Exeter Kelso and Perth in Racing UK switch

Racing UK will have a stranglehold on meetings in Scotland after Perth and Kelso decided to move from At The Races. All five racecourses north of the border will feature in that channel's portfolio from May 1 as they already had the rights to live coverage at Ayr, Hamilton and Musselburgh. With Exeter also switching from At The Races, the number of tracks Racing UK represents is boosted to 33. Richard FitzGerald, chief executive of Racecourse Media Group, the umbrella organisation for the racecourses holding an interest in Racing UK, said: "This landmark agreement significantly strengthens Racing UK's offer to its domestic and commercial subscribers, particularly during the jumps season." Perth general manager Sam Morshead said: "The natural conclusion of our current contract has provided us with an opportunity to unite the Scottish courses in the one Media Group for the long-term benefit of racing in Scotland." Kelso managing director Richard Landale added: "The five courses in Scotland have been marketing themselves collectively for a number of years under the banner of Racing In Scotland. "The ability to cross-promote fixtures with unified television coverage will provide new opportunities for integrated marketing initiatives and sponsorship activity." Exeter had an existing agreement for media rights with At The Races when Jockey Club Racecourses took over the West Country course in 2007. Simon Bazalgette, group chief executive of the Jockey Club, said: "After a competitive process, we have taken the commercial decision to move our media rights for Exeter across to Racing UK, which means that all 14 of our racecourses are now part of RMG. "This new agreement for Exeter offers greater returns, as well as supporting our sponsorship agreements and digital activity."

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