Richard Thomas was taken to East Surrey Hospital after suffering a bad fall at Lingfield.

Plans by a horse-racing consortium to buy the Tote were thwarted by the British government today.

The UK's largest operator of horseracing fixtures blamed the distraction of the World Cup for a dip in form at its racecourse division today.

The UK’s largest horse racing operator today confirmed it had been involved in talks regarding an industry-wide bid for state-owned bookmaker the Tote.

A horse-racing industry consortium has made a formal bid for the Tote, the British government-owned bookmaker, below its £400m (€594m) price tag, it was reported today.

Plans for the £55m (€80m) redevelopment of Doncaster racecourse have been approved by the local council’s planning committee.

Racecourses are being asked by the Jockeys’ Association to support RaceTech and safeguard the future of their stalls handlers.

Significant progress has been made following the latest “highly-constructive talks” with the key players in the ongoing stalls dispute in the UK.

Arena Leisure are considering police involvement after it was revealed their new stalls handlers team have been subject to threats of verbal and physical violence.

Clerk of the course Jon Pullin is hoping for a smooth introduction of the new team of Arena stalls handlers at Wolverhampton this evening.

Some progress appears to have been made today in the controversy surrounding the new Steriline starting stalls which are in use at 17 of Britain’s 35 racecourses.

Arena Leisure racing director Ian Renton admitted he would be “terribly disappointed” if there was a jockeys strike in support of RaceTech’s stall handlers.

The FTSE 100 Index closed at highest level since mid-March today as oil and mining stocks gushed higher.

Oil stocks were buoying the London market today as the FTSE 100 Index attempted to mark an end to the heavy losses of recent weeks.

Attheraces stakeholders Arena Leisure and BSkyB have bought out Channel Four’s share of the business as part of a plan to revive the media rights firm which recently signed up 25 British racecourses.

ATTHERACES took a major step forward in the race to set up a new satellite racing channel with the announcement yesterday that 25 courses have reached agreement on a fresh deal.

The British Office of Fair Trading has concluded that the collective sale of the media rights for 49 racecourses to attheraces was against competition rules.

Attheraces is set to stop broadcasting British racing on Monday after failing to agree new media rights deals with 49 of the UK’s racecourses.

The media consortium attheraces has terminated its £307m (€447m) TV rights deal with the Racecourse Association.

Pat Eddery signed off with a winner at one of his favourite racecourses as Desert Quest took the spoils in the Tote Exacta Stakes at Windsor today.

Arena Leisure, which has a profitable portfolio of six UK racecourses, will want to show on Wednesday that attheraces, its two-year-old joint venture with BSkyB and Channel 4, is heading in the right direction.

Lingfield Park’s new race, which could figure as Johannesburg’s prep-run for the Kentucky Derby, will be called the Foster’s - International Trial Stakes.

Aidan O’Brien’s Johannesburg looks set to make a surprise reappearance in the unlikely surrounds of Lingfield Park next month.

Officials at Cheltenham are holding their breath after it was revealed that the course falls just outside a foot-and-mouth infected area.

Lloyds TSB and Abbey National are under pressure on the London Stock Exchange after Trade Secretary Stephen Byers referred Lloyds' proposed takeover bid to the Competition Commission.

The media rights deal between Go Racing and the Racecourse Association is a step closer tonight.