Betfred to Sponsor St Leger Festival
Author:
Megan Butler
Betfred is pleased to announce that it is set to sponsor the St Leger Festival at Doncaster Racecourse. The leading bookmaker has signed a multi-year partnership with the world-famous festival, which features the world’s oldest Classic, the Betfred St Leger Stakes. Last month, the sportsbook signed another partnership deal with Epsom Downs to sponsor The Oaks and The Derby.
Thanks to the new deal, Betfred will sponsor three of the five British Classics.
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World’s Oldest Classic
Betfred has revealed that it has signed a multi-year partnership with the St Leger Festival to act as the event’s title sponsor. The four-day annual festival will run this year from Thursday, September 14th to Sunday, September 17th. Established in 1776, the festival at Doncaster Racecourse is the oldest of Britain’s five Classics.
Betfred will support a number of the festival’s key races, including the Betfred May Hill Stakes, Champagne Stakes, Doncaster Cup and Park Stakes. In addition to those races, it will sponsor the world’s oldest Classic, the Betfred St Leger Stakes.
Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, was granted city status as part of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year. The Betfred City of Doncaster Handicap, which will be run on the final day of the meeting, has been renamed to commemorate the occasion.
As the last of the Classics in the British racing calendar, the St Leger marks the end of the summer in England. Such is its reputation, that a popular phrase was coined. As the saying goes, “Sell in May and go away, come back on St Leger Day”, suggesting that investors should sell their shares in May and buy again after the race.
Speaking on behalf of the heritage bookmaker, Betfred boss Fred Done explained how much the partnership means to his firm. The Betfred St Leger is a highly prestigious event, representing the final leg of the Triple Crown of the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs. The Triple Crown was last achieved in 1970, when Lester Piggott rode Nijinsky to victory. Done stated:
“To have the Betfred name attached to the St Leger Festival is not just a sponsorship but a privilege. I am proud to be associated with the world’s oldest classic which is obviously synonymous with great horses like Triple Crown winner Nijinsky, Dunfermline for the Queen and Oh So Sharp for Sir Henry Cecil.”
Sports Sponsorships
Chief Executive of the Arena Racing Company, Martin Cruddace was equally delighted to welcome Betfred as the headline sponsor of the St Leger Festival. Praising Betfred’s long-standing commitment to the sport, Cruddace said that he was very much looking forward to the festival in September. Cruddace added:
“Fred Done and his team have long been keen supporters of British racing, and including this historic race meeting in their sponsorship portfolio is another indication of their commitment to the sport. The whole sport is extremely fortunate to benefit from working in partnership with Fred and his team.”
Betfred is a fitting partner for the world’s oldest Classic. Founded in 1967 by Fred Done, the bookmaker started out with just one betting shop in Ordsall, Salford. The bookmaker has proved himself lucky from the start, opening the bookmaker with funds won after a winning bet on the historic 1966 World Cup.
Over half a century later, the business is still family owned and has expanded to become one of the best-known bookmakers on the high street. It boasts more than 1350 shops, as well as a successful online and mobile business offering an array of popular online casino products. The firm now offers its services across the world, in South Africa and ten US states.
Betfred is one of the most prolific sponsors in UK sport, acting as headline sponsor of the Rugby League, British Masters Golf, Matchroom Boxing and as a partner of Manchester United. Until recently it was also the long-time sponsor of the World Snooker Championship.
The bookmaker has maintained a close relationship with British racing and was the sport’s biggest sponsor from 2011 to 2018. It has previously sponsored numerous races within the Arena Racing Group, including the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter, the Lingford Oaks and Derby Trials and several races at Doncaster Racecourse.
Supporting The Oaks and The Derby
Last month, Betfred was named as the new sponsor of The Oaks and The Derby at Epsom Downs. As part of the three-year deal, the sportsbook will support two more races across the two days of The Derby meeting. This will take place on Friday, June 2nd and Saturday, June 3rd.
Commenting at the time, Done said that he considered The Derby to be the greatest Flat race in the world. It’s true that the race has a storied history, which includes some of the sport’s biggest names. Past winners include Nijinsky and Lester Piggott, Golden Horn and Frankie Dettori, and most recently Desert Crown and Richard Kingscote.
Amy Starkey, Managing Director for Jockey Club Racecourses, was excited at the news that Betfred would be taking the mantle in promoting the prestigious races on high streets up and down the country. She added that betting has been a core part of The Derby since its creation in 1780, when the name of the race was decided on a coin toss. Continuing, Starkey said:
“This is an exceptional deal for British horseracing. This partnership represents a substantial investment in the world’s most famous Flat race and we are very grateful to Betfred for their generous support. As a bookmaker with a long and established history in horseracing and numerous other sports, I’ve worked with Fred and the team at Betfred for more than 20 years and know how deeply committed they are to British racing.”
Betfred is also the official betting partner of Ascot Racecourse and Royal Ascot. The bookmaker was named as Ascot’s ‘Official Bookmaker’ in 2019, when it signed a three-year deal. The contract, which includes two on site betting shops, has been renewed.
