Death of former racing journalist and broadcaster Noel Reid

A celebration of the life of former racing journalist and broadcaster Noel Reid, who died in St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin on Thursday, will be held at Killiney Castle Hotel in Dublin at noon on Sunday.

Reid, who was in his late 70s, wrote for the Irish Independent and the Evening Herald and worked for RTE in different capacities, including being a presenter and interviewer on RTE Television's racing coverage and a race commentator.

In the early 1970s, along with his colleague Christy Glennon, he set up Irish Racing Services, which supplied jockeys to newspapers and racecards and also returned Starting Prices at Irish race meetings.

He is survived by his wife Marie, sons Alan, Paul and Robert, daughter Gillian, an extended family including 11 grandchildren, and many friends.

He donated his body to the College of Surgeons in Dublin for medical research.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to St Vincent's Hospital Foundation.

Former Limerick site for sale

The old Limerick racecourse site at Greenpark is to be put on the market by the Limerick Race Company (LRC) at a guide price of €12 million.

It is hoped that the sale of the 116.5-acre plot will allow for future investment in the infrastructure and services at LRC’s current Greenmount Park venue in Patrickswell, which opened in 2001.

Greenpark closed in 1999 after 130 years as a racecourse, and is said to be one one of the largest development sites to be brought to the market in Limerick in the past decade. Apart from racing, it hosted a visit of US President John F Kennedy in 1963 and Pope John Paul II in 1979.

Commenting on the sale, LRC's chairman Mark McMahon said: “With an increasing appetite for development land outside Dublin, we feel the time is right to sell the site of our former racecourse to invest in the future of racing in Limerick at Patrickswell.”

The site will be offered to the open market by joint-selling agent Savills and Cushman & Wakefield.

Towcester fixture transferred

The BHA has announced that Towcester’s fixture on March 14 has been moved to Market Rasen.

The afternoon fixture will be a six-race card, with race programme details and further fixture information available via the Racing Admin website www2.racingadmin.co.uk in due course. Entry and declaration deadlines will remain as previously.

The BHA is continuing to work with Towcester’s new owners regarding the longer-term status of the course. Any formal proposal will require due consideration and an update will be provided by either the BHA or Towcester’s owners as soon as appropriate.