Jockey Club gallops to a record profit of £44m

BRITAIN’S biggest horse racing group has raked in record revenues of £201.1m in a bumper year for the sport.

The Jockey Club, which runs some of the world’s biggest competitions, including Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National and the Derby, saw profits climb 3.2pc to £44.8m.

A total of £22.9m was given out in prize money, up 10.1pc on a year earlier, and the figure is rising again this year to £27.1m.

The average prize pot at the club’s 348 fixtures in 2018 will be £153,000 – an all-time high.

The Jockey Club reinvests all profits in the sport. Chief executive Simon Bazalgette, 56, said: ‘We’re working hard to build The Jockey Club brand to create more value to benefit British racing.’

This Grand National earlier this month was watched on television by 8.5m people, up 3.6pc on a year earlier. About £250m was bet on the race, which was won by Davy Russell on Tiger Roll at odds of 10/1.