Sandown Park Unveils Bet365 Celebration
Sandown Park has announced that its two-day fixture on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th April, featuring the bet365 Gold Cup, will be called the bet365 Ultimate Celebration of British Horseracing from 2012 as part of a commitment to investing in the meeting’s success by the course, its parent company Jockey Club Racecourses and its long-term sponsor, bet365.
Saturday’s bet365 Ultimate Celebration will feature four Jumps and four Flat races – marking the official finale of the Jump season and celebrating the Jumps season.
Sandown Park has taken from its customer feedback to create the bet365 Ultimate Celebration, supported by Jockey Club Racecourses and bet365, as well as other external parties like Racing for Change, with a commitment to hosting a Mixed card on the second day for the foreseeable future.
David Mackinnon, Managing Director of Sandown Park commented: ‘This important fixture has seen many positive developments in recent years, as we’re very excited about what lies ahead as the bet365 Ultimate Celebration. It will be a fantastic celebration of our sport to officially close the Jumps season and look ahead to the biggest Flat races to come in 2012.’
‘Our customers are telling us that they enjoy the Mixed card on the Saturday.’
‘As well as offering top class racing that day, it’s great to get the Jumps and Flat jockeys together, and it is a must-attend for any racing fan. It will follow what promises to be a tremendous Cheltenham Festival and John Smith’s Grand National Meeting, and very exciting that some of the equine stars from these meetings will be with us at Sandown Park.’
Denise Coates, Joint Chief Executive of the sponsor bet365 said: ‘The bet365 Ultimate Celebration of British Horseracing is a major racemeeting with which bet365 are proud to be involved and an event that we feel has grown in prestige in recent times. Having worked with Sandown Park on the new concept, celebrating the very best that British Horseracing has to offer, we are looking forward to the two days at the end of April as well as future years of bet365 involvement.’
AP McCoy, ambassador for the 2011-12 Jumps Season at Sandown Park added: ‘I always enjoy the bet365 Ultimate Celebration as it’s such a unique day with the mix of the Jump and Flat racing – one of the few times of the year where I find myself sharing the weighing room with the likes of Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore! There is always a great atmosphere at Sandown Park and a great way to round off the season.’
‘I have been lucky enough to collect the trophy for Champion Jockey at the awards ceremony that Sandown Park stage for a number of years now, and Sandown Park does a great job of hosting these awards and attracting some of the top horses to parade beforehand.’
The bet365 Ultimate Celebration of British Horseracing moves back to its traditional position in the calendar in 2012 after last year’s fixture was staged during the Easter holiday period to ensure a three-week gap was maintained between the Cheltenham Festival and the John Smith’s Grand National Meeting at Aintree.
