Chelmsford racecourse tenant owes £22m as racing licence remains suspended

In the quiet Essex countryside near Great Leighs, a racecourse that once drew horses, trainers, and crowds now sits empty — a monument to the fragility of ambition outpacing foundation. Chelmsford City Racecourse lost its operating licence in March 2026 after its tenant company collapsed under £22 million in debt owed to nearly 180 creditors, a fall accelerated by a chaotic concert and a restructuring that stretched too far. The British Horseracing Authority has rejected a successor company's licence application, leaving seventeen scheduled fixtures in legal limbo and an entire community of li