The Festival™ presented by Magners at Cheltenham offers the four greatest days of Jump Racing to be found anywhere on earth and a unique opportunity has arisen where any individual or company can have a race staged under the name of their choice.
An anonymous person has generously agreed to financially support the Gr2 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, which takes place as race six on St Patrick’s Thursday (March 12 in 2020).
The sponsorship platform will be offered to the highest bidder at an exclusive auction, which will be staged on Tuesday, October 1 at the Greenhouse Charity Dinner at Annabel’s, the legendary nightclub in London’s Mayfair. The event will be hosted by Mike Sherwood and Ali Churchill.
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Wyndham Walks as part of their fundraising for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity to buy much needed and state of the art equipment.
In addition to the naming rights to the Gr2 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, the highest bidder will also acquire other benefits including an invitation to an exclusive sponsors’ preview with champion jockey Richard Johnson in London ahead of The Festival, hospitality for up to 30 guests on the day of the race as well as advertisements in the racecard and on course.
Carey Weeks, Head of Partnerships for the South West region of The Jockey Club, commented: “Thanks to the generosity of the race sponsor, this one-off chance to name the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival has now arisen.
“This is an exciting development and I am sure there will be plenty of interest at the auction on October 1. It is also gratifying to see that all proceeds from the auction will be going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
“The Festival offers such a unique opportunity for promotion with a live audience of over 265,000 racegoers and a television audience of 3.5 million viewers, ensuring that all eyes are on whatever you want to promote.
“We look forward to welcoming and working alongside the winning bidder.”
