ROA Gold Standard Award - Racecourse results announced
The Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) has today announced the recipients of its 2025 ROA Gold Standard Award, with 35 racecourses achieving the accolade for delivering a consistently high-quality raceday experience for racehorse owners. Furthermore, all 60 racecourses in Britain achieved ROA accreditation for their ownership experience and on-course facilities for owners.
The ROA Gold Standard is established as the benchmark for British racecourse standards for you – the owner – who collectively are the sport’s biggest investors, contributing over £500 million annually. The Award is designed to protect what matters most to owners: the enjoyment of watching your horse’s race, together with recognition, welcome and quality of the raceday facilities. These priorities were clearly reinforced in the ROA’s 2025 Owner Survey, where you highlighted watching your horses run and feeling recognised by British Racing as major factors in shaping the ownership experience.
The 2025 results reflect an average accreditation score of 84.38%, based on independent assessment by AA Hotel & Hospitality Services, alongside owner feedback collected throughout the year. Racecourses achieving Gold Standard status must meet robust accreditation thresholds and demonstrate consistently positive owner feedback, ensuring the Award remains grounded in lived owner experience.
The racecourses achieving the 2025 ROA Gold Standard Award are:
Aintree, Ascot, Bangor-on-Dee, Bath, Brighton, Carlisle, Catterick Bridge, Cheltenham, Chepstow, Chester, Doncaster, Epsom Downs, Exeter, Ffos Las, Fontwell Park, Haydock Park, Hereford, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Musselburgh, Newbury, Newmarket July, Newmarket Rowley Mile, Nottingham, Sandown Park, Sedgefield, Southwell, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Wetherby, Royal Windsor, Wolverhampton, Great Yarmouth and York.
Louise Norman, Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association, said:
“The ROA is delighted and proud to recognise the racecourses achieving Gold Standard status in 2025 and we thank them for their continued commitment to delivering a high-quality owner experience along with our congratulations.
“When we surveyed owners in spring 2025, they were clear that the enjoyment of watching and following their horses racing, alongside feeling recognised and valued by the sport, are fundamental to their experience of ownership. The ROA Gold Standard exists to protect and champion those moments that matter most to owners.
“Owners are the biggest investors in British racing and initiatives like the Gold Standard play a vital role in supporting owner confidence, encouraging retention and reinforcing the importance of delivering a consistently positive raceday experience”.
Simon Numphud FIH, Managing Director, AA Media said:
“Our independent assessments on behalf of the ROA provide a consistent and objective benchmark of the owner raceday experience. The racecourses achieving Gold Standard status in 2025 are those that have demonstrated a clear and sustained commitment to delivering a high-quality experience for owners, aligned with what owners themselves value most on raceday”.
The ROA Gold Standard Award was established in 2006, with the additional Racecourse Accreditation introduced in 2019. In partnership with the AA, each racecourse is assessed across 38 core aspects of the owner raceday journey, including pre-raceday communication, arrival and accessibility, owner and trainer facilities, food and beverage provision, the raceday viewing experience and post-race engagement.
Racecourses achieving a minimum 70% accreditation score receive ROA accreditation, while the Gold Standard Award is determined by reaching 85%+ accreditation score together with a minimum of 40 pieces of owner feedback across the year with an average owner score of 4 out of 5 or higher, making owners lived experience the deciding factor.
For more information on the ROA Racecourse Accreditation Scheme and Gold Standard Award click here.
If you participated in the owner feedback, thank you for taking the time to do so. Your insight and lived experience are central to the ROA Gold Standard and play a crucial role in driving improvements to the owner raceday experience.
