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Ayr Unveils New £100,000 Paddock
02/02/07

THE new paddock at Ayr Racecourse will be in used for the first time at the Lloyds TSB Raceday on Saturday February 10.

The £100,000 project has created a more spectator-friendly and horse-friendly facility with the paddock now nearer the course with a much larger Winners Enclosure another feature.

A special rubberised surface has been laid for horses to walk on in the paddock and the improvements have create additional space for racegoers to view horses. A big screen will be located in the Champagne Gardens adjacent to the paddock which will also house additional bars.

Another feature of the new facility will be a larger Presentation Podium which will also have facilities for television companies to broadcast from.

Ayr Clerk of the Course Katherine Self said : “We are looking to improve facilities at Ayr and I am sure trainers, jockeys and racegoers will all be pleased with the new paddock. We are grateful for their patience during the work.

“It is one of the largest parade rings in the UK because we have to cater for up to 28 runners in both the Coral Scottish Grand National and the totesport Ayr Gold Cup. By creating a larger Winners Enclosure we can accommodate all the winning connections plus Press and television crews a lot more comfortably than in the past.”

In addition to the paddock the Ayr Executive will invest £100,000 in a new drainage system at the course and work on this will start immediately following the Coral Scottish Grand National on April 21.

The three phase project will be completed by the summer of 2008 and for the first nine meetings of this year’s flat season racing will move to the hurdle track in the back straight before joining up with the normal flat course four furlongs out.

Katherine Self said : “The first phase should be completed in time for the totesport Ayr Gold Cup in September. The recent wet weather we have been having has accentuated the problem and shown exactly where we need to do the work.

“We want to carry the improvements out at the best time which is in the summer and this means we will have to move to the hurdle track in the back straight for a while.”

New Paddock Under Construction At Ayr
23/11/06

WORK has begun on building a new paddock at Ayr Racecourse which will be in use from the first meeting of 2007 on January 2.

The parade ring will move nearer the course and a rubberised surface is being laid for the horses to walk on. In addition an enlarged podium is being built where presentations will be made to winning connections after races.

The improvements will also mean additional space being created for racegoers to view horses and also to enjoy a drink in the expanded Champagne Gardens adjacent to the paddock.

A new Members Bar will also be introduced next year in addition to upgraded Owners and Trainers facilities.

The new paddock and parade ring is the latest in a series of improvements at Ayr which kicked in after Alan Macdonald and Richard Johnstone bought the course form the Western Meeting Club for £10 million in June 2003.

Already vast improvements have been made in the Princess Royal Stand with two new bars, two fine dining restaurants and improved hospitality boxes being introduced.

Western House which formerly housed the racecourse offices underwent a £4.5 million refurbishment and was transformed into a four star hotel where owners and trainers can now enjoy a complimentary lunch and drinks before racing.

Earlier this year the owners were granted outline planning permission for their £35 million Masterplan for the track that includes a casino, multiplex cinema, retail shopping development, housing and vast improvements to racing facilities. This permission was only granted after the Scottish Executive demanded a Public Inquiry into the plans which lasted for almost three weeks last November. The paddock is the first project in these plans.

Clerk of the Course Katherine Self said : “By creating a new paddock we will improve facilities not only for the horses but also the racegoers who want a good look at the runners. We have planned this carefully and it should be operational for the January 2 meeting with the old paddock remaining in place until then.”