stages 15 fixtures a season, including the Boodles May Festival with the Chester Cup, Chester Vase and Cheshire Oaks. It is part of Chester Race Company, which also runs the Bangor-on-Dee and Musselburgh racecourses, the Horseradish catering business, the on-site Holiday Inn Express and the Commonhall Social bar in Chester. Alongside racedays it earns money from hospitality, conferences, corporate events, weddings and concerts.
In brief: flat racecourse in Chester · racing since 1539 · 15 fixtures a season · group also runs Bangor-on-Dee and Musselburgh
Source: Chester Racecourse's own website, retrieved 25 September 2026.
Who owns Chester Racecourse?
Chester Race Company Limited, company number 00037600, has no person with significant control recorded on the register. The full record is linked below.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Chester Racecourse?
The Companies House register lists 8 current officers for Chester Race Company Limited.
All 8 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Marco John Garavello | 31 May 2014 |
| Marco John Garavello | 20 October 2014 |
| John Sullivan O'Doherty | 1 October 2017 |
| Joelle Susan Warren | 1 April 2019 |
| Louise Adele Stewart | 1 March 2022 |
| Kevin Hart | 1 April 2024 |
| Julie Anne Harrington | 1 April 2025 |
| Gary Middlebrook | 1 March 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Chester Racecourse file?
Chester Race Company Limited reported turnover of £42m in the year to December 2025. That was up 9.3% on £38m the year before.
It reported 146 employees. The year before it reported 164.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £1.9m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £0.6m the year before.
Staff costs came to £13m. That is an average of £90,000 a head. It ended the year with £13m at the bank and net assets of £41m. It paid dividends of £0.4m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £42m | £38m |
| Pre-tax profit | £1.9m (filed) | £0.6m (filed) |
| Employees | 146 | 164 |
| Staff costs | £13m | £12m |
| Average staff cost per head | £90,000 | £73,000 |
| Bank and cash | £13m | £12m |
| Net assets | £41m | £40m |
| Dividends paid | £0.4m | £0.4m |
| Interest received | £0.6m | |
| Directors' pay | £0.8m |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets · Group accounts
Are there any charges against Chester Racecourse?
Chester Race Company Limited has registered 13 charges at Companies House, of which 1 is still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
The outstanding charge
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| National Westminster Bank PLC as Security Trustee | 18 August 2026 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Chester Racecourse compares
Of the 5 racecourses, Chester Racecourse is 2nd on turnover, 3rd on profit margin and 2nd on growth. Ascot keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £14.65.
| Rank | Racecourses | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ascot | £115m | £14.65 |
| 2nd | Chester Racecourse | £42m | £4.47 |
| + 3 more racecourses ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Chester Racecourse files as Chester Race Company Limited, with turnover of £42m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Chester Racecourse
What does Chester Racecourse do?
Chester Racecourse is a flat racecourse on the Roodee in Chester, where racing has been held since 1539; the course says it is recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest racecourse in the world. It stages 15 fixtures a season, including the Boodles May Festival with the Chester Cup, Chester Vase and Cheshire Oaks. It is part of Chester Race Company, which also runs the Bangor-on-Dee and Musselburgh racecourses, the Horseradish catering business, the on-site Holiday Inn Express and the Commonhall Social bar in Chester. Alongside racedays it earns money from hospitality, conferences, corporate events, weddings and concerts.
How does Chester Racecourse compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Chester Racecourse is 2nd of the 5 companies in our battle of the racecourses, behind Ascot. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the racecourses →
Who owns Chester Racecourse?
Chester Race Company Limited has no person with significant control recorded at Companies House.
How much does Chester Racecourse make?
Chester Race Company Limited reported turnover of £42m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax profit of £1.9m.
How many people work at Chester Racecourse?
Chester Race Company Limited reported 146 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs Chester Racecourse?
The Companies House register lists 8 current officers for Chester Race Company Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Chester Race Company Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 00037600, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are group accounts: they include the companies it owns.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Chester Racecourse: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/chester-racecourse/. Figures from Companies House filings for CHESTER RACE COMPANY LIMITED (00037600).
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