Towcester Racecourse officially re-opened as an entertainment venue on Friday evening with the launch of the Winterland event writes Floyd Amphlett.

The site in preparation just four weeks ago

It is the first feature held on the site since its closure in August 2018 and the first venture hosted by its new leaseholder Kevin Boothby.

While the staging of a winter pageant will be of very limited interest to greyhound racing supporters, they would be impressed by a slick marketing operation that saw hundreds queuing when the gates opened at 6pm. The place was ‘rammed’ within a couple of hours.

It has been estimated that Boothby’s percentage from the estimated 250,000 expected through the gate during Winterland’s six weeks on site will go a significant way to paying his first full year’s rent on the 320 acre site.

The new promoter remains on course to have the racing circuit back in operation by March 2020.