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SUPER 12 KEEN TO INCLUDE OTHER COURSES

Representatives of the Super 12 today stressed that they hope to include Britain's remaining racecourses in the £200 million deal currently being negotiated with the BBC, Channel 4 and cable company ntl.

On Friday it was announced that Britain's leading tracks, including Ascot, Newmarket, Cheltenham and Aintree, had reached provisional agreement on a deal covering terrestrial TV, interactive TV and internet rights for all racing at the Super 12 racecourses.

Representatives of 20 of the remaining 47 British tracks met at Stratford on Friday amid fears they would be left behind in the discussions over media rights.

However, Newmarket managing director Kim Deshayes told today's Channel 4 Morning Line programme: "We want to embrace everyone in this new relationship.

"What this deal has done is open the door for everyone to pass through from the racing industry for our general benefit.

"Clearly discussions will continue to take place, the Racecourse Association will play a very important role. We've kept in very close contact with everyone in the industry, we've seen Peter Savill being extremely supportive of this new deal.

"It gives racing a fantastic opportunity to come together for what I believe will be a very bright future for us all."

Meetings from the non-Super 12 courses make up the majority of the coverage on the Racing Channel, a joint venture between SIS and the RCA, which is under threat from the digital interactive channel promised by the Super 12.

And Ascot chief executive Douglas Erskine-Crum is looking for action from those courses to be included on the new digital channel.

He said: "It won't replace the Racing Channel as that has a contract until November this year but after that we see the opportunity for this new digital interactive channel to get going - hopefully with the other 47 courses on board."

Interactive betting on the new channel is a potentially lucrative source of money for the Super 12 with bookmakers required to negotiate their way into the medium.

Erskine-Crum revealed that the Tote would be the Super 12's preferred partner in the field but did not rule out the involvement of the other major bookmakers.

He said: "Certainly the Tote is the preferred partner and we will be looking with our media partners at what to do about the bookmakers to bring them on board as well."

The 'Super 12' courses are Aintree, Ascot, Cheltenham, Doncaster, Epsom, Goodwood, Haydock, Kempton, Newbury, Newmarket, Sandown and York.