Sheikh, tackle and foal as Hereford welcomes back horse racing (From Ledbury Reporter)

Manchester City owner looks to turn around the fortunes of Hereford Racecourse

9:20am Thursday 14th March 2013 in News

Breeder and trainer Jenny Lees, pictured with stud manager Amanda May and Shuwaiman Al Rais in Preston-on-Wye, was one of many to welcome the news.

THE man who has transformed Manchester City Football Club could turn around the fortunes of Hereford Racecourse.

Racing fans were left dismayed when the Arena Racing Company labelled the track “unviable” last July and announced its intention to shut the door on 241 years of local history.

But this week the Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) announced that it will hold five fixtures at the course from May.

The venture is supported by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the festival will be run under his name.

Sheikh Mansoor bought Manchester City in 2008 through his Abu Dhabi United Group and the club won the Premiership last year.

Arabian horse breeder and trainer Jenny Lees, who lives in Preston-on- Wye, said it was great news for Hereford.

The only breeder of Arabian horses in the western world added: “I’ve always been in touch with the ARO, so when representatives decided to come to Hereford they rang me and said they were going to try to get the lease for the track, and told me to keep it to myself until it was time to say – and now it is.”

Amanda Smith, the racing manager with ARO, said: “We’ve been racing here for more than 10 years and love going to Hereford.

"We’ve always been successful there and always get a good crowd.”

The five meetings will all be held in 2013, with the first four fixtures taking place on the first Sunday of the month from May up until August.

The fifth fixture – the Arabian Racing Season Finale – will complete the dates on September 28.