| League position | Racecourse | Quality Score % 2025 | Owner feedback score 2025 | Award 2025 | 2024 League Position | 2024 Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York | 97 | 4.9 | ROA Gold Standard | 1 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 2 | Newmarket - Rowley Mile | 94 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | 3 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 3 | Nottingham | 94 | 4.5 | ROA Gold Standard | 4 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 4 | Wetherby | 93 | 4.5 | ROA Gold Standard | 8 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 5 | Doncaster | 92 | 4.6 | ROA Gold Standard | = 12 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 6 | Ascot | 91 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | 7 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 7 | Newmarket - July | 90 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | 2 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 8 | Chester | 89 | 5 | ROA Gold Standard | = 9 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 9 | Cheltenham | 89 | 4.9 | ROA Gold Standard | 5 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 10 | Newbury | 89 | 4.8 | ROA Gold Standard | = 12 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 11 | Epsom Downs | 89 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | 14 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 11 | Windsor | 89 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | = 33 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 11 | Wolverhampton | 89 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | = 9 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 14 | Southwell | 88 | 4.9 | ROA Gold Standard | = 17 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 15 | Sedgefield | 88 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | 39 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 16 | Kempton Park | 88 | 4.6 | ROA Gold Standard | 16 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 17 | Chepstow | 88 | 4.5 | ROA Gold Standard | 40 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 18 | Aintree | 88 | 4.3 | ROA Gold Standard | 20 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 19 | Leicester | 87 | 4.8 | ROA Accredited | 24 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 19 | Yarmouth | 87 | 4.8 | ROA Gold Standard | 49 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 21 | Hereford | 87 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | = 17 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 22 | Huntingdon | 87 | 4.6 | ROA Gold Standard | 15 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 23 | Exeter | 87 | 4.1 | ROA Gold Standard | 45 | ROA Accredited |
| 24 | Sandown | 86 | 4.8 | ROA Gold Standard | = 9 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 25 | Goodwood | 86 | 4.7 | ROA Accredited | 19 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 26 | Market Rasen | 86 | 4.5 | ROA Gold Standard | 6 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 27 | Stratford | 86 | 4.3 | ROA Gold Standard | 50 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 28 | Carlisle | 86 | 4.2 | ROA Gold Standard | 51 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 28 | Warwick | 86 | 4.2 | ROA Gold Standard | 32 | ROA Accredited |
| 30 | Bangor-on-Dee | 85 | 4.9 | ROA Gold Standard | = 33 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 31 | Brighton | 85 | 4.8 | ROA Gold Standard | 29 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 31 | Fontwell | 85 | 4.8 | ROA Gold Standard | 21 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 33 | Haydock Park | 85 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | 22 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 33 | Musselburgh | 85 | 4.7 | ROA Gold Standard | 23 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 35 | Bath | 85 | 4.6 | ROA Gold Standard | = 30 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 36 | Catterick | 85 | 4.5 | ROA Gold Standard | 36 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 37 | Ffos Las | 85 | 4.4 | ROA Gold Standard | 47 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 38 | Ludlow | 85 | 4.3 | ROA Accredited | 44 | ROA Accredited |
| 39 | Thirsk | 85 | 4 | ROA Accredited | 35 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 40 | Ayr | 83 | 4.9 | ROA Accredited | 27 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 41 | Hamilton Park | 83 | 4.7 | ROA Accredited | = 25 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 42 | Uttoxeter | 82 | 4.7 | ROA Accredited | 41 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 43 | Lingfield | 82 | 4.5 | ROA Accredited | = 30 | ROA Gold Standard |
| = 44 | Fakenham | 81 | 4.3 | ROA Accredited | 56 | ROA Accredited |
| = 44 | Redcar | 81 | 4.3 | ROA Accredited | 46 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 46 | Newton Abbot | 80 | 5 | ROA Accredited | 37 | ROA Accredited |
| 47 | Beverley | 80 | 4.5 | ROA Accredited | 28 | ROA Accredited |
| 48 | Wincanton | 80 | 3.8 | ROA Accredited | 42 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 49 | Taunton | 80 | 3.3 | ROA Accredited | 53 | ROA Accredited |
| 50 | Newcastle | 79 | 4.6 | ROA Accredited | = 25 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 51 | Salisbury | 78 | 4.4 | ROA Accredited | 54 | ROA Accredited |
| 52 | Chelmsford | 78 | 2.8 | ROA Accredited | 57 | ROA Accredited |
| 53 | Worcester | 77 | 4.6 | ROA Accredited | 52 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 54 | Perth | 76 | 4.8 | ROA Accredited | 38 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 55 | Hexham | 75 | 4.8 | ROA Accredited | 59 | ROA Accredited |
| 56 | Kelso | 74 | 4.7 | ROA Accredited | 58 | ROA Accredited |
| 57 | Plumpton | 74 | 1 | ROA Accredited | 55 | ROA Accredited |
| 58 | Pontefract | 73 | 3.8 | ROA Accredited | 48 | ROA Accredited |
| 59 | Ripon | 71 | 4.4 | ROA Accredited | 43 | ROA Gold Standard |
| 60 | Cartmel | 70 | 4.3 | ROA Accredited | 60 | ROA Accredited |