THE Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) has some exciting news from Tramore and Down Royal Racecourses.

Bluegrass Horse Feeds, based in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, announced their sponsorship of Tramore’s best turned-out (BTO) prizes and a league for the 2022/23 season. Bluegrass will sponsor prizes for all 84 races, as well as giving €1,000 to the yard that wins the most BTO’S during the year.

Emmett Raher of Bluegrass Horse Feeds commented: “We are delighted to recognise the hard work and effort the stable staff put into their horses.

“The €1,000 is a great incentive for all yards, big and small, as shown by last year’s winner Isobel Ryan from John Ryan’s yard.”

Bernard Caldwell, CEO of the Irish Stable Staff Association added: “It’s a great show of recognition from Tramore Racecourse and Bluegrass Horse Feeds for Irish stable staff. The €1,000 prize is a great way to reward all the grooms who work very hard throughout the year to have their horses looking beautifully presented in the parade ring.”

Partnership

Down Royal Racecourse has also secured a new partnership, this time with soft drinks brand, Britvic. The agreement sees Britvic Northern Ireland become the racecourse’s exclusive soft drinks partner throughout its annual racing calendar, and their iconic brand Club Mixers becomes the official sponsor of the race meeting on Monday, May 2nd. It includes naming rights for The Club Mixers May Day race meeting and sees direct promotional and marketing support of the full Britvic brand portfolio, including sponsorship of all seven race titles.

Down Royal director of sales and marketing, Claire Rutherford, said: “We are thrilled to partner with such a dynamic soft drinks company as Britvic and are excited to grow the relationship, both on and off the track. Britvic’s brands are steeped in history, and they share our passion for helping people to enjoy life’s everyday moments.

“We are always looking to work with local brands who share our commitment to developing authentic and elevated experiences for racegoers, and the Club Mixers brand is the perfect fit for us. Through this new partnership we hope to enhance the race-going experience and give people an extra reason to visit Down Royal and to keep coming back.”

Very excited

Brian Greer, marketing manager, Club Mixers, commented: “We are very excited about this new partnership with Down Royal which gives us a perfect platform to showcase the attributes of heritage, quality and reliability associated with our Club Mixers portfolio.

“We look forward to engaging with the thousands of racegoers who attend throughout the year, and to encouraging them to explore the expertly crafted Club Mixers range which are the perfect accompaniment to a wide range of popular gins, vodkas, whiskeys or delicious on their own.”

AIR is always delighted to see its member racecourses sign new sponsorship agreements. These deals demonstrate how racecourses are adapting the sponsorship offering to create bespoke opportunities and brand partnerships at their racecourses.

It is also lovely see how Tramore and Bluegrass have established a league which will reward stable staff who visit their racecourse throughout the year, a really positive initiative.