by Renee Israel
Leading online betting group, Blue Square, has become the title
sponsor of the Winter Derby horse race, to take place at Lingfield in the United
Kingdom next month.
The bookmaker recently signed a deal to sponsor the richest
all-weather race, to be known as the Blue Square Winter Derby, scheduled to be
run on March 24th, and will be offering a £100,000 prize to winners of the
event.
Blue Square Winter Derby All Weather Racing
The Blue Square Winter Derby aside, is not the first time that
Blue Square online bookmakers have been involved in the sponsorship of
all-weather racing at Lingfield.
"Blue Square has been a great supporter of Lingfield Park
Racecourse and all-weather racing in general over the past couple of years,"
noted Kate Hills, the Public Relations and Communications Director for Arena
Leisure, which operates Lingfield.
Hills said that Arena Leisure was thrilled that Blue Square's
sponsorship of the Winter Derby and found it to be a perfect fit alongside
the successful Blue Square Winter Carnival and the Blue Square Sprint
sponsorships.
At least seven races are planned for the Blue Square Winter Derby,
including Class Two and Three handicaps, as well as the £40K Spring Cup and the
£30K Hever Sprint Stakes.
The Public Relations and Sponsorship Manager for Blue Square,
Richard Jacques said that the weather experienced across Britain in the past
week had underlined the importance of all-weather tracks to the UK racing
industry.
"We have invested heavily in all-weather racing over the past
couple of years and the Blue Square Winter Derby is an excellent addition to our
sponsorship portfolio," he said.
Jacques noted that the Blue Square Spring Series had already
captured the imagination of all those involved in the UK racing industry,
including jockeys, trainers and punters this winter. Therefore, the Winter
Derby, considered the richest race of the all-weather season, was an ideal
complement.
Winter Derby is Popular UK Racing Event
The Winter Derby was established in 1998 and is open to
thoroughbreds from the ages of four and up. It is considered a popular racing
event in the UK racing industry and runs each year at Lingfield Park in March.
The Blue Square Winter Derby is one of three non-turf Group 3
events in the UK (the others being the Sirenia Stakes and the September Stakes),
and is run on a Polytrack surface.
Famous jockey, Frankie Dettori has won two races at the Winter
Derby in the past, once on Parasol in 2004 and again on Caluki a year later.
