Having just announced we were back as lead sponsor for the three-day November Festival at Cheltenham – Paddy’s brought up the double by being confirmed as sponsor of the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase on Cheltenham Gold Cup day 2021.
From next March, Paddy Power will add the 2m 4f Grade 2 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase to our Stayers’ Hurdle sponsorship at the four most anticipated days in the National Hunt calendar.
Woof!
Ruby Walsh, the Cheltenham Festival’s winning-most rider & co-host of our From The Horse’s Mouth podcast said: “We wanted to give some love to the racing mares and adding a Grade 2 race with a decent purse to the Cheltenham Festival calendar felt like a great opportunity to do just that.
“Jumps horses rarely have a financial value when they finish racing but for owners who are lucky enough to have a good mare, they can be worth a considerable amount as broodmares and thus owners get some return on their investment.
“The Mares’ Chase will prove a great addition to The Festival, especially when it beds in over a three or four year period.
“The need for mares-only races is paramount for the value of unraced fillies, to encourage owners to buy them as racehorses.
“Having the Mrs Paddy Power Chase to go along with the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle adds to the attraction of purchasing a filly.
“Cheltenham are showing their support to the breeding industry by adding this race and in my opinion, showing a loyalty to the whole horse racing industry and not just the sport.”
The addition of the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase to the Festival roster has seen a shake-up to the four-day schedule with the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase moving from its traditional Friday slot to Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle will switch to Tuesday’s opening-day fixture to replace the Listed Novices’ Handicap Chase.
And in case you’re thinking the novices’ race will go the way of Gunnersaurus, Paddy’s gone all Mesult Ozil-like and will sponsor it as part of Sandown’s Imperial Cup meeting, the Saturday before the four-day Festival begins.
The inaugural running of the 2m 4f Grade 2 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase will take place after lengthy discussions with key stakeholders, including trainers from Britain and Ireland over several months.
Paul Mallon, Head of Brand added: “The race is brilliant in providing further opportunities to those racing mares under National Hunt rules and hopefully the winners of our race will go on to emulate the great Dawn Run by scooping the Cheltenham Gold Cup.”
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