Virgin Bet to Sponsor Ayr Gold Cup
Virgin Bet has been announced as the sponsor of famous Scottish Flat race, the Ayr Gold Cup. The sports betting operator will have naming rights throughout the Ayr Gold Cup Festival, which takes place over the course of three days.
The Ayr Gold Cup is one of Virgin Bet’s first major sponsorship deals.
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Scotland’s Premier Flat Race
The Ayr Gold Cup Festival, Scotland’s richest horseracing festival, is due to run from September 16th until September 18th. Ayr Racecourse and Virgin Bet announced the new sponsorship deal on July 19th, at the famous racing track. The Gold Cup event will be enjoyed by festival-goers and racing fans up and down the UK alike, as it will feature on ITV Racing’s live television coverage that day.
Virgin Bet, part of Richard Branson’s world-famous Virgin empire, is the fastest-growing sportsbook in the UK. Having only launched in 2019, this is one of Virgin Bet’s first major sponsorship deals. Meanwhile, the business magnate has just flown his Virgin Galactic rocket plane to the edge of space, beating rival space tourism innovators Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Virgin Bet has also signed deals with the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and the Cotswold Chase. Its sponsorship at Ayr follows on from local rail contractor QTS, which sponsored the Gold Cup in 2020. Prior to that, the festival was sponsored by William Hill for a decade.
Alongside the Ayr Gold Cup, Virgin Bet will sponsor seven more races taking place throughout the festival. That includes the Ayr Silver Cup, the Doonside Cup, the Listed Race and Scotland’s only Group race, the Firth of Clyde Stakes, all taking place on Saturday. In addition to these races, Virgin Bet will sponsor the Kilkerran Cup taking place on Thursday, followed by Friday’s Ayr Bronze Cup.
Virgin Bet will also sponsor two other race days in 2021 and two more in 2022, at the Scottish racecourse. Managing Director of Ayr Racecourse, David Brown, was thrilled to announce the new partnership. Speaking in a press release, Brown welcomed Virgin Bet to the historic racing festival, stating:
“I am thrilled that Virgin Bet have chosen to sponsor the Ayr Gold Cup which is not only Scotland’s premier Flat race but one of the most prestigious sprint handicaps in the racing calendar.”
A Historic Racecourse
The director added that the team at Ayr are looking forward to Virgin Bet joining the event as headline sponsors. Brown explained that sponsorship is more important than ever for the survival of racing, due to the coronavirus pandemic. He went on to describe Virgin Bet as an exciting brand, expressing hope that the two could continue to work together for many years to come.
James McKay, Sportsbook Director at Virgin Bet, was equally thrilled to unveil the new sponsorship. Ayr Racecourse is one of the top venues in British racing, and the Ayr Gold Cup is a prestigious and historic event that takes place annually, usually in September. McKay said:
“As one of the UK’s fastest growing sportsbooks, we know how much our customers enjoy the excitement of premier racing events at the most historic racecourses. The Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup will be a big moment in the Flat-racing season, and we can’t wait to play our role over all three days at the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Festival.”
The Ayr Gold Cup can trace its roots all the way back to 1804, when it was originally held at Ayr’s previous racecourse at Belleisle. For a period, the race was restricted to horses bred and trained in Scotland. It first took place as a race of two heats of two miles, and was subsequently a single race of two miles.
In 1855, the race became a handicap, and was shortened to roughly a mile in 1870. The Cup race was moved in 1908 after the closure of the Belleisle track, and was cut to six furlongs. The Ayr Gold Cup is now a Flat handicap open to thoroughbreds aged three and over. The field is formed by the highest-weighted horses, and the maximum number of runners in twenty-seven.
Hopes for a Full Crowd
Those who don’t quite make the cut to participate in the flagship race can instead take part in the Ayr Silver Cup. The consolation race has been run since 1992. In 2009, the Ayr Bronze Cup was launched as an opportunity for horses that are excluded from racing in the Silver Cup race.
Amongst the winners of the Ayr Gold Cup are some of the most celebrated horses in racing history. Last year’s top race was won by Nahaar, ridden by Tom Marquand and trained by William Haggas. Previous famous winners include 2016’s Brando, who went on to win a Group 1 contest in France and Captain Ramius in 2012. Winner of the event in 1992 was Lochsong, a former European horse of the year.
The Ayr Gold Cup has been won by some of the sport’s most famous jockeys too, such as Paul Hanagan, Oisin Murphy and James Doyle. Arguably one of the most legendary jockeys on the track, Frankie Detorri has won twice. He first won the race in 2009, riding Jimmy Styles. The following year, Detorri won again, this time with Redford.
2018’s competition ended in a dead heat, as a single winner was too close to call. Before the twentieth century, a winner could be selected by a second deciding race. Nowadays, the prize is shared, as Baron Bolt and Son of Rest did at Ayr.
This year’s race will be run for £150,000, twice the purse that was on offer last year. Entries for the Ayr Gold Cup will close on August 10th at noon. Some coronavirus restrictions are still in place, limiting the capacity of spectators allowed to attend events at racecourses. Nevertheless, hopes are high for Ayr Racecourse, as it hopes to be able to allow a full crowd for the first time since the pandemic began.
