Great Leighs once had a lion's head over the outlet. In 2008, Great Leighs became home to the first new racecourse in 80 years, when the nearby Essex County Showground was converted into a state-of-the-art horse-racing venue. Great Leighs Racecourse held its first race meeting on 20 April 2008 and staged its first meeting fully open to the public from 28 to 29 May 2008. However, the course had its temporary licence revoked on 16 January 2009 and did not seen racing again unto 11 January 2015. Great Leighs Great Leighs is a village in the City of Chelmsford district of Essex,
Ellis Park Race Course and Raceway for $4 million, to help fund the installation of Instant Racing machines. Saratoga purchased the remaining 70 percent in 2018. Among the stakes race run at Ellis Park, is their signature race and only Graded stakes race the Groupie Doll Stakes which is a Grade III event. Other listed stakes races that are run at Ellis Park include: the Ellis Park Breeders' Cup Turf, the Governor's Handicap, the Tri-State Handicap and the Audubon Oaks. The track was designed after the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, and features a 1.125-mile dirt track. The track features chutes