Reubens near Ayr finish line

THE billionaire Reuben brothers are poised to snap up Ayr racecourse, home to the Scottish Grand National, in a £12.5m deal. It is understood the brothers, who will add the course to their Northern Racing empire, are just days away from announcing a deal with owners Richard Johnstone and Alan Macdonald.

Scotland’s premier racecourse was put up for sale earlier this year. The deal is thought to include the Western House hotel next to the course. The six-furlong Ayr Gold Cup, run in September, is one of the most competitive sprints in the Flat Racing calendar, attracting large crowds.

The Reubens — who made their fortune from property and metals trading — agreed a £66m takeover of Northern Racing, owner of Chepstow, Uttoxeter and Bath racecourses, two-and-a-half years ago. They also have a 26% stake in Arena Leisure, owner of the oldest classic race in the world, the St Leger.

Shell and Essar talk

Royal Dutch Shell is considering buying a 10% stake in Essar Oil. The Indian group is in talks to buy three of the oil giant’s refineries, including at Stanlow near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. The potential $365m (£221m) investment is being discussed as part of that transaction and would give Shell a stake in a group in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.

Noddy still busy at 60

AS he celebrates his 60th birthday today, Noddy is preparing to head for a new dimension.

Chorion, the company that owns the rights to the Enid Blyton creation, is working on plans to launch a 3-D Noddy special, pencilled in for a 2011 debut.

It is one of a number of Noddy projects, including using the character to teach English to children overseas.

An astronaut at Gatwick

Gatwick’s new owners are understood to have hired James van Hoften, a former Nasa astronaut who runs the airports business of Bechtel.

Who will sit alongside Van Hoften on the new board is expected to be revealed in the next few days by Global Infrastructure Partners, the GE-Credit Suisse joint venture that bought Gatwick for £1.5 billion last month.

Soho House results defy recession

SOHO HOUSE, the boutique hotel and private members club chain, has defied the credit crunch to deliver a 19% rise in underlying profits to £6.7m during the 2009 financial year.

The private business — owned by rag trade tycoon Richard Caring and founder Nick Jones — has also delivered a 15% rise in sales to £61m. The business is on the expansion trail, opening the 39-bedroom Dean Street townhouse and brasserie tomorrow. It hopes to cash in on the trend for London crash pad hotels as young professionals opt to stay in town rather than spend £50 on a cab fare home after a date.

Soho House recently opened a Cecconi’s restaurant in Los Angeles, which was attended by star names such as Elle Macpherson and is due to open Soho West Hollywood in March in time for the Oscars. Soho House Berlin, a 41-room hotel and club with Cecconi's, is due to to open in April and Soho House Miami will open in September. Caring bought out investors, including TV celebrities Ant and Dec, to obtain a majority stake in January last year.

Gartmore hopes for big flotation payday

250: THE amount in millions of pounds that is expected to be raised by Gartmore, the fund manager, if it succeeds with a planned flotation in London next month.

58: THE percentage stake in Gartmore that is owned by Hellman & Friedman, the American buyout firm, the bulk of which is likely to be sold in the listing.

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