ROA Racecourse Accreditation Scheme

The thrill of watching your racehorse on the track is the reason why so many owners get into the sport. With the average racehorse hitting the track only 5 times a year the raceday experience should therefore be an enjoyable one, rewarding owners for their investment.

This is why, since 2006, the ROA Gold Standard Award has recognised racecourse excellence for owners, with the ROA Racecourse Accreditation Scheme, introduced in 2019 and assessed by AA Hotel & Hospitality Services, ensuring consistent benchmarking.

AA Hotel & Hospitality Services provide an independent and objective assessment of the raceday experience across all racecourses. They are the UK's leading quality assessment provider for the hospitality sector, having inspected and rated accommodation for over 115 years. Their renowned star rating scheme for quality was first introduced as far back as 1912 and they have been inspecting restaurants for the coveted Rosette award since 1956. As a trusted and independent brand dedicated to championing quality standards, they are the only pan UK organisation working across the UK and Northern Ireland with a diverse range of establishments, including hotels, B&Bs, self-catering businesses, caravan and camping parks, restaurants and catering colleges. They also publish a well-established range of lifestyle publications, such as camping and restaurant guides, with all AA-rated places featured on RatedTrips.com

The AA’s carefully selected and trained group of assessors visit each racecourse across the year (Newmarket Rowley Mile and July courses are assessed separately) and complete a detailed report that is fed back to both the racecourse and the ROA. This report measures 38 aspects of the raceday, applying a number of criteria including:

Pre-raceday communication
Arrival
Owners & Trainers facility
Accessibility provision
Shared ownership provision
Food and beverages
Watching the race
Post-race experience
Exit from the racecourse

All assessment areas are graded 1-5 and converted to a % score, with accreditation awarded on the achievement of a minimum of 70%. Any racecourse achieving an accreditation score of at least 85% is then eligible for consideration for the ROA’s coveted Gold Standard Award. To gain this award, as well as reaching the minimum 85% ROA Racecourse Accreditation score, the racecourse must also score well with owners, whose feedback delivered either through the racecourse or by completion of the ROA Racecourse Feedback form is the deciding factor. Want to have your say? Then just complete our quick and easy form here.

The full criteria for the 2025 Racecourse Accreditation can be found here:

2025 ROA Racecourse Assessment Criteria.pdf

GIVE YOUR FEEDBACK

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