Almost time for Flat season
THIS weekend will see Newbury Racecourse host its final two meetings of the jumps season, before attention quickly turns to the Flat campaign.
Tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday, the BetVictor Jump Season Finale will take place.
It’s been a surreal year for horse racing, with all but one jumps meeting at Newbury taking place behind closed doors.
Despite crowds being unable to attend these signature events, there have been some memorable moments on the track.
In December, it was the Jonjo O’Neilltrained Cloth Cap that won the prestigious Ladbrokes Trophy, finishing ahead of Aye Right in second and The Conditional in third.
O’Neill continued his fine form at the Berkshire track, training the winner of the Betfair Hurdle in February as Soaring Glory won the Grade 3 contest.
With the new Flat season fast approaching, Newbury Racecourse recently struck a new sponsorship deal with BetVictor to help deliver these meetings.
The new partnership runs across both codes and includes races on the prestigious Al Shaqab Lockinge Day on Saturday, May 15, with the BetVictor London Cup and BetVictor Carnarvon Stakes.
Over the heart of summer, the bookmaker will go on to enjoy title sponsorship of BetVictor Hungerford Raceday, Newbury’s flagship Party in the Paddock concert day with Olly Murs performing live after racing, before taking ownership of the final Flat fixture of the year at the end of October.
The partnership will extend into the jumps season with the BetVictor Jump Season Opener in early November before culminating in December with the BetVictor Festive Raceday.
Sponsorship manager for Newbury Racecourse, Lara Johnston, said: “We are delighted to welcome BetVictor to Newbury Racecourse in this multiraceday deal for 2021 and are hugely excited about their association with us as we emerge from the pandemic more invigorated than ever to deliver excellent racing for our customers alongside all our partners.
“We are excited to work with the team at BetVictor on some unique digital activation ideas and it is even more positive following the recent Government announcement that we will be able to welcome back crowds and bring some of these ideas to life on course.”
Director of sportsbook at BetVictor, Matt Scarrott, said: “We are really looking forward to bringing our sponsorship to life at Newbury Racecourse in 2021 and are excited about this brandnew partnership.
“Horse racing has long been an important part of BetVictor – we are proud to be investing significantly into the sport with our sponsorship at Newbury as well as our ongoing brand ambassador relationships with participants that excel in racing.”