I WOULD not say that I am a big horse racing fan, but I was saddened when it was announced last July that Hereford Racecourse was deemed unviable and  the gates would be firmly shut on 241 years of history.

So, when news broke last week that the Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) was to hold five fixtures at the course from May, I was delighted.

The venture is supported by Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyran and the festival will be run under his name.

Sheikh Mansoor bought Manchester City Football Club in 2008 through his Abu Dhabi United Group and the club won the Premiership last year.

He has invested heavily on the club, spending nearly £1 billion, so is clearly not afraid to to do whatever it takes to propel the club into a global brand.

So, hopefully, he can trun around the fortunes of Hereford Racecourse.

The track is steeped in history and tradition and I spoke to a lot of people who were upset that there would no longer be any racing in the city.

A consortium, led by John Williams, had held talks earlier this year to bring it back to Hereford, but he admitted that it was unlikely that any meets would be held before 2015.

So, to hear that racing is now back on track two years earlier than planned is great news.

And who knows, some of the Manchester City players may even pop along to a meeting.

I've heard that Carlos Tevez always fancied seeing God's Country. 

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