Legendary layer David Power's four UK pitches sold for in excess of £500,000

Legendary bookmaker David Power's UK pitches were sold at auction at London's Goring Hotel on Monday evening as the business winds down.

His pitch at York topped the sale, being sold for £180,000 to Taylor's Bookmakers, while Alan Stadler of A&A Racing bought the Ascot position for £160,000.

The Cheltenham pitch went to Dan Hague for £152,000 while the Newmarket Rowley Mile pitch was bought for £52,000 by Barry Johnson.

Power's pitches in Ireland were auctioned off last month after Power announced in February he was to retire after the Cheltenham Festival.

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Fixture changes

The cancelled meeting at Kilbeggan on Friday has been replaced by a fixture at Limerick the same evening. The same programme of races will be in operation with a few minor distance alterations.

Meanwhile, the fixture scheduled for Tipperary on Thursday has been cancelled as the track was on Tuesday morning found to be unfit for racing following 24mm of rain overnight.

Beverley's meeting on Wednesday was also cancelled after an inspection on Tuesday morning.

At the request of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, Horse Racing Ireland announced there will be an additional race at Navan on Monday, April 23, a maiden for four years old and upwards over a mile and a half.

The race will close for entries along with the rest of the Navan meeting on Wednesday.

Close Brothers to sponsor in Ireland

CloseBrothers, the leading UK merchant bank, is to join the sponsor ranks at Punchestown in a three-year deal which is a first for them in Irish racing.

The commercial partnership will see the banking group sponsor the CloseBrothers Mares Listed Novice Hurdle on the Thursday of next week's Punchestown festival. The €35,000 two-mile contest has this year been upgraded to Listed status as part of the progressive enhancements to the mares' programme in Ireland.

Ciaran McAreavey, managing director of CloseBrothers Commercial Finance, said: “In the ten years since CloseBrothers opened its office in Belfast we have continued to increase our presence here with offices now in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

"This announcement reflects the commitment we have to continuing this sustained growth in the Irish market. We are very much looking forward to expanding our current sponsorship portfolio to include the prestigious Punchestown festival."

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