YARMOUTH racecourse is to shut for nine months for track repairs with the loss of around seven fixtures, owner Arena Racing Company has announced.

The Norfolk track will close temporarily after its flagship three-day Eastern festival in September, when work to level the home straight will commence.

Arc racing director Jim Allen moved to make reassurances over the future of the track. He said: "We're very committed to Yarmouth and its future is 100 per cent certain. We've started to improve the race programme and hopefully that will continue."

After a review by Professional Sportsturf Design, repair work will lead to the topsoil being removed, a re-grade of the subsoil to give a level base and then replacement of the topsoil.

Allen explained: "It isn't anything that's happened in the last year or so, it's probably something that's happened over the past 50 years or longer. Naas has just done a similar project in Ireland. And when Arena Leisure shut Doncaster to do the refurbishment it did a similar project to the track there.

"Last year when the ground was quite firm as the result of the hot summer, a few trainers asked if we could do something about it."

Yarmouth will lose two meetings in October and, based on this year's fixture list, three in April and two in May. The course also holds five fixtures in June this year, although Allen says the course was scheduled to have reopened by then.

He added: "The British weather will determine when it reopens as the work will be carried out in September and it is dependent on exactly how warm the winter is. We'll be covering the track to make sure the grass grows quicker but it will definitely re-open at the latest in June."

Newmarket trainer William Haggas said: "The ridges are something the jockeys have complained about and at least this scheme shows they are committed to racing at Yarmouth."

even marks and sparks are pulling the plug, best of the luck to the 10,000+ immigrants that have been welcomed in the town who enjoy shopping in poundland,  and to soon have there very own primark in the old m&s building.  Nice to see many over them overtake my favoutie bar on the back of britaniia pier on a saturday night thou some of them russian girls are amazing.

fakenham does well always well attended

you just freeze to death there

kempton with a bit of luck

i would not miss any 'arc ' racecourse and would not pay to see any of the peanuts prize money rubbish they put on 90% of the time .

Norfolk m

when was that Yarmouth statement made ?

very good question I am very disappointed in the lack of effort Folkestone council have made to secure the future of this wonderful racecourse.

Windsor knot

I use to prefer Doncaster to York until they built that horrible stand they now have,this years York fixture looks stronger than in recent years lets hope the weather doesn't spoil it.

they certainly didI believe they had a banded Saturday card a few years ago the place was very busy.

Kelso, Hexham,Cartmel,Fakenham, and Sedgefield are the best courses on the circuit ,and I doubt those predicting their imminent demise have ever set foot.
Fontwell & Plumpton top of my list

Close..Kempton flat AW
Fos Las
Redcar
and..
no AW racing from 1st may until 1st nov
no jump racing in june and july.
spread that prize money around,
take 10% prize money from all group 1
group 2 and classics and spread that around
the class 3-4-5-6 races.
only 2 top class meetings on a saturday
instead of 4, have the others in the week.
Derby back to a wednesday.
betting shops  must take 50% more over the counter per week
than on FOBTS,otherwise they lose the FOBTS.
and online bookies must lay every punter to lose £250 min.
No discriminating.

If attendances at Musselburgh (except for ladies day and other "specials") do not improve, I think it could be in trouble. The betting ring is dead this year.

Sedgefield car boot will keep it going for a few years & to be honest there's not much chance of getting planning permission to build on it.Of the n.east ones mentioned Redcar has got to be the fav.This is prime building land.

no chance fontwell the new stand is the biggest investment arc have so far made.

call it a day

you are the first person I have ever known not to like kelso other than bookies behind the stands what else didn't you like ?

Not sure why people dislike Fontwell. It's a nice little course with generally excellent viewing.

Worcester isn't a bad course either, good view all the way around from the stand.

Foxy.
Kelso looked so drab, lacking atmosphere. And it's miles from anywhere...! Fair play, however, it's better than Bath.(But the Welsh turn up there in droves and will probably keep it afloat.)

call it a day

it sure is a long way from anywhere but ive always found it fine,a bit of character about the place and decent racing.

dr gonzo

well done on Tuesday night.

Kelso is a good gaff & won't be on the short-list for closure

Top of the list should be those racecourses where the horses disappear from view for long stretches when watching from the Grandstand - Exeter, Warwick, Pontefract & Doncaster to name but 4 (Cartmel gets dispensation because no one goes there to watch the racing). Also vulnerable should be those tracks that offer only a head on view of the finishing straight - Bangor & Newmarket.  Last but not least, Leicester & Southwell are the two worst tracks that I've visited with not a single redeeming feature between them.

Before I moved back up to Gods country in the sunny NE I used to love going to Fontwell and Plumpton, especially the latter. No fun days, stag/hen do's. Just proper racing enthusiasts.
Never liked Worcester and Uttoxeter and the worst days racing in my entire life was an early January meeting at Wolverhampton. First race 11.15, a non-stop blizzard, a total attendance of around 45 and three bookies cowering under the grandstand, **** themselves in case they had to lay a fiver on the 6-4 jolly.
Thoroughly soul-destroying and depressing fayre, come racing!!!!!!!