Horse racing news Monday 21st May 2018

Jockey Club Racecourses and Arena Racing Company have both reportedly laid their cards on the table and expressed interest in taking over the running Musselburgh racecourse.

Talking of ARC they now run Ffos Las after Dai Walters agreed to sell the Welsh course to Arena Racing Company. The main reason behind the sale appears to be that he sadly was unable to secure the fixtures he wanted. Talking after the agreement was announced Walters said "We've had it for ten years, but Arc is able to get better fixtures than we did because it can swap them around. We couldn't get the days and we had only 18 or 20 fixtures, and that was not really economical to keep all the staff there for one track.”

Elsewhere Tim Brennan, a vet who worked for Willie Mullins, has been charged by the BHA with passing on inside information. The charge comes after an investigation into suspicious lay bets on Faugheen in the run-up to the 2016 Cheltenham Festival. Brennan is accused of informing his brother, Michael Brennan, about an injury to the horse prior to the information becoming public knowledge. He is alleged to have obtained this information in his capacity as vet to Faugheen. Michael Brennan, is accused of then placing lay bets against the horse in the Champion Hurdle market building liabilities of several thousand euro.

On a happier note what is surely the best evening racing of the season goes ahead at Sandown on Thursday. A plus for anyone who can’t get there being that ITV4 cameras will be on track beaming the Matchbook Brigadier Gerard Evening fixture straight to your front room – now that’s got to beat an evening with Eastenders or Emmerdale!