Newbury Racecourse opened the doors of its highly-anticipated new owners and trainers’ facility, The Owners Club, for the first Jump fixture of the 2017/18 season today which featured an exciting seven-race card.

Exterior of The Owners Club

Part of Newbury’s ongoing ‘heartspace’ redevelopment, the state-of-the-art facility, designed by KKA Architecture and built by Dawnus Group, features a range of facilities for the exclusive use of connections including, a VIP entrance, an extensive bar and seating area along with a 200-seat restaurant.

VIP entrance to The Owners Club

The ground floor features a large terrace and lawn area overlooking the newly formed pre-parade ring and paddock and a large terraced balcony is replicated on the second floor offering panoramic views of both the pre-parade ring and paddock. Private rooms for both winning connections and placed connections complete the build.

Julian Thick, Chief Executive of the Newbury Racecourse, said: “We are delighted to have been able to open the new facility today and hope that it will be well received by horsemen.

“We have given a lot of thought to the experience owners will receive from the moment they arrive at the course.

“It has been a key priority during the design process and we hope the new facility provides all those with a runner with a fantastic day out regardless of whether they win or lose.

“I would like thank all horsemen for their patience during the redevelopment and look forward to welcoming many more here for The Ladbrokes Winter Carnival in December. We are always looking to improve the offering so all feedback is welcome.

“There will be an official launch next year.”

Local trainer Mick Channon commented: “The new facilities are fantastic and exactly what Newbury needed and exactly what owners are looking for.

“It’s great to see plenty of seating available and somewhere for owners to sit down for lunch while still being able to see the runners in the pre-parade ring.

“The new touch-screens allowing us trainers and owners to watch the re-runs are a great touch. We are already looking forward to returning.”

Lounge area of The Owners Club