Calvin Ayre – The eyes of the horseracing world are quite rightly fixated on Cheltenham, but the world’s greatest National Hunt horse race is just around the corner, and Betfred is going to be a name you will see quite a lot during the biggest horse racing date in the calendar.
The Manchester outfit has signed a three-year deal to be the ‘Official Betting Partner’ for the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival in April.
Fred Done, and his band of merry men and women, will sponsor three races at the three-day meet at Aintree: the Betfred Bowl Steeple Chase on the opening day, the Betfred Mobile Mildmay Novice’s Steeple Chase on Ladies Day and the Betfred TV Handicap Steeple Chase on Grand National Day.
Betfred sponsor over 600 different races in he UK including the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup and Merseyside’s premier Group One sprint, the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock Park.
The news comes after a deal was brokered back in August 2013 for Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger beer to take a three-year sponsorship of the Grand National and Grand National Festival, and the deal will see the race run for a £1 million purse for the first time in the races history.
Betfred owner Fred Done had this to say about the inking of the contract.
“I’m very proud to be associated with the Crabbie’s Grand National. We are looking forward to working with Aintree on a magnificent three days racing which, of course, culminates in the world’s most famous race, the Crabbie’s Grand National.”
The Jockey Club Regional Director John Baker was equally as thrilled.
