Cheltenham Festival

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£200,000 Hurdle The Highlight Of The Boylesports International At Cheltenham 18/10/06

Cheltenham’s December Meeting on Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9, relaunches under a new name and new sponsorship, defined by very substantial prize money injections into the three key races.

The Boylesports International will now offer £698,000 in prize money over the two days, an impressive increase of 59 per cent over the 2005 total of £438,000.

Boylesports, based in Dundalk, Co Louth, are generously supporting this exciting revamp of the meeting, backing seven races across the two days.

Taking centre stage at the Boylesports International is the £200,000 Grade Two Boylesports.com International, a hurdle race over two miles and a furlong on Saturday, December 9. Formerly run as the Bula Hurdle, the race has a massive prize money increase of £125,000, taking its value from £75,000 to £200,000.

This makes the Boylesports.com International the second-richest hurdle race in Britain and Ireland, with only the £360,000 Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at The Festival in March worth more.

Underscoring the new importance of this event is a £200,000 bonus payment for any horse winning both the Boylesports.com International and the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle in the same season. If won, this will be split £180,000 for the owner, £10,000 for the trainer and £10,000 for the successful yard’s stable staff. The winner of both races would therefore amass over £500,000.

Rooster Booster won both contests in the 2002/03 season, as did Salmon Spray (1965/66 season) and Comedy Of Errors (1974/75 season) so the double is highly achievable.

The Boylesports International is further boosted by a large prize money rise for the race known last year as the Robin Cook Memorial Gold Cup. The two mile, five furlong handicap chase, also run on Saturday, December 9, becomes the Boylesports.com Gold Cup and increases in value by £40,000 from £110,000 to £150,000.

The programme on Friday, December 8, is transformed by yet another substantial prize money injection. Boylesports is backing the contest formerly run as the Mears Group Handicap Chase, with the extended three mile, one furlong race re-named the Boylepoker.com Chase, doubling in value from £50,000 to £100,000.

Speaking today, John Boyle, Managing Director of Boylesports, said: “This is a fantastic day for Boylesports as it gives us ownership of the second richest hurdle race in Britain and Ireland and a substantial foothold in the Jump season.

“We look forward to working closely with Cheltenham Racecourse over the coming months and years to promote and support the Boylesports International in every way we can. The significant increase in prize money adds prestige to the meeting and should ensure the best horses are in action over the two days.”

Boylesports are Ireland’s largest independent bookmaker. They also offer online a casino and poker room.

Continuing its association with Cheltenham, the Mears Group takes over backing of the £40,000 Grade Two "Relkeel" Hurdle on the Saturday, which also features the £35,000 Grade Two Brit Insurance Novices' Hurdle, won last year by Black Jack Ketchum. The Relkeel has taken on Grade Two status this season, which sees its value doubling.

Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham’s Managing Director, commented today: “We are delighted to welcome Boylesports to Cheltenham and thank them for their most generous sponsorship over the two days of the Boylesports International.

“It has long been our aim to rebrand this marvellous racing weekend under a new identity that would allow racegoers to get behind another top quality event at Cheltenham.

“December’s racing at Cheltenham has previously been arguably the best outside the Festival, yet the weekend has been over-shadowed by other events.

“This relaunch will allow us to power up the weekend to become as important as our other headline events. A foundation of premier quality racing makes this a most compelling weekend for any owner, trainer or rider, and we hope the prospect of winning £1/2 million will be an enterprising way to deliver the right horses and, with them, a crowd eager to see the best hurdlers from the UK, Ireland and further afield in action at Cheltenham.

“Through this new commitment from Boylesports, as title sponsor and the backer of the three boosted main races, we hope to further increase the appeal of the meeting for owners and trainers so they send their best horses to race at Cheltenham over the two days. Combined with the DBS National Hunt Breeze Up Sale, this can illustrate the broad appeal of the sport beyond its current reach.

“We will be working hard to increase last year's attendance figure of 25,000 for the meeting.”

Simon Claisse, Cheltenham's Director of Racing and Clerk of the Course, added: “The Boylesports International represents an exciting new development in Cheltenham’s racing calendar.

“The race programme for the two days has been considerably strengthened by the massive prize money increases for the three feature contests and, with the Boylesports.com International, Cheltenham now stages the two most valuable hurdle contests during the entire season.”