LUDLOW Racecourse could be under threat from a probe into possible unfair practices by the horseracing industry.

The Office of Fair Trading is investigating the work of the British Horseracing Board and the Jockey Club, which decide how many days racing can take place annually at each course.

The OFT is likely to recommend scrapping this central co-ordinating role - and that could leave smaller courses with fewer race days.

The warning of possible closure came from Ludlow's Conservative Parliamentary candidate, Councillor Philip Dunne - but the Ludlow racecourse chairman disputed this worst-case scenario.

If the centralising role was removed, as the OFT was likely to recommend, then larger, richer, courses would be able to offer more days racing and dominate the TV and betting audiences, said Coun Dunne. All-weather courses would have an advantage too.

"Small independent turf courses will lose out. This is very short-sighted. Not only could small courses like Ludlow face possible closure but racing as a whole will be the loser," he said.

But Michael Wiggin, Ludlow Racecourse chairman, said there was no immediate threat of closure and people should not be scaremongering.

He was "extremely worried" about the plans, although there was a long way to go before any decision on de-regulation.

"I'm concerned about this, but it's a complicated issue," Mr Wiggin told The Advertiser.

"We're worried about the all-weather tracks because we think the television and betting shops would concentrate on those to the detriment of the smaller courses. We're concerned that we wouldn't be able to do all the improvements we intend doing. We shall fight this all the way."

Ludlow's MP Matthew Green said he was aware of the threat to Ludlow but had not "gone public" because he did not want to cause alarm.

"The OFT has got off on the wrong foot. It is looking at horseracing purely as a profit-making business. It is a sport, too. The football example would be to scrap the leagues and have Manchester United playing Arsenal all the time," he said.

The Lib Dem MP said it was unlikely the Government would accept the OFT recommendations but if they did then the bigger courses would win and the smaller ones lose out.