Posted on 20 February 2012.
Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association hold Leopardstown Expo.
The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association will host EXPO 2012 in Leopardstown Racecourse this Friday 24 and Saturday 25 February, which is being opened by - An Taoiseach - Enda Kenny at 11am next Friday 24 February.
The EXPO is a free entry event designed to showcase the bloodstock industry, which employs approximately 17,000 nationally and contributes €1 billion to the economy of Ireland.
This free event is expected to attract 5,000 visitors over the two days and will feature in excess of 100 trade stands with many new and innovative products including ground breaking technology in infection control, therapy systems, hay steamers, cranial osteopathy and thermal imagery to name a few.
There is a packed programme of educational seminars, an intervarsity quiz, demonstrations, art displays and fashion shows. Seminars include Business Strategies for Survival & Success (11am on Saturday 25th Feb), Sports Recovery and Chartered Physiotherapy in Veterinary Practice Presentation (2pm on Saturday 25th Feb). Demonstrations include Riding for the Disabled and the Irish Farriery School.
The highlight of the EXPO is a two hour interactive forum on racing and breeding which will be streamed live throughout the world. Seven influential figures from the racing and breeding world will participate in the forum and take live questions from around the globe. Among the speakers are Carter Carnegie, Senior Vice President, Breeders Cup who is an authority on marketing racing to a global audience; Mark Player, a world renowned bloodstock consultant with extensive experience with the Hong Kong Jockey Club; Horse Racing Ireland CEO Brian Kavanagh; and John O’ Connor, Managing Director, Ballylinch Stud and Chairman of the ITBA Veterinary Committee who is well placed to comment on veterinary matters as well as the bloodstock market. To view this forum and post a question just simply log onto www.itba.ie
Commenting on the EXPO, ITBA Manager, Shane O’Dwyer said: -
“The ITBA is delighted with the positive response we have received about EXPO 2012. I would encourage all racing enthusiasts to come along to this free event and learn what goes on behind the scene in the bloodstock industry. The International Breeding and Racing Forum is very innovative and cutting edge which undoubtedly will throw up some new initiatives for our industry going forward.”
Posted on 17 February 2012.
Irish Independent Partner With Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham Racecourse has today announced a partnership with the Irish Independent, the leading daily newspaper in Ireland, which becomes the official Irish newspaper of The Festival.
The relationship will include a countdown of competitions in the Irish Independent to win live experiences at The Festival, a fantastic giveaway from official Festival airline Ryanair of 200 tickets to Irish flyers, a 32-page supplement on the eve of The Festival, and the opportunity for Cheltenham racegoers to get a free official racecard (worth £3) with every copy of the paper bought in Gloucestershire during The Festival.
Cheltenham’s Director of Sponsorship, Peter McNeile, said:
“The Irish Independent has been a long-time supporter of The Festival, including as sponsor of the Arkle Chase from 2000 until 2011. We are delighted to be moving to a new era in our relationship with this announcement and look forward to many more years working together.”
Geoff Lyons, Head of Marketing at the Irish Independent, added:
“We are delighted that our longstanding relationship with Cheltenham Racecourse has taken a new stride forward and we will take pride in bringing the best available coverage of the most exciting racing festival to our readers at home and all over the UK.”
Posted on 15 February 2012.
New Cheltenham Sponsors Announced Today.
Cheltenham Racecourse announced today that OLGB.com, the online sports betting community, and Pulteney Land Investments have become new sponsors on the opening day of The Festival, Tuesday, March 13, 2012.
OLBG.com is backing the Grade Two OLBG Mares Hurdle (for the David Nicholson Trophy), over two and a half miles, which was added to The Festival schedule in 2008. The initial running of the OLBG Mares Hurdle (for the David Nicholson Trophy) was won by Whiteoak, giving trainer Donald McCain his first Festival victory, but since then the race has become the property of the brilliant mare Quevega, trained by Willie Mullins in Ireland, who was successful in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and is a short-priced favourite to land a remarkable fourth consecutive victory in 2012.
OLBG.com is a sports betting community where knowledgeable punters discuss, analyse and make predictions on a wide variety of sporting and non-sporting events, from horseracing and football matches to X Factor eliminations and new football club managers. In addition to the OLBG.com Mares Hurdle (for the David Nicholson Trophy) at The Festival, OLBG will also be backing a mares’ race at Cheltenham’s April meeting.
The company’s Chief Operating Officer, Richard Moffat, said: “We are thrilled to be a sponsor at the biggest and best meeting of the year. OLBG will continue to honour David Nicholson’s memory and outstanding contribution to Jump racing and, through our sponsorship, we hope to work with Jockey Club Racecourses, Cheltenham Racecourse, the Thoroughbred Breeders Association and others to help improve the opportunities for mares in this wonderful sport.”
The other new sponsor, Pulteney Land Investments, is a rapidly expanding strategic land investment business based in Bath. The company is backing the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase over an extended two and a half miles, which was one of the new races added to The Festival in 2005, when the meeting was extended to four days. The Listed contest is arguably the most competitive of its type all season and was won in 2011 by Divers, who was the second winner of the race trained by Ferdy Murphy.
Jason Way, Director of Pulteney Land Investments, commented:
“We are really excited to be supporting this hugely competitive race on the opening day at The Festival. This is a great way for us to provide exposure for our corporate brand and also to entertain key clients at one of the most iconic sporting events of the year.”
Cheltenham’s Director of Sponsorship, Peter McNeile, added:
“We are delighted to welcome two new Festival sponsors, a fact that reinforces the attraction of this meeting, not just to racing professionals, racegoers and punters, but to the business community too.
“We are very grateful to both OLBG.com and Pulteney Land Investments, which are both progressive young companies that we look forward to working with well into the future.”
