by Renee Israel
Blue Square, the UK-based online sportsbook has extended its sponsorship deal
with the Arena Leisure's winter carnival.
The renewed Blue Square sponsorship agreement will cover all three flat race
meetings that make up the winter carnival, as well as a second running of the
Blue Square Sprint series.
The winter carnival is held every year in January and February at the
Lingfield, Southwell and Wolverhampton racecourses.
The Sprint series is run at Lingfield every Saturday throughout January and
February. and is made up of seven rounds of six-furlong sprints with a points
system that rewards runners, riders and trainers coming in places one to six.
The race awards enhanced prize money of £4,000 in this category and will
feature a grand prize of £15,000.
There are Class 5 and Class 6 qualifying rounds for the series, with the
Grand Final taking place on Saturday, February 25. While the Grand Final will be
open to all horses in the weight range, preference in terms of entry will be
given to those who have collected points during the seven qualifying rounds
prior to the final, rather than solely on their official rating. The opening
qualifier will run on Saturday, January 7 and entries for that race will close
on Tuesday, January 2.
Blue Square to Begin Promoting the Series
On Saturday, November 12, Blue Square will be arranging a launch party at
Lingfield Racecourse. Throughout the winter the sportsbook will also be awarding
hundreds of tickets to the event.
Richard Jaques, BlueSq.com Public Relations and Sponsorship Manager expressed
his satisfaction with the Blue Square sponsorship deal. He said, "We are
absolutely delighted with the inaugural Blue Square Winter Carnival and Blue
Square Sprint Series."
"It is great for race goers to follow a series and see the same horses coming
back each week to take each other on. Norville was a brilliant winner of the
grand final in February and it just goes to show how a trainer can plan a
horse's campaign around the Blue Square Sprint series and mop up some really
decent prize money for the grade."
Launched in 1999, Blue Square is an international online sportsbook, based in
the UK and licensed in Alderney. The Blue Square brand has expanded to include
an online sportsbook, online casino, online bingo, online poker, arcade games
and mobile betting. It offers odds on a huge variety of sporting events.
