The fixture clash between the Doncaster St Ledger Festival and the Irish Champions Weekend on the 10th of September, may force bookmaker Ladbrokes to withdraw its sponsorship of the St Ledger Festival.
Ladbrokes have sponsored the St Ledger Festival for the past ten seasons, however the current three year sponsorship extension is set to come to an end, Ladbrokes have not confirmed the renewal of its sponsorship.
This year the St Ledger Festival will compete against the popular Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, which should have the headline-grabbing presence of Aidan O’Brien’s dual Derby winner Australia.
Ladbrokes PR director Mike Dillon said: ‘We have no gripe with the Irish authorities but I have made no secret of the fact that there was no communication (with the BHA), which was surprising.
‘It was a dereliction of duty. It was me who told Doncaster. How can you not consult the stakeholders?
It beggars belief. I decided we would not make a knee-jerk reaction but we can’t make a decision about renewing sponsorship. We need to see how things pan out this year and then make a judgment.’