Newmarket gallop: £10m hill could be 'boost to horseracing'

The gallop would be "state of the art"

Plans for a £10m gallop which could "provide a boost to the horseracing industry" have been revealed.

The man-made hill would be built on the racecourse side of Newmarket.

It is hoped it could encourage more trainers to set up yards on that side of town.

William Gittus, managing director of Jockey Club Estates, said: "On Bury side you've got all of the yards full - on racecourse side there is capacity within the yards and to build new."

A planning application is set to be submitted next month.

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The horseracing industry is said to contribute £210m a year to the local economy

The gallop would feature a 30m (98ft) climb and a 10m (33ft) embankment at the end.

Mr Gittus said the idea behind uphill training for horses was to improve their fitness while minimising the risk of injury.

"If you go into the Jockey Club rooms and look at a painting by [John] Wootton, there's a little chap sitting in a pill box on Warren Hill," he said.

"That chap is Charles II, so they've been training uphill successfully for 400 years... "

It is hoped the man-made hill will encourage trainers to the racecourse side of Newmarket