IT’S time to cut the red ribbon and welcome in a new era at Worcester Racecourse.

We opened our new weighing room at our Ladies Day meeting early last month but now the date for the official opening ceremony has been confirmed.

It will take place at our afternoon race meeting on Thursday, July 25.

The feedback we have had from our six meetings held with the new building in operation has been phenomenal.

Jockeys, officials, valets, stewards and broadcasters have all been hugely positive about the facilities.

It’s the newest weighing room in the UK and although there may be bigger racecourses with similarly modern set-ups — some with more bells and whistles — none of them enjoy a rooftop terrace overlooking the beautiful River Severn.

So now is the occasion for a bit of old-fashioned pomp and ceremony. We will have the ribbon, the big pair of scissors and the guests of honour.

David Thorpe, the recently-retired former chairman of Arena Racing Company, will be helping us along with the chairman of the Professional Jockeys Association, Nick Attenborough.

Chris Pitt, the author and racing historian who wrote the superb Pitchcroft: 300 years of racing in Worcester, will also be with us along with some of our oldest racecourse members.

I have talked before about the upgraded weighing room, how it was vital for the long-term viability of the racecourse and how it secures a modern, progressive future by providing for the new trends within the sport, such as the rise in the number of female jockeys.

But it also raises the quality of the whole racing experience for those involved in the industry and that’s something that, in turn, improves the experience for the racegoer.

That might sound like just talk but it’s true and it’s measurable.

For instance, we are attracting better, higher-quality entries for our races.

At our race meeting on Monday this week, we had a winner trained by the great Willie Mullins, the leading trainer in the sport.

It was the first time Mullins had sent a horse to race at Worcester and Fine Margin duly became his first winner here, also, in a novices’ hurdle.

If you want to provide the best race days then you have to attract the best owners, trainers and jockeys from the best stables — and Mullins’ presence is a sign of that.

The red ribbon day is one of a number of significant dates we have coming up at the racecourse.

Next Thursday on July 18 we host our first Country Racenight where the theme is most definitely country music in all its foot-stomping glory.

We have six quality races and live music from The Luke Combs Experience.

In August we have race meetings on the afternoon of Monday, August 19 followed by an evening meeting on Wednesday, August 21 — so two meetings in three days which should keep us all on our toes.

A week later — on Wednesday, August 28 — we have our very popular Rum and Reggae Racenight.

And I’ve got a big day of my own very soon on July 27 when I finally get around to marrying my partner of 26 years, Rebecca Probert!

So there’s lots to look forward to for the rest of this summer.

Our columnist Michael Thomas is the general manager at Worcester Racecourse.