Limerick Racecourse has signed up to a three-year agreement with the Matchbook Betting Exchange to sponsor the venue’s Grade 1 Novice Chase.
An important part of the Irish racing calendar, the Matchbook Betting Exchange Grade 1 Novice Chase is considered the feature race on Boxing Day, which marks the opening of Limerick’s popular Christmas Racing Festival.
The race, which is broadcast live on RTE television, is run over a distance of 2 miles and 3½ furlongs, has been won by a number of top chasers in recent years including the likes of Sir Des Champs, Gilgamboa, Outlander and Bellshill in recent years. It is currently the only Grade 1 race in Munster.
Distinctive Race
Speaking about the new deal, the General Manager at Limerick Racecourse, Patrick O’Callaghan, said that they were delighted to welcome Matchbook to the venue as sponsors of the race, which has always been regarded as a distinctive part of the Irish racing calendar:
Thanks to their very generous support we will be increasing the prize fund to €100,000 which will make it one of the most valuable races run in Ireland on the day. We look forward to working with the Matchbook team and making this a very successful partnership over the coming years.”
The CEO of Matchbook, Mark Brosnan said they were pleased to be expanding their portfolio of sponsorship deals in Ireland and that the new arrangement underlined his country’s commitment to supporting and investing in the Irish horse racing industry.
