Paul Nicholls sends out first two-year-old winner at Chepstow

Ten-time champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls celebrated another achievement on Tuesday evening when sending out his first-two-year-old winner.

The victory came courtesy of Whataguy – a son of Mayson purchased for £25,000 last year – who improved markedly on his debut fifth at Salisbury to land the 5f novice auction stakes under the trainer's daughter Megan.

Paul Nicholls said: "It's nice to get a two-year-old winner as it's another tick in the box and great for Megan as she is overseeing the Flat horses at home.

"He has come on a lot for his first run at Salisbury a couple of weeks ago, as we thought he would. The ground was horrible there and he probably just needed it."

Nicholls, who captured his first jumps title in 2006, sent out his first Flat winner only last year when Grade 2-winning hurdler Zubayr won a 1m4f maiden at Kempton. He had four winners, six seconds and four thirds from 17 runners on the Flat in 2017.

SIS to broadcast live racing from Korea

SIS has agreed a deal with the Korean Racing Authority to broadcast live coverage from two of the country’s leading tracks, Busan and Seoul.

Starting on May 18, the agreement will allow SIS to provide pictures and data to retail and online bookmakers in the UK, Ireland, and Spain on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Simon Fraser, head of international horse racing at SIS Betting, said: "We are delighted to have agreed terms with the Korean Racing Authority and to be able to supply further betting opportunities to our operator partners at key times.

"I have no doubt racing fans will be very pleased with the quality of the racing on display and I’m confident the fast-paced action will also appeal to a host of new admirers as we promote it in Europe.

"For SIS, this is another piece in the jigsaw as we look to create a quality, round-the-clock pictures and data product which gives operators options, no matter where they are in the world or the time of day.”

Seongwon Jeon, executive director of marketing at the Korean Racing Authority, said: “The timing of our racing is perfect for European based operators looking to fill the early-morning schedule both online and in retail. It also complements the rest of SIS’s global horseracing content, meaning that operators can have quality racing any time of the day."

Newbury reports progress in financial results

Newbury made steady progress last year according to the racecourse's financial results for 2017 released on Tuesday.

Turnover was up five per cent to £17.81 million, while profit before interest and exceptional items of £0.49m was in line with the previous year.

Raceday attendances rose 11 per cent to 196,000 while the development of the track continues, with the completion of the new owners and trainers facility and eastern entrance and the beginning of work on the parade ring, customer areas and Berkshire Stand.

Racecourse chairman Dominic Burke said: "2017 saw us making further steady progress against our long-term strategic plans, with a five per cent increase in turnover and improvements in trading performance across a number of areas of the business."

He added: "As our vision for the new Newbury racecourse emerges for all to see, we are grateful for the continued support and patronage of all our customers, horsemen and sponsors during this exciting transformation and remain confident in the delivery of the long-term business objectives."

Memorial service for Stuart Hall

A memorial service for Stuart Hall, the former managing director of Extel who died in March, will be held at St Peter's Church, Newborough, Northumberland, at 2pm on June 9.