British Champs Series Unveils Partner
The British Champions Series has announced a major two-year agreement with QIPCO, a Qatari based private investment company, to become the worldwide title partner for the new elite horse racing series.
The private company has a diverse range of investments, including real estate, construction, oil, and gas.
The multi-million pound, two-year agreement with QIPCO matches the ambition of British Champions Series to establish an easy-to-follow premier horse racing series, featuring the leading racecourses, horses and jockeys, which captures the imagination of both sports fans and racing’s existing audience in the UK and around the world.
As the title partner of British Champions Series, QIPCO will receive exclusive naming rights for the new series and full partnership rights for the new £3m British Champions Day climax at Ascot – which will reportedly be the richest raceday ever staged in Britain.
As part of the deal, QIPCO will also become the official partner of the Guineas Festival at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, which launches the British Champions Series with the 2000 and 1000 Guineas, and the prestigious Sussex Stakes, a key British Champions Series race staged as part the Glorious Goodwood festival.
This substantial new investment in British racing follows several early commercial successes for British Champions Series, including the BBC purchasing the rights to broadcast live all five championship races from British Champions Day, while BBC Worldwide secured the rights to sell the British Champions Day broadcast internationally.
Domestic broadcast rights for the series have been split between Channel 4, who will show 19 races, and the BBC, who will broadcast 16 races.
Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, CEO of QIPCO Holding, said: ‘We are delighted to embark on this partnership. We want to raise the international profile of QIPCO and the British Champions Series provides the perfect platform for the company to reach a wider audience’.
‘Comprising the very best of British Flat racing and including many of the world’s most famous races, all of which are renowned for their prestige and quality, the British Champions Series is the ideal vehicle for QIPCO in our drive to develop new investment and business opportunities in the UK and around the world’.
The QIPCO British Champions Series launches at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course on Saturday 30th April, with the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, and culminates with the richest event in this country’s horse racing history, QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 15th October 2011.
In all the new series contains seven of the world’s top 12 races based on the official international classifications.
