Racing UK, the brand name for The Horse Racing Channel, goes live this Saturday
Thursday 27th May 2004
Promising news for UK bookmakers and horseracing in general, with the announcement that Racing UK, the new brand name for The Horse Racing Channel, is to this Saturday in time for the 1.35 first race at Kempton, the £14,000 totesport Handicap. The channel will debut as part of the BSkyB family package, and will, for the time being, be available on channel 425, currently used by iSports TV. Racing UK will be on air for between five and eight hours a day, depending on what live action is available from the twenty-nine courses so far signed up.
As reported in The Racing post, things seem pretty rushed. Highflyer, Racing UK’s production company, whose contract was confirmed only last Friday, are still putting together a team of presenters. Former Attheraces front man, Rishi Persad, is confirmed as being on board and will present the first programme.
Goodwood general manager Rod Fabricius, who has been behind the project from the start, said, ”I’m thrilled to be launching as soon as this. We’ve had a lot of work to do in a very short space of time, pulling all the strands together. And I’m delighted with the quality of the production team that we are likely to attract.”
The new channel, however, still has to convince the rest of Britain’s racecourses to join its ranks, particularly given the news that a new Sky backed version of AtTheRaces is hoping to return to our screens in June and rumours of a William Hill branded channel on its way later in the year.
