THE Group 1 Champion Stakes will have a sponsor for the first time in three years after Leopardstown and Horse Racing Ireland announced that the Bahrain Turf Club has moved in to back the flagship race on Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

The up-and-coming racing jurisdiction will sponsor the race for six years and the 10-furlong contest will be titled the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. Leopardstown chief executive Tim Husbands said that a matching of key objectives, which includes giving the race an international platform, was central to the partnership coming into the place.

He expressed his delight at attaining the support of the Bahrain Turf Club before telling The Irish Field: “We were waiting quite a while to get the right sponsor and I think a sponsor of such longevity, a six-year deal, is quite rare. So to get one to give us an international platform is a great step forward for Irish racing. It shows commitment from our part and their part.

“We were talking to a number of different companies, both industry and commercial, and it was just a question of trying to find a partnership that was right, a working relationship that was right, and making sure we both have the same objectives around the long-term future of the race and Irish racing.

“The key to this partnership is the international platform that an international sponsor gives you, and we’re really looking forward to working with His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa on one of the world’s leading flat races.”

Vision

Like a number of racing jurisdictions in the Middle East, Bahrain has been keen to grow its reputation on an international stage. The Bahrain Turf Club’s vision is to attract top-quality horses to events in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Their flagship contest is the Group 3 Bahrain International Trophy, which takes place in mid-November. The £600,000 contest was won by Lord Glitters last year.

On the partnership with Leopardstown, H.H. Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, chairman of the Bahrain Turf Club, said: “We are delighted to establish this partnership with Leopardstown and Horse Racing Ireland by sponsoring one of the most prestigious races in the world.

“Following our investment into the sport in recent years, the Kingdom of Bahrain is now recognised as a part two nation under the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, and it will be my ambition to continue supporting our programme in order to become a part one nation that hosts an international Group 1 in the near future.”

AL Basti Equiworld has been announced as the new sponsor for the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes, which takes place on day two of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

The race will be titled the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five and will carry total prize money of €400,000. The agreement is for the next three years, with the option to extend their support for a further two years.

The five-furlong sprint is part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In initiative, with the winning horse receiving a free entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. In addition, the Curragh has also teamed up with Horse Racing Ireland to offer the winner of the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai an automatic entry into the Flying Five each year.

Al Basti Equiworld founder Malih Al Basti said: “We are very pleased to be able to support horse racing in Ireland and to add the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five to our portfolio of international sponsorships which include group races at York, Newmarket, Dundalk and in New Zealand, and a number of high-profile jockeys in the UK, Ireland and France.

“I am sure the Curragh will provide an excellent stage for the continued promotion of our brand.”

Welcome sponsor

Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of the Curragh commented: “We are delighted to welcome Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai to our roster of sponsors here at the Curragh and very grateful to Malih Al Basti and his team for agreeing to support the Flying Five on Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

“The support of sponsors with significant international profile such as Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai is essential to increasing prize money at the Curragh and we are delighted to welcome them to the fold.”