BetBright Cup winner gets £10,000 for Injured Jockeys Fund

BetBright has announced that the winning BetBright Cup captain will receive a £10,000 donation to the Injured Jockeys Fund of their respective country on their behalf.

Formerly the Prestbury Cup, the BetBright Cup is awarded to Great Britain or Ireland, depending on who gets the greatest number of winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Rich Ricci, BetBright Chairman, said: “The prize money is a new feature added this year; the respective Injured Jockeys Funds are such incredible charities that caters to the enhanced care, rehabilitation and welfare of jockeys past and present. We are very proud to be supporting such organisations.”

This years’ competition sees captains Phil Tufnell and Hector O’Heochagain take the position of GB and Irish captains respectively. O’Heochagain, who was denied victory after a GB comeback forced a tie last year, admits that the odds are against him in 2017 after an unfortunate run of injuries, but believes that if the Irish can rack up one or two surprise upsets they’ll be in with a fighting chance.

Meanwhile, Tufnell commented: “I love the Festival and am thrilled to be back this year as the Great Britain captain for the BetBright Cup. Both sides have lost several defending champions in recent weeks, and I’ve no doubt Hector is preparing the excuses as we speak, but I am banking on a few of our own super subs as well as the superstar Altior to keep the title at home.”

Ricci added: “The Cheltenham Festival is an incredibly exciting time for all British and Irish racing fans. The competition between the two nations has rarely been tighter then it was last year, this year there’s no doubt the Irish side will be up against it but I don’t think Hector will lose faith. The BetBright Cup is a fun complement to the serious sport on the track, allowing racing fans to get behind their country’s contenders throughout the week.”