Posted on 09 February 2012.
Betfair to sponsor Brigadier Gerard Night.
THE richest and highest quality evening race meeting in the UK, The Brigadier Gerard Stakes meeting at Sandown Park on Thursday 31st May, 2012 will be sponsored by Betfair.
The meeting is worth a total of £185,000 in prize money and features two Group 3 races, the Henry II Stakes and the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, won last year by Workforce.
Also on the card is the Listed Heron Stakes and the Listed National Stakes, providing a high class evening of racing.
David Mackinnon, Managing Director of Sandown Park, commented:
“We are delighted that Betfair has agreed to sponsor The Brigadier Gerard Stakes meeting, our most prestigious evening meeting of the season, and indeed in the country, in terms of quality and prize money.”
Tony Calvin, Head of Media for Betfair, added:
“Betfair are proud to be sponsoring the best evening meeting of the year in terms of quality racing once again, having supported the meeting from 2003 to 2008. There have been some fantastic horses that have raced at the meeting in the past and we hope to attract horses of the calibre of Workforce and Conduit once again.”
Posted on 07 February 2012.
Ladbrokes extend St Leger sponsorship.
Doncaster Racecourse and Arena Leisure have confirmed Ladbrokes, sponsors of the Ladbrokes St Leger and the Ladbrokes St Leger Festival since 2005, have extended their sponsorship for a further three years. This takes Ladbrokes’ commitment to the world's oldest Classic to a total of 10 years.
Ladbrokes have also made a generous additional contribution to the total prize fund, raising the value of the 2012 Ladbrokes St Leger to a record £550,000.
Mike Dillon, Director of Media Affairs at Ladbrokes, said:
“We have worked closely with Arena and Doncaster to re-build the reputation of this great race.
“The Ladbrokes St Leger now attracts top quality horses and the racegoing public have returned in their thousands.
“The St Leger has been blessed with some fine winners in recent years, such as the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Conduit (winner in 2008) who then went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf and be voted Turf Horse of the Year in the USA, and then triumphed in the 2009 King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. While winners from the Gosden stable (three times - including 2010 and 2011) and Godolphin, the top yards have supported the race magnificently and have helped the Ladbrokes St Leger return to its rightful position."
Mark Spincer, Managing Director at Doncaster, expressed his delight, saying:
"We have a fantastic partnership with Ladbrokes and are extremely grateful for their long term support at Doncaster Racecourse.
“This latest announcement shows their dedication to the Ladbrokes St Leger and the Festival in which they have played a major part in enhancing and promoting over the past decade."
Posted on 01 February 2012.
The Punchestown Festival is a major revenue source in Ireland’s economy.
The Irish National Hunt Punchestown Festival generated a record €59.8 million contribution to the economy of Kildare and its surrounding regions in 2011, according to an independent economic benefit analysis report carried out by NUI Maynooth.
The findings of the report demonstrate that the Punchestown Festival has successfully withstood the wider economic downturn and continued to grow over the last number of years in part by expanding to become a five-day festival - from four days - and attracting a near record 95,061 visitors in 2011.
The huge attendance was also boosted by an increase in international visitors predominantly from the UK which accounted for over 19,200 visits last year, up 23% since 2005. In total, €24.8 million was spent by visitors on accommodation, food and entertainment in the locality with an average spend per person of €261.
The increase in overseas visitors has enabled the Festival to continue to make an important contribution to local providers of accommodation, with 73% of visitors choosing to stay in hotels and 17% in B&Bs. The average stay in the area by visitors of three nights, with a remarkable 9% of guests staying for six nights or more.
The additional footfall contributed to a significant increase in the overall spend inside the racecourse of €21.4 million, the equivalent of an average spend per person of €368 on betting, food and drink and other items.The massive crowds in 2011 also spent €6.6 million on travel costs to and from the racetrack.
The economic analysis has provided data on the pre-Festival spend by fashion conscious female racegoers revealing that a remarkable €7 million was spent on attire and clothing. The average spend per female on attire prior to attending the festival was €196. The spend correlates to a separate finding that almost as many women as men are now attending the Festival with females accounting for a very significant 45% of the overall attendance.
Commenting, David Mongey, Chairman of Punchestown said:
“With a tradition and heritage dating back almost 200 years, the Punchestown Irish National Hunt Festival remains first and foremost an annual cultural and sporting event of great significance for the people of Kildare and its surrounding areas.
“But we are delighted to welcome this report by NUI Maynooth which shows that the Festival is generating €12 million a day. It is extremely heartening and encouraging that even in the face of a severe economic downturn that the Festival is delivering a very substantial economic dividend to Kildare, its surrounding areas and to the wider economy.”
The findings are part of an economic evaluation report undertaken by Professor Rowena Pecchenino, Head of the Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, and her team at the NUI Maynooth. The findings of the report were derived from a comprehensive survey of 1,100 racegoers throughout the five days of the Festival last year.
Commenting, Professor Pecchenino, said:
“It is clear from our findings that the Punchestown Festival makes a very substantial economic contribution annually to Kildare and the surrounding areas. The direct economic value of the 2011 Festival was estimated at about €60 million although another €9 million – €12 million could be added to account for the indirect economic or expenditure multiplier effects.”
“Attendance at the Festival is nderpinned by a loyal core of racegoers, just over 51%, who attend every year, while efforts to reach out to new visitors accounted for 33% of the overall attendance. Just over half of visitors were under the age of 44, with the 35-44 years category the single largest cohort at 21.6%, followed by 45-54 years at 20.7%.
The income profile of attendance at the Festival reveals it has a very broad and diverse socio-economic appeal with 63% of racegoers possessing a gross annual income of €54,999 or less, while 10% of attendees had an annual income in excess of €100,000.
This year’s Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th April.