Maktoum bid will ensure C4 racing future

The station have entered into exclusive negotiations for a two-year deal with the company, whose backing will ensure their racing coverage survives.

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Thompson: exciting partnership'

Precise figures for the deal remained secret but C4 had requested bids in the region of £4million.

The choice of Dubai Holding, who control a diverse range of companies whose interests include real estate and tourism, will be a surprise to many who had assumed a new backer would emerge from the world of bookmaking or betting exchanges.

But Racemail revealed last week that a firm with Middle East connections bidder.

Their support means C4 will avoid conflicts of interests that a bookmaker backing their programme would have caused when showing other bookie-sponsored races.

The deal includes 80 days per annum of terrestrial horseracing coverage and slots during The Morning Line.

Andrew Thompson, C4's head of sport, said: "It is an incredibly exciting partnership. I am confident that it will be positive and successful."

When changes to advertising rules prompted totesport to withdraw their £2.5m backing of C4 in July, C4 insisted they needed a fresh backer to subsidise the production costs associated with racing.

Among the companies linked with bids were Betfair, Boylesport and SIS.