Cheltenham Festival is the global market leader in the horse racing sponsorship sector.
Jump racing’s appeal is centred on brand recognition; The reach of Cheltenham becomes very significant when you include the international audiences where races are telecast abroad and the domestic and Irish audiences through Racing TV.
Therefore, there is massive potential for brands to capitalise on this and sponsor the event, however this doesn’t come at a small cost.
Here are some examples of businesses that have recognised this opportunity to expose their brand to millions of eyes by sponsoring the festival.
| Race | Sponsor | Sponsor Since | Prize Money |
| Arkle Challenge Trophy | Sporting Life | 2021 | £179,157 |
| Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle | Ballymore | 2018 | £132,800 |
| Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle | Boodles | 2020 | £78,696 |
| Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase The Broadway Novices’ Chase | Brown Advisory | 2021 | £172,148 |
| Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle | Close Brothers | 2020 | £118,044 |
What horse racing sponsorship entails
Cheltenham is no different from other racecourses around the nation in having unique incentives and packages offered to sponsors.
There are very few races at the festival that won’t have a sizable audience. Even though the bumpers and other events at the conclusion of the racing day are less exciting and the primary broadcaster usually does not show them, they are still highly regarded races that those in the industry consider very seriously. This makes it worthwhile to learn more about what exactly involved to sponsor a race during the week. In essence, it depends on the race being sponsored and the package that the sponsoring corporation has selected, as there are numerous options available.
To put it another way, it is clear there are differences between sponsoring the Gold Cup and the final race on the second day of the meeting. Organisations that sponsor the biggest races typically have to pay more for the privilege while also receiving more value for their money. It’s no surprise businesses want to be linked with the £3.45 billion racing sector.
So, what’s in it for the sponsors?
In short, exposure.
The largest competitions are either given the company’s name or are sponsored by it. For instance, the term “the Albert Bartlett” is frequently used to refer to the Spa Novices’ Hurdle. The exposure for the vegetable supply firm is free advertising. But, there are many more factors that are important to sponsors outside merely brand association. The cameras at the course are strategically placed to, for instance, keep the sponsor’s name in view at all times.
With close to four million viewers on television and roughly 500,000 visitors to Cheltenham Racecourse each year only for the festival, it is understandable why such things could be important to advertisers.
There are also multiple ways to sponsor the festival, not just by sponsoring the races.
Here’s a list of other sponsorship opportunities at Cheltenham:
- Client events
- Adverts on the big screen
- Mentions on the Jockey Club social media
- Adverts in race cards
- An appearance in the Festival Preview Magazine
- Product sampling and promotional staff
- Links on the Jockey Club’s website
- Banners on the racecourse
If you’re looking for advice on sponsorship campaigns then please get in touch hello@niftycomms.com – we’d be happy to help!
