The Newmarket Guineas Festival, the King George weekend at Ascot and the British Champions Series will need new sponsors next year amid a setback in British racing.
While Qatar Investment and Project Development Corporation (Qipco) has decided to end its long-standing sponsorship of those events, the company has renewed its main sponsorship of British Champions Day and as is the official partner of Ascot, until 2026.
Qipco sponsored the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and One Thousand Guineas (G1) for 14 years, with the inaugural Classic bearing the first name under the Qipco name, creating one of the great shows of the modern era when Frankel won a clear victory.
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) have been sponsored by Qipco since 2014 after taking over from Betfair. The final running of the Mid-Summer Group 1, sponsored by Qipco, will take place at Ascot on 27 July.
Qipco, a family-run private investment company headquartered in Doha and headed by Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, gave British racing a major boost in 2015 when it announced an investment worth putting millions of pounds over 10 years into the sport through high-level sponsors. and increased bonuses.
David Redvers, manager of Qatar Racing and sponsor representative, said: “We look forward to focusing on developing British Champions Day, alongside our partnership with Ascot at the royal meeting .
“We feel we have helped grow the British Champions Series over the past 14 years and are proud that the tournament has over a million followers across social media platforms and has delivered The Hall of Fame and Club 26 , recently celebrated its 10,000th member in just over a year since it launched.
“We will continue to be passionate supporters of the British Champions Series. We are also proud to have helped Newmarket maintain the importance of the Guineas festival during our participation, including record prize money record for two Classic races.”
Financial services company Sagitta, online poker site Ultimate Bet and bookmaker Stan James are the other sponsors of the two Newmarket Classics since the turn of the millennium.
Amy Starkey, chief executive at The Jockey Club Racecourse, the largest shareholder of British Champions Series Limited, said: “On behalf of everyone at Newmarket Racecourse and the Jockey Club, I would like to thank Qipco for their long-standing support and passion for Two Thousand and One Thousand Guineas over the past 14 years.
“The growth of the Guineas festival since 2011 is testament to Qipco’s continued investment in British racing and it is a pleasure to work with a partner so committed to our sport and The Classic remains its pinnacle.
“As the largest shareholder of the British Champions Series and by extension British Champions Day, we look forward to continuing to support both initiatives as they embark on their next chapter.”
Betfred sponsors three other Classics in the UK. The bookies agreed a deal for the Derby and Oaks through 2026 in January and will continue to sponsor the St Leger this year after racing in 2023.
Qatar Racing has stepped in to sponsor the Futurity Trophy, the year’s final British Group 1, at Doncaster after previous sponsor Vertem Asset Management was placed into special administration last April, with the competition already going on for two years now, it needs a new sponsor. supporters for this year.
Qipco became the inaugural sponsors of British Champions Day in 2011 and their new commitment to the season finale at Ascot, which now features four Division 1 teams, will extend that support to 16 years.
Redvers said: “The earliest involvement of His Highness the Sheikhs Hamad and Fahad al Thani in British racing came with a commitment to help promote the sport.
“They remain proud of the success of Qipco British Championship Day—a rare innovation in horse racing. As well as cementing the day’s place in the world horse racing calendar, we are delighted to have launched Developing a new, younger audience for today’s races, showcasing the sport we can offer fans in the future.”
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