HEREFORD racecourse - which was closed by owners Arena Racing Company (ARC) in December 2012 - is to reopen for business in October.

The Welsh Borders track will resume hosting jump racing on Thursday October 6, 2016, having held point-to-points and Arabian horseracing in recent years.

The racecourse will host a minimum of four fixtures in 2016 on the following dates:

Thursday 6 October (transferred from Worcester Racecourse)Monday 31 October (transferred from Southwell Racecourse) Wednesday 23 November (transferred from Fontwell Park Racecourse) Monday 19 December (transferred from Lingfield Park Racecourse)

For 2017, Hereford Racecourse will be part of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) fixture process.

Further information about the first fixture and purchasing tickets will be available at www.hereford-racecourse.co.uk in due course.

ARC is currently in the process of recruiting a person to manage Hereford Racecourse and will also utilise the resource and extensive experience of existing team members within the company.

Martin Cruddace, ARC chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be re-opening Hereford Racecourse, which has long been popular with racing fans. We hope this will be seen as a positive development for both the local community and British racing as a whole.