HORSE racing fans will be welcomed to a refurbished Huntingdon Racecourse late next year thanks to £1.3million of planned improvements. As reported in The Hunts Post last month, improvement work at the circuit will be carried out during the next 10 months

HORSE racing fans will be welcomed to a refurbished Huntingdon Racecourse late next year thanks to £1.3million of planned improvements.

As reported in The Hunts Post last month, improvement work at the circuit will be carried out during the next 10 months to enhance the race day experience for visitors.

Now course managers have revealed that the work will include the creation of four new hospitality boxes in the Giffords Bar and the refurbishment of the Hurdles and Racecall bars.

The winners' enclosure is to be moved into the parade ring and a new viewing area is to be created as part of an expansion of the main enclosure.

The work will also provide new offices and turnstile entrances along with a new admissions area for the racecourse's annual members, and refurbished toilets in the South Stand.

Work is due to be complete by November 2007.

Racecourse manager Amy Starkey - who yesterday (Tuesday) attended a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by The Queen - said: "Some of this work is already under way, and it is going to improve markedly the enjoyment of a day at the races for our thousands of visitors.

"Everyone will benefit on racing days, from general visitors and annual members through to our corporate guests. The investment will also help us to attract more business on days when we are not racing."

From next year, the Premier and Paddock enclosures at the Brampton course will also be merged and enlarged. Admission to the new enclosure will cost £15, compared with the current prices of £16 for the Premier Enclosure and £13 for the Paddock.

Staff at the racecourse are optimistic that the improvements for annual members will lead to an increase in the number of racing fans buying a yearly pass.

The new hospitality area in Giffords Bar will provide a space for events and conferences for 100 visitors, with the ability to use four rooms or merge them into one.

More than 50 per cent of the project's funding is being supplied by a loan from the Horserace Betting Levy Board.