William Hill has strengthened its relationship with Punchestown Racecourse by becoming the new title sponsor of the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle, which will be staged on Saturday, November 21st.
The agreement extends the bookmaker’s presence at Punchestown, where it already sponsors the Grade 1 William Hill Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival and the William Hill Challenge Series.
It gives the brand a major Grade 1 presence at both ends of the Punchestown jumps season and adds another prominent race sponsorship to William Hill’s investment in Irish racing.
The William Hill Morgiana Hurdle is an early-season highlight for two-mile hurdlers and has regularly given leading Champion Hurdle contenders their first major appearance of the campaign.
Lossiemouth won the race last year before going on to claim Champion Hurdle honours at both Cheltenham and Punchestown, while State Man and Hurricane Fly are among the other major names on its roll of honour. Hurricane Fly won the race three years in succession between 2012 and 2014.
“The William Hill Morgiana Hurdle is always a big race in the Jumps calendar, and we look forward to kicking off as sponsors for the first time this season,” said Andrew McCleave, Head of Marketing at William Hill Ireland.
“We’re delighted to be sponsoring a race which features the likes of Lossiemouth, Faugheen and Hurricane Fly on the roll of honour, and we’re excited to see who follows in their hoofprints this year.
“Sponsorship of the Morgiana further adds to our visibility at the track via the William Hill Challenge Series and the William Hill Champion Chase, so we’re really looking forward to the season ahead at Punchestown. From the grassroots to Grade 1s, we’re excited to see what this campaign will bring.”
The race headlines the opening day of Punchestown’s Premiere Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, November 21st and 22nd.
The Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Chase takes centre stage on Sunday, alongside a supporting programme of Graded, Listed and cross-country racing.
The quality of the meeting was underlined by the subsequent achievements of horses that competed there in 2025.
The eventual Cheltenham and Punchestown Gold Cup winner and Champion Hurdle winner both made their seasonal debuts at Premiere Weekend, as did the subsequent Ryanair Chase and Grand National winners. Runners from the meeting went on to win 11 Grade 1 races during the remainder of the season.
“The William Hill team have doubled down on their commitment to Irish Jumps racing with this sponsorship,” said Janet Creighton of the Punchestown Sponsorship Team.
“They now top and tail the Punchestown season at Grade 1 level on our biggest days, which really shows how much they value and support Irish jump racing.
“The Premiere Weekend has gone from strength to strength, as has William Hill’s support at Punchestown. We look forward to continuing to grow this partnership and deliver more brilliant racing.”
Sport for Business Perspective
This is a good example of a sponsorship relationship expanding through increased familiarity rather than starting again from scratch.
William Hill already has a visible position around Punchestown through the Champion Chase and Challenge Series. Adding the Morgiana gives it ownership of another race with strong sporting credibility and, importantly, a very different place in the racing calendar.
The Champion Chase provides the major Festival platform in the spring, while the Morgiana puts the brand into the conversation as the leading horses return for a new season in November.
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Image Credit: Punchestown Racecourse
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