Lovers of the turf are already looking forward to racing at the Boodles May Festival (May 10-12) with even more reasons to come to Chester this season following a major investment in facilities.

An impressive £250,000 has been invested in extra giant digital screens to enable racegoers to watch home and away racing from clearer vantage points as well as promoting live betting odds.

A new canopy over the Parade Ring will provide shelter against the elements and provide smooth passage to and from the entertainment suite and the owners and trainers facility.

And building on the success of premium enclosure, The Winning Post, will be even more upmarket environments.

The new Paddock Club at Chester racecourse

So, provision has been set aside for a new Parade Ring Corner Food Court, offering racegoers a diverse culinary offering, for those seeking an alternative healthier option.

A brand new Cedar Bar facility will enable customers to choose from a wider choice of beverages, with increased speed of service and close proximity to the track for those with access to the Paddock area.

No race day is complete without a bet or two and in-house facility chesterBET has formed a partnership with Premier Gateway International (PGI) to provide services at Chester and its sister course Bangor-on- Dee.

There will be more video screens at Chester Racecourse this season.

This will include the ability to place a bet via mobile phone without the need to make multiple visits to traditional points of sale.

Meanwhile, Bangor-on-Dee, set in the beautiful Welsh countryside, will also see a £150,000 renovation project as the owners and trainers facility is modernised.

Race Company chief executive Richard Thomas said: “Investment in improvement to race day facilities for racegoers is paramount. We constantly benchmark against other racecourses and wider leisure industry experiences and recognise the importance of customer experience and satisfaction.

Richard Thomas, chief executive of Chester Race Company

“Through continually monitoring customer feedback throughout the season and measuring against internal and external parameters, we’ve been able to identify areas of importance that require attention.

“In turn, we hope our active investment in a variety of areas will demonstrate our ability to listen and act and in turn, both to please returning racegoers and influence the acquisition of new customers to the racecourse and race days at Chester.”

The Paddock at Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse

The enhancements are not only aimed at racegoers but industry professionals too.

Last year the race company paid owners a minimum £400 payment each time their horse ran at Chester to drive the number of runners. This year the minimum payment contribution is being boosted to £500.

Mr Thomas commented: “We were delighted with the response to our £400 minimum prize fund introduction in 2016 and the resulting increase in runners and decrease in non-runners. Chester still remains the only racecourse in the country not to run a race for less than £10,000 and our aim is to ensure Chester remains the number one choice for owners when making that all- important decision on where to run during the flat season.”