On this day in 2009 Great Leighs race course was placed into administration and its temporary racing licence revoked. In 2008, Great Leighs had become home to the first new racecourse in 80 years (the last being Taunton in 1927), when the nearby Essex County Showground was converted into a course.
After being bought by a syndicate racing resumed in 2015 with the course being re-named as Chelmsford City. In December 2015, racing from Chelmsford City appeared on Channel 4 Racing for the first time following waterlogging at Chepstow and the abandonment of the Welsh Grand National.
In January 2017 Chelmsford City announced plans to build a new turf course inside the existing all-weather track. They hope this will occur in 2022 and will become the first racecourse in the UK to offer floodlit turf racing.