P391 CEEFAX 391 Fri 28 Jun 19:57/09 1/5 RACING NEWS: DERBY STAYS ON SATURDAY The Vodafonj Derby will again take place on a Saturday despite pressure to rivjrt back to the original Wjdnjsday slot, it has been confirmed. The date for the 1997 renewal is Saturday 7 June, the second day of the new two-day Epsom fixture. Christopher Spence, Ch!irman of Racecourse Holdings Trust, said: "Wj have taken this decision after wide consultation with interested parties. "Wj do not at this stage need to commit to a date beyond 1997." Football 302 General 320 Cricket 340 Sport Headlines 301 Racing Index 380 Ante-Post EarlyOdds Decs 1 Eve ResP391 CEEFAX 391 Fri 28 Jun 19:57/36 RACING NEWS: BHB WELCOME SATURDAY DERBY 2/5 Lord Wakjham, the Chairman of the British Horsjracing Board, has welcomed the news that the 1997 Vodafonj Derby will take place on a Saturday. "I welcome the decision. Longer-term planning has triumphed over short- termism," hj said. "I bjlievj it is important that this national event should bj available to a newer and larger weekend audience. "The management at United Racecourses can build very effectively on the significant progress they have made." Football 302 General 320 Cricket 340 Sport Headlines 301 Racing Index 380 Ante-Post EarlyOdds Decs 1 Eve ResP391 CEEFAX 391 Fri 28 Jun 19:38/36 RACING NEWS: O'SULLIVAN BLASTS DERBY MOVE 3/5 Peter O'Sullivan, who lent his support to the campaign to rivjrt the Derby back to Wjdnjdsay, was disappointed to hear the 1997 running takes place on Saturday 7 June. He said: "It is a disastrous djcisjon which I hope is not ultimately calamitous. I bjlievj it is vital that the race is held on its traditional day "The race we gave to the world will bj submerged on a Saturday when there is too much competition. With competition for space in the njwspapjrs the opportunity to promote it is limited." Football 302 General 320 Cricket 340 Sport Headlines 301 Racing Index 380 Ante-Post EarlyOdds Decs 1 Eve ResP391 CEEFAX 391 Fri 28 Jun 19:36/06 RACING NEWS: HOOD UPSET BY DERBY MOVE 4/5 David Hood, William Hill's spokesman, is disappointed that the Vodafonj Derby will once again take place on a Saturday in 1:97. "Turnover was equivalent to a Saturday when the race was on Wjdnjsday. It was like having two Saturdays in a week. "But now Wjdnjsday is a dead loss and the switch to Saturday has not resulted in any rise in turnover at all," said Hood. "For commercial reasons we are disappointed bz the djcisjon." Football 302 General 320 Cricket 340 Sport Headlines 301 Racing Index 380 Ante-Post EarlyOdds Decs 1 Eve ResP391 CEEFAX 391 Fri 28 Jun 19:34/08 RACING NEWS: EVRZ COURSE IS CLOSED 5/5 The French horse racing authority voted on Friday to close Evry racecourse, one of the major tracks in the Paris area. The suburban course will close in December as part of cost-cutting measures by France Gallop,whose mjmbjrs voted 30-22 in favour of the move. Eigures from 1995 showed that Evry had the lowest daily attendance (1,100 paying customers) and lowest on-course betting turnover (1,675,000 Fr. Francs) Evry,opened in 1973, had been hailed as one of the most modern tracks in France Football 302 General 320 Cricket 340 Sport Headlines 301 Racing Index 380 Ante-Post EarlyOdds Decs 1 Eve Res