Chester is to receive an economic bonus this weekend exceeding £1 million as the Charles Stanley British Masters arrives in the city bringing with it thousands of spectators to the Roodee for the international competition.

The Charles Stanley British Masters is now one of the largest international competitions within the UK and during the course of the weekend 2nd – 4th July, over 1,000 horses will be competiting at the famous Racecourse. Included in the 1,000 horses will be 142 international class horses with a value that will exceed £20 million. On average a top level showjumping horse will have a value of between £500,000 and £1,500,000 depending on its success.

Training and looking after these high value horses is no small task and at any one time up to three people care for a horse to make sure that they are at peak fitness for the showjumping season. With owners, trainers, riders and grooms, over 3,000 of them will be staying in Chester during the three days.

Getting over 1,000 horses to Chester Racecourse is a military operation in itself and over 400 horse boxes are expected to make their way onto the Roodee with a whopping value of over £15 million. Each horse box has an average value of £400,000 and is more like a mobile home for horse and rider rather than a box on four wheels.

The horse boxes used by world class riders are bespoke boxes of the highest quality and include; fully fitted kitchens, with dishwashers and sometime personalised cutlery as well as plasma TVs as standard. For the horses the luxury is continued and included within the box is thermostatic temperature alarms, surveillance cameras and built in piped music to help keep horses calm.

The Charles Stanley British Masters is a fun day out for all the family and Chester Race Company Ltd is expecting crowds of over 10,000 with even more expected over the weekend with the prospect of good weather. As well as exhilarating showjumping, spectators can look forward to over 50 exhibitors selling high quality products as they browse their way around the shopping village.

The Chester event follows the famous Hickstead Derby which ran last weekend. All of the showjumping stars who competed at the event will be jumping at the British Masters, an FEI 3 Star event, this weekend including Ellen Whitaker who won the Speed Class and Guy Williams who won The Hickstead Derby itself.

Richard Thomas, Chief Executive of Chester Race Company Ltd said: “This is one of the largest sporting events in the showjumping calendar and we are privileged to be able to hold an event such as this at the racecourse. Like many other events held at the Roodee, this event is going to have a major economic impact on the city as tens of thousands descend into the city. With a figure of over £1 million, both businesses as well as the hospitality industry within the city will see a direct benefit from this event.”

Nigel Dove, Director of Marketing at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), said:
“The NWDA  is delighted that the North West is again hosting the Charles Stanley British Masters in Chester which is an important event for British Showjumping as it prepares for London 2012. Major events such as this make a significant contribution to the regional economy, improving the image and perceptions of the region, and bringing new visitors and investment. The British Masters will not only generate around £1million for the local economy, it will also showcase the high quality facilities we have in Chester and the North West which are capable of successfully hosting world class events.”

The Charles Stanley British Masters Showjumping is taking place at Chester Racecourse from 2nd – 4th July 2010. Tickets start at just £5 for Friday, children under 12 and parking are free.