British horseracing's largest commercial group The Jockey Club has announced exclusive 20-year partnership with Levy, the market-leading sports and entertainment division of Compass Group UK & Ireland, investing £100 million to revolutionise spectator experience across UK racecourses according to a company announcement.

The partnership evolution sees existing joint venture Jockey Club Catering rebranded as Jockey Club Experiences, representing significant expansion of responsibilities. Jockey Club Experiences will now oversee end-to-end hospitality package sales and delivery, conferencing and events, and retail merchandising, alongside ongoing food and beverage partner role across all retail and hospitality operations.

Building on successful long-standing relationship, the partnership enables The Jockey Club to make significant capital investment into operations whilst delivering step change in customer experience at 15 racecourses. Investment plans, funded by payment from Compass as part of the deal, include introducing digital ticketing, improvements to customer experience at Cheltenham and Aintree, and reinvigoration of The Derby at Epsom Downs.

Jon Davies, CEO of Levy, stated, "This partnership is a defining moment for British racing and a statement of intent. Together with The Jockey Club, we are committed to setting a new global standard for the raceday experience. Our evolution into Jockey Club Experiences reflects the scale of our ambition and the responsibility we carry."

Jim Mullen, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, noted, "This is an important moment for racing and The Jockey Club. We have agreed a long-term opportunity with a proven worldwide operator to help us grow our ability to invest in the sport and the customer experience. We want customers at our venues to enjoy the racing, enjoy the hospitality and come back to this great sport more often."

For Levy, the deal represents opportunity to inject capital elevating racegoer experience through combining operational excellence with The Jockey Club's historic venues and racing expertise, delivering modernised, premium experience for every visitor.

Discover how sports hospitality partnerships are transforming spectator customer experience in the complete announcement.