Doncaster Racecourse.

Doing Doncaster proud.

Doncaster Racecourse in South Yorkshire is a busy venue. Hosting 36 race fixtures per year, along with a variety of other events, the client needed a full redevelopment of the facilities. The project included a new grandstand with bars, restaurants, kitchens, offices, betting facilities, exhibition hall, weighing room, stables, parade ring, lads accommodation, refurbishment of existing grandstand, new and diverted incoming services, and facilities for media companies.

Early insight.

For such a specific project, extensive third-party collaboration and coordination was required. The specialists we consulted with included Racecourse Technical Services, Tote, Channel 4, and Satellite Information Services. Our team absorbed themselves in the world of horse racing to truly understand the requirements of the client’s brief and deliver what all parties were looking for. This included insight into how jockeys prepare for race meetings, plus understanding the complexities of the ‘weighing room’ and associated spaces that housed saunas, drug and blood testing areas, and security enhancements to prevent ‘unwanted visitors’.

Across the line.

The new grandstand was replacing the existing one, so it was imperative it was completed and operational, ready for use at Doncaster’s two main race meetings, the Lincoln and St. Leger. We had to carefully consider the buildings adjacent to the grandstand and the services interfaces. Through a series of detailed investigations and surveys we were able to accurately assess the services isolations and diversions and strip-out requirements to facilitate demolition of the existing grandstand while keeping the remaining buildings operational. Come race day, the client had a high-quality facility fit for Doncaster Racecourse’s prestigious reputation.