Jockey Club shake-up could have implications for Warwick

While there are no plans for now to remove the manager posts at each individual course, they will, in future, be grouped into clusters, aimed at making it easier to share best practice, promote a consistent set of core values around The Jockey Club brand, increase the effectiveness of sales and marketing to customers regionally and reduce costs.

The changes will see Warwick manager Huw Williams reporting to new regional director Ian Renton, who takes on the south-west cluster with responsibility for the group’s flagship jumps course at Cheltenham, plus Exeter, Warwick and Wincanton.

Renton, who is currently managing director for Arena Leisure, is expected to take up his new post in October.

The change comes at a time when Arena has announced the closure of Folkestone and its sister company, Northern Racing, is to shut Hereford, reducing the total number of courses nationally to 58.

Warwick has struggled this year, losing four of its fixtures to bad weather and, with lower crowds at those which have taken place, Williams has been battling to make up lost revenues.

August is a key month for the course to retrieve some of the lost income from this year’s affected programme with the Ali Campbell Music Night on Tuesday 21 and Bank Holiday Fun Day on the 27.