FAIRYHOUSE racecourse today announced a new sponsorship agreement with one of Ireland's leading commercial stud farms for the Listed Ballyhane Blenheim Stakes on Wednesday, September 20th. The €50,000 race is run over six furlongs for two-year-olds only.

This race has an excellent history of producing top-quality winners, won last year by Moonlit Show, trained in the UK by Charlie Fellowes and ridden by Billy Lee. Other recent winners included the Viztoria, Born to Sea, Ad Valorem and Miss Beabea.

Joe Foley of Ballyhane Stud, said: "We are really pleased to support the Ballyhane Blenheim Stakes at Fairyhouse, a race with such a rich history.”

Peter Roe, manager at Fairyhouse racecourse, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ballyhane Stud as sponsors of the Listed Ballyhane Blenheim Stakes on September 20th.

"We are looking forward to developing this race given the timing of the meeting with the major Tattersalls Ireland yearling sales taking place when many leading trainers will be at their Fairyhouse sales complex.

"The Ballyhane Blenheim is an important race in the two-year-old calendar and both trainers of the two-year-old winners at Navan on Saturday – Powersville and Blue Uluru – nominated the race as their next target, and hopefully we will also get a strong UK challenge.”

Leading Irish trainer Ger Lyons said: “I would like to congratulate Ballyhane Stud on sponsoring one of the key races of the juvenile calendar in Ireland.

"I will be aiming a strong team at the race, headed by impressive Curragh winner Gobi Desert who will be bidding to give the O’Callaghan family a second successive win in the race.

"Joe Foley is one of the most progressive and innovative men in our business and must be applauded for this new sponsorship deal with Fairyhouse racecourse.”