With its first fixture of the 2023 season just a fortnight away, Ripon Racecourse has announced a new sponsorship deal with William Hill.
The bookmaker, which has sponsored Ripon’s feature race of the year – Great St Wilfrid Handicap – since 1994, is now teaming up with the Boroughridge Road course to offer a bonus of £5,000 to the owner(s) of the inaugural William Hill Ripon Champion 2023, with an additional £1,000 going to the winning stable.
Running throughout the season, which starts on Thursday April 20 and finishes on Saturday September 30, each race winner will accrue three points, with two points for a second-place finish and one point for third. The horse that accumulates the most points across the season will be crowned the champion and will bag the £5,000 prize.
There will be additional points on offer for the Great St Wilfrid Handicap on August 19 – with five points to the winner, three for second and two for third.
Ruairi Stirling, racing sponsorship manager at William Hill said:
“The relationship between Ripon and William Hill goes back many years and this another sign that shows it’s as healthy as ever.
“We’re really keen to award the horses that run well at Ripon repeatedly and hopefully this new incentive will encourage owners and trainers to consider running there throughout the season.”
Jonathan Mullin, operations, marketing and Clerk of the course, said:
“We recognise how hugely important owners are to the sport and here at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse we have a lot of horses and owners who return to us regularly.
“It’s always fantastic to see the old favourites return and the nature of this competition with points for first, second and third, favours horses that run here more often. Hopefully we can reward one of those regulars by crowning them ‘William Hill Ripon Champion’ at the end of the season.
“It’s great to be able to partner with William Hill, long term sponsors here with this innovative new project and now we’re really looking forward to getting the season started and seeing the League table begin to take shape.”
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Ripon Races set for first meeting of season tomorrow
Ripon Races is under starter’s orders for its first fixture of the new season tomorrow.
Yorkshire’s garden racecourse, as the venue is known, will be hoping for a smooth year after two years of covid restrictions severely curtailed activities.
Gates open at 11am for the first of 17 days racing this year.
Jonathan Mullin, hoping for an uninterrupted season at Ripon Races
Tomorrow’s Easter family day’s first race at 1pm will feature new sponsor Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate.
Jonathan Mullin, operations and marketing manager at the Boroughbridge Road racecourse, told the Stray Ferret:
“After two years of covid restrictions, we are looking forward to what we hope will be an uninterrupted season and plenty of racegoers through the gates.
“At a time when there is a squeeze on family budgets, we are offering reduced price entry to the paddock and club enclosures at all of our evening meetings The reduction will be 23% and 12% respectively.”
William Hill is maintaining its long-term sponsorship at Ripon.
This season’s running of the valuable William Hill Great St Wilfrid Handicap, on Saturday August 13, has added significance, with 2022 marking the 1,350th anniversary of Ripon’s patron saint founding the city’s cathedral.
New this season is a Stables Championship run in partnership with organic plant-based grooming products manufacturer, Goodbye Flys.
The stable staff of the yard that accrues the highest points total across the 2022 season will be crowned champions and receive a £5,000 cash prize, with £2,000 going to the runners-up and £1,000 to the third placed team.
Titanium Racing Club and Grantley Hall Hotel are both returning race sponsors and NE-Bet is continuing its sponsorship of the owners and trainers enclosure.
The covid vaccination programme
Ripon Races has been a key site in the covid vaccination programme.
Mr Mullin said:
“The racecourse management and course staff were proud to support the NHS and many volunteers involved in setting up and operating the covid vaccination centre here.
“Thousands of people received their jabs and boosters in the Wakeman Bar and we will continue to help the NHS when our facilities are required for the vaccination programme.”
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