THE owners of County Durham's only racecourse have predicted a proposed all-weather track would more than double its income.

Northern Racing is planning to spend £5m on the region's first all-weather track at Sedgefield, to run next to the grass course.

If the track is laid, the group expects the course's race days will rise from fewer than 20 a year to more than 50.

Simon Clarke, Northern Racing deputy chairman, said: "Sedgefield will become an extremely busy racecourse and I would like to see 50 fixtures there.

"It will be a major contributor towards the success of the group."

Northern, which owns eight other UK courses, including Newcastle, has secured planning and racing authority permission for the development.

The board is looking at possible fixtures before making the investment.

There are only three other all-weather facilities in the UK; at Lingfield, Wolverhampton and Southwell.

Northern, which is Britain's second largest racecourse operator, saw turnover last year increase to £29.4m from £9.4m the year before, with like-for-like turnover increasing by 5.4 per cent.

Operating profit was £3.8m, up from £1.4m in 2003, and pre-tax profits rose from £1.3m to £3.3m.

The Northumberland Plate meeting at Newcastle was extended last year, from its traditional two days to three. The group also spent £1m on a restaurant and hospitality facilities.

Mr Clarke said: "It is a fixture we want to retain at three days and build on in the future."

Northern has applied to Newcastle City Council for planning permission to create leisure facilities at High Gosforth Park, including a five-a-side soccer centre.

The group said it had operated well, despite the temporary loss of crucial TV revenue, when its agreement with digital channel Attheraces was terminated last March.

However, it negotiated a media rights agreement with Sky and Arena Leisure, the partners in replacement channel Attheraces II.

During the year, 11 fixtures that had been expected to generate £500,000 in total were abandoned, including the John Smith's Midlands Grand National, at Uttoxeter, which was cancelled because of severe weather conditions.

However, its average race day profit increased year on year by 16.2 per cent to £58,800, despite attendance falling by 2.1 per cent.

Turnover from non-race day sources, such as corporate events and venue hire, rose 19.4 per cent, and sponsorship for prizemoney rose £300,000 to £7.9m.

It also secured a new deal with bookmakers, put all catering contracts out to tender and agreed a five-year deal with Totesport for the provision of racecourse betting shops on its courses.

Chairman Graham Stow said profits from race days in the first 11 weeks of this year were ahead of 2004