Ladbrokes named as sponsor for Down Royal’s Grade 1 Jumps

Down Royal racecourse has named Ladbrokes as the new sponsor for its first Grade 1 of this year’s jumps season, with the deal estimated to be the largest in Down Royal’s history.

The race, which will now be called the Ladbrokes Champion Chase, comes as part of a six-figure deal between the racecourse and operator, with prize-money tipped at €140,000.

Down Royal chief executive Emma Meehan commented on the new partnership: “We are delighted to welcome Ladbrokes to our growing family of key sponsors and partners and look forward to working with them over the next three years.

“The most prestigious of our race meetings, the November festival, is set to be the biggest yet and, with attendance up 12 per cent year-on-year, we are anticipating a crowd of over 10,000 over the two days.”

The long-established two-day Festival – staged on 1st and 2nd November – is the highlight of the racing calendar at Down Royal, and will feature the WKD Hurdle, which is said to be ‘the richest hurdle race run in Northern Ireland’.

Nicola McGeady, Ladbrokes Head of PR, said: “Ladbrokes has a long and proud association with top-class horseracing and we are thrilled to be embarking on this exciting new sponsorship of the November festival of racing at Down Royal.”