AT THE RACES TO BROADCAST MIJAS CUP AND SPANISH DERBY
At The Races is pleased to announce that it will be the only dedicated UK racing channel showing live coverage of the Mijas Cup (15th May) and the Spanish Derby (29th May). It is anticipated that UK bookmaker partners utilising TRNi's FastBet wagering software, including Ladbrokes, Blue Square and SkyBet, will be offering punters the ability to bet into the Mijas tote pools either online, over the telephone or via the red button on Sky.
To celebrate the races being shown in the UK and Ireland on At The Races, the Andalucian racing authority, Carrera Entertainment, are offering two ATR viewers the chance to visit the Spanish Derby. The competition will be run around the Mijas Cup and the winner's prize will include flights to Spain, 2 nights in 5 star accommodation, a round of golf and tickets to the Spanish Derby.
Runners in the 2005 Mijas Cup include Adopted Hero - a useful hurdler when trained by Gary Moore in the UK - who will be attempting to repeat his emphatic victory in the race 12 months ago, Argentinian-bred Dancing Cowboy, who scored over the Cup course and distance in October and Mail On Sunday Final winner Pagan Prince.
Other familiar names on the racecard are jockeys Oscar Urbina, who partners Indian Army, and Sam Hitchcott who rides Shakanndi, a winner at Chantilly and Longchamp when trained by Alain Royer-Dupre.
Matthew Imi, Chief Executive of At The Races, said, "At The Races is always happy to deliver new and exciting horseracing to our audience in the UK and Ireland. Mijas is a superb venue not only because of its setting on the Spanish coast but also because its racing attracts so many UK and Irish horses, trainers and jockeys. It's also worth adding that At The Races and Carrera Entertainment are working together to identify ways of maximising the value of the Spanish betting market for the benefit of our British and Irish racecourse partners. This is a relationship which will yield tangible benefits for all parties."
Pat Kearns, the General Manager of the Costa del Sol Racecourse in Mijas Costa, said "We are delighted that At The Races will be showing both the Mijas Cup and the Spanish Derby this year. We at Carrera Entertainment have worked incredibly hard over the last two years to bring the course up to its current standard. In revitalizing Spanish racing in Andalucia, and in particular on the Costa del Sol, we have used UK and Irish racing as valuable benchmarks and introduced many of the practices and safeguards which are commonplace in the UK & Ireland. This includes our drug testing regime which is being done to the standard of the Newmarket 'Gold Test'. A great many experienced horse racing professionals have used their vast knowledge of the industry to get us to this point so it is gratifying to see this effort being recognised by the international horseracing community."
Mijas Racecourse:
The Costa del Sol Racecourse is situated on the southernmost coast of Spain between Málaga and Marbella and just inland from the famous resort town of Fuengirola. Around 30 meetings are held there each year from February to December. In the Spring and Autumn meetings are held on Sunday during the daytime but in the Summer, between the beginning of June and the first week in September, the racing moves to a Friday evening under floodlights.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
Archive
