Leading UK bookmaker Coral is stepping up its investment in Irish racing sponsorship through a major new deal with Punchestown Racecourse that will see the brand take on naming rights to the €100,000 Coral Handicap Hurdle on the Saturday of the National Hunt Festival and the whole of the opening day of the 2016/17 season at the Kildare venue.
“It is both a thrill and an honour to be associating the Coral name with a race meeting of the stature and mass appeal of the Punchestown Festival,” said Simon Clare, Coral Spokesman.
“We recently embarked on a mission to introduce the Coral brand and the benefits of our betting products and services to Irish punters and racing fans, and this commercial partnership with one of Ireland’s most dynamic and progressive racecourses is a clear signal of our intent,”
Coral obtained an Irish betting licence last year and marked their entry into the Irish betting market by establishing the company’s first race sponsorship in Ireland at Leopardstown in January, featuring the Coral.ie Hurdle and the Coral.ie Leopardstown Chase.
“Our first experience of race sponsorship in Ireland was a resounding success and whetted our appetite to invest further in high quality Irish race sponsorships, as part of a wider promotional plan for Ireland.”
“Coral has an unrivalled track record of long-standing top class race sponsorships in Britain – the Coral-Eclipse, the Coral Welsh Grand National, the Coral Scottish Grand National to name but a few – and to add Punchestown to that portfolio this year is a source of great pride for us all.”
The move to Ireland comes against a background of a major battle between betting companies and British Racing over a new means of funding the sport from profits taken in an online betting environment. Companies have to sign an agreement as an authorised betting partner with the British Horseracing Authority in order to continue support for races.
The move has already led to Betfred and Ladbrokes being replaced as major sponsors at next week’s Cheltenham Festival, markedly by non-betting sponsors, including Ryanair.
The historic phrase, relevant in the special context of 2016, that ‘England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity’ can be seen to be at play here though the commitment to an influential, vibrant and fully regulated betting market here is justification in its own right.
“We are delighted to be among the first choices for Coral in Ireland” said Janet Creighton, Sponsorship & Sales Manager at Punchestown.
“Festival Saturday has become one of the best attended race days on the entire Irish racing calendar so it will be a fitting introduction for Coral to the Punchestown Festival event.”
“Kicking off the 2016/2017 season shows Coral’s commitment to the Irish racing stage and we very much look forward to continuing the partnership into the future”.
The 2016 Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 26th to Saturday 30th April.
