Rachel Corden Appointed ARC Greyhound Operations Director
A long-standing member of the British Afternoon Greyhound Service (“BAGS”), Nottingham Greyhound Stadium hosts 154 fixtures per year. The Greyhound Derby has been hosted at the site since 2019, with the 2020 competition getting underway on Friday 10 April, and Finals Night on Saturday 16 May.
Nottingham joins the growing portfolio of ARC Greyhound Stadia, alongside Belle Vue, Newcastle, Perry Barr and Sunderland. In total, 55% of all 1619 annual BAGS fixtures will now be run at ARC Stadia, and broadcast live via The Racing Partnership (“TRP”).
In addition to this acquisition, Director of Nottingham Greyhound Stadium Rachel Corden has been appointed ARC Greyhound Operations Director, overseeing the business and commercial operations of the five greyhound stadia in the group. Rachel will report directly into ARC Racing Division Managing Director, Mark Spincer.
Mark Spincer said, “We are very pleased to bring Nottingham into the ARC group, further demonstrating our commitment to British Greyhound Racing. As the home of the Greyhound Derby and a stalwart of the BAGS broadcast service, Nottingham is a popular venue that fits incredibly well into our group.
“Given Rachel’s extensive experience in the greyhound racing industry, we couldn’t be happier to appoint her Greyhound Operations Director within our Racing Division. I am sure that her years of experience of running Nottingham, and of British greyhound racing in general will be of huge benefit to ARC as our commitment to the sport continues to grow.”
Rachel Corden said “ARC is a really progressive company who are committed to British greyhound racing, so I’m delighted that they have acquired ownership of Nottingham.
“I am really looking forward to taking up my new role as Operations Director for ARC’s five greyhound stadia and to working with Mark Spincer and the established teams at all ARC’s greyhound stadia.
“Nottingham stadium has been in my family for many decades and we have always been brilliantly served by a wonderful team of staff, trainers, owners and sponsors. I would like to give huge thanks to the whole team at Nottingham for their loyalty and excellent work over the many years and I look forward to continuing to work with them all moving forward.”
Ends
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About ARC:
Arena Racing Company (“ARC”) is the largest racecourse operator in the UK. In 2020 ARC Group racecourses will host 572 fixtures with 1.2 million people attending racing at one of ARC’s racecourses each year.
ARC is made up of the following sixteen racecourses: Bath, Brighton, Chepstow, Doncaster, Ffos Las, Fontwell Park, Great Yarmouth, Hereford, Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Royal Windsor, Sedgefield, Southwell, Uttoxeter, Wolverhampton and Worcester.
ARC runs four of the six all-weather racecourses in the UK offering three different types of surface for horses to run on: Polytrack at Lingfield Park, fibresand at Southwell Racecourse and tapeta at Newcastle and Wolverhampton Racecourses – the only tapeta racing surfaces in Europe.
In 2013 ARC pioneered the All-Weather Championships which see horses compete throughout the winter for the chance of qualifying for a £1 million Finals Day on Good Friday at Lingfield Park. This initiative is helping raise the profile and prestige of all-weather racing in Great Britain.
ARC hosts racing at all levels of the sport from Class 7 through to Group 1s. Doncaster Racecourse is home to the world’s oldest Classic, the William Hill St Leger, run each year in September as part of the four-day William Hill St Leger Festival as well as the final Group 1 of the year in Britain, the Vertem Futurity Trophy. Feature jumps races include the Grade 1 Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle Racecourse, the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow Racecourse and Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter Racecourse.
As well as racing, ARC also operates a hotel at Wolverhampton Racecourse, a hotel, spa resort and golf course at Lingfield Park and The Border Minstrel public house at Newcastle Racecourse in the grounds of Gosforth Park. The Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Racecourse opened in September 2018.
ARC is a significant shareholder in the horseracing TV channel Sky Sports Racing which is broadcast on the Sky platform to c.14 million homes.
ARC plays a pivotal role in British Racing. It is a shareholder in British Champions Series and Racecourse Data Company; a signatory to a British Horseracing Authority’s and Horsemen’s Group Prize Money Agreement; and on the boards of the Racecourse Association (“RCA”), Great British Racing (“GBR”) and British Champion Series (“BCS”).
In 2015 ARC set up The Racing Partnership. This limited company represents the media rights of the 16 ARC owned-racecourses and the five independent racecourses Fakenham, Hexham, Newton Abbot, Plumpton and Ripon.
In addition to racecourses ARC owns Belle Vue, Newcastle, Nottingham, Perry Barr and Sunderland Greyhound Stadia and looks after the media interests of the Greyhound Media Group (“GMG”).
ARC employs 750 permanent staff and engages with 5,500 casual staff for racing and events across its racecourses. Further information about ARC can be found at www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk.
