Food board to sponsor horse racing
Bord Bia is to sponsor horse racing in a bid to promote the country’s food and drink produce, it was announced today.
September’s 2001 Irish Champion Stakes is to be called the Ireland The Food Island Irish Champion Stakes following sponsorship by Bord Bia to the tune of £150,000.
The prestigious race, part of a series of 12 races in 10 different countries, is considered the second most important flat race in the calendar after the Irish derby.
Michael Duffy, chief executive of the state board, said: ‘‘Being title sponsor of the Irish Champion Stakes will give the Irish food and drinks industry an ideal opportunity to highlight Ireland as a quality source of food and drink.’’
The race takes place at Leopardstown Racecourse on September 8.
Matt O’Dwyer, racecourse manager, said: ‘‘This sponsorship provides numerous opportunities for showcasing the best of Irish food and drink alongside top quality racing in 200 countries worldwide.’’
The move follows the decision of the Department of Health to sponsor the Irish Masters snooker tournament for the next three years at a cost of IR£600,000.
A spokeswoman for Bord Bia said the race could potentially be seen by an audience in one billion households worldwide.
She added that further sponsorship of other races could follow, once the effectiveness of this experiment was assessed.
Food and drink exports grew 4.4% to a record £5.4bn in 2000, according to figures released earlier this year.
