ARENA Leisure, the operator of leading racecourses including Doncaster, the home of the St Leger, has signed a contract to manage racing at the new Great Leighs racecourse near Chelmsford.

ARENA Leisure, the operator of leading racecourses including Doncaster, the home of the St Leger, has signed a contract to manage racing at the new Great Leighs racecourse near Chelmsford.

Arena said yesterday it had signed an initial one-year contract to oversee the management of racing operations at the Essex site - the country's first new racecourse for 80 years - and would be assisting in preparing the course for its opening fixture, now due on March 18.

The floodlit all-weather track, which is expected to host about 80 days racing throughout the year, will complement Arena's existing all-weather operations at Wolverhampton - which was also the UK's first floodlit track - and Southwell, in Nottinghamshire.

“This arrangement reflects Arena's status as the clear market leader in all weather racing in the UK and is expected to net the group a profit of around £250,000,” the group said.

“Arena will work alongside the commercial and marketing teams already in place at the course, with Great Leighs' management retaining responsibility for all commercial arrangements and on-going developments.”

Besides Doncaster, Wolverhampton and Southwell, Arena also operates the Royal Windsor, Lingfield Park, Folkstone and Worcester courses, accounting for around one quarter of the UK's annual horseracing fixtures.

News of the Great Leighs contract was given by Arena in a trading update yesterday in which the group said it remained on track to meet its £6million profit target

In July, Arena described the target - a 6.5% rise on 2006 - as “more difficult” following the cancellation of fixtures at Worcester and Windsor and the closure of its flooded all-weather track at Southwell,.

However, Arena said yesterday it still expected profits in the region of £6 million after a busy Christmas period, while it also negotiated a £6.6 million settlement with insurers to cover Southwell's closure until mid-December.

Arena was also lifted by higher-than-expected attendances at a revamped Doncaster racecourse for last September”s St Leger Festival, which Arena said “bodes well for the future”.

Arena is also planning major expansion at its Wolverhampton course, including a hotel, conference centre and the UK's first “racino” - a casino at a racetrack - which is waiting for Government approval.

Lingfield Park is also set for redevelopment, but Arena said it had deferred plans for a revamp of Windsor due to the extent of work already underway.