Tuesday, February 18, 2003
BOOKIES BACK JONJO TO BEAT PIPE AT CHELTENHAM
Coral Bookmakers today opened betting on which Trainer will have the most winners at the Cheltenham Festival and make Jonjo O'Neill the 11-8 favourite ahead of Martin Pipe at 6-4.
Paul Nicholls who was top trainer in 1999 is next best at 5-1 with Nicky Henderson, top trainer in 2000, next best at 6-1.
"Jonjo O'Neill is having a sensational season and his Festival team is unbelievably strong. It would be wrong to describe Jonjo as the new kid on the block but we reckon he has a favourites chance of wresting the top trainer title from Martin Pipe this year", said Simon Clare, Coral Spokesman.
Martin Pipe has trained the most Festival winners in three of the last five years and once again has a mumerically strong team. However Jonjo currently trains the favourites for the Champion Hurdle (Rhinestone Cowboy), Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle (Coolnagorna), Royal & Sun Alliance Chase (Keen Leader) and Kim Muir (Rith Dubh), as well as host of other Cheltenham fancies including Native Emperor (Stayers), Intersky Falcon (Champion Hurdle) and Moneytrain (Triumph Hurdle).
Cheltenham Top Trainer (Number of winners)
11-8 Jonjo O'Neill, 6-4 Martin Pipe, 5-1 Paul Nicholls, 6-1 Nicky Henderson, 20-1 Henrietta Knight, 25-1 Philip Hobbs, 33-1 Christy Roche, Willie Mullins, 40-1 Bar
RECORD TOTE SPONSORSHIP IN 2003
The Tote is racing's biggest sponsor by a clear margin, and will be spending in excess of £2.5m this year on supporting races throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
Over 220 races, embracing all of Britain's 59 courses, will be sponsored in 2003 by the Tote which is proud of putting its profits back into horseracing.
The Tote's financial input into race sponsorship has risen rapidly, having more than quadrupled since 1992 when £588,000 was spent on 62 races.
The increase is even more noticeable over 20 years, amounting to a staggering rise of 15 times the 1983 level, when just 19 races were sponsored.
The Tote backs major races throughout the year, with the £120,000 Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury, the richest handicap hurdle in Europe, having already produced a wonderfully competitive 27-runner race this year. The Tote has backed this race since 1987.
The Tote is looking forward to the richest race it sponsors, the £350,000 Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, the pinnacle for chasers, staged on Thursday, March 13, 2003.
The Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup is another of the Tote's longest-standing sponsorships, having been taken on in 1980. The current agreement for this great race extends up to and including 2005, and the backing is likely to extend well beyond that date.
Other jump races supported by the Tote include the Tote Classic Chase at Warwick, the Tote Eider at Newcastle, the Tote Lanzarote at Kempton and the Tote Becher Chase at Aintree, a valuable handicap over the Grand National fences in November which is becoming increasingly important, both as a Martell Cognac Grand National trial and as a race in its own right.
The Tote's sponsorship on the Flat is just as impressive, with the Tote Chester Cup in May, the Tote Silver Bowl at Haydock, the Tote Scoop6 Handicap at Sandown, the Tote International Handicap at Ascot and the Tote Gold Trophy at Glorious Goodwood, being just some of the major races supported before the end of July.
Then come two of the biggest handicaps of the Flat season, the Tote Ebor at York's August Meeting and the Tote Ayr Gold Cup at Scotland's Western Meeting the following month. The former has been supported by the Tote since 1976 while the latter is a much newer sponsorship which commenced in 2001.
The Autumn double of the Tote Cambridgeshire and the Tote Cesarewitch, both at Newmarket in October, help to complete a marvellous year.
The Tote sponsored eight of the top 50 betting turnover races of 2002 as measured by Tote Credit.
Andy Clifton, the Tote's PR Director who is responsible for the sponsorship programme, is keen to increase the profile of the Tote even more.
Clifton commented: "The Tote is racing's biggest sponsor by far and 10 of the races we support are worth £100,000 or over.
"In the long term I'd like to concentrate on building up our association with some of the high quality competitive races slightly more, as these are the contests which give us the highest recognition, but I'm equally proud of the fact that we now sponsor at all 59 racecourses.
"We are constantly talking to racecourses and have some new races and new initiatives for 2003 which will be announced as they come to fruition.
"We are also able to step in at short notice and back rescheduled races, something we have done so far this year with the Tote Tolworth Hurdle which was run at Wincanton and the Tote Exacta Chase at Kempton."
Tote Chairman Peter Jones said: "It is a sign of the progress that the Tote has made as a business in recent years that we can now spend so much on supporting racing. When you add in the associated cost of trophies, best turned-out awards, banners, sponsored number cloths and so on, we are spending around £3 million this year on sponsorship alone. I'm very proud of our record in this area."
Nigel Payne, Chief Executive of the Horseracing Sponsors' Association, welcomed the Tote's record level of sponsorship
He commented: "The sponsorship support that the Tote gives to racing is a marvellous injection into the prize money pool.
"It is wonderful to see the Tote putting its profits back into racing."
RICHARD PHILLIPS APPEAL TO BE HEARD TOMORROW
9.30am - Richard Phillips
The Disciplinary Panel of the Jockey Club, on 19th February 2003, will consider an appeal lodged by Richard Phillips, the trainer of NEWSPLAYER (IRE), against the decision of the Haydock Stewards on 8th February to find him in breach of Rule 155 (ii) and to fine him £1700 following the running of the gelding in the Levy Board Novices Hurdle Race. They also found Jodie Mogford, the rider, to be in breach of Rule 158, suspended him for 10 days and suspended NEWSPLAYER (IRE) from running for 40 days.
The Disciplinary Panel for tomorrow's appeal will comprise: Andrew Merriam (Chairman), Lord Halifax and Nicholas Wrigley.
Jodie Mogford has not appealed against the Haydock Stewards' decision and is currently serving his 10-day suspension (17th - 22nd, 24th - 27th February).
PUBLIC TO VOTE FOR THE DAILY TELEGRAPH RIDE OF THE MONTH AWARD
The Daily Telegraph has renewed its sponsorship of racing's Ride of the Month Award in partnership with Channel4 attheraces. For the first year, the winning ride will be decided by a public vote.
The Award, which previously ran throughout the national hunt season only, has been extended to the full year.
Each month, the public will vote for the most impressive ride from a selection of four, nominated on Sunday attheraces, a weekly programme airing from 11.00am until 1.00pm on attheraces Channel 418.
The four nominations will be announced in The Daily Telegraph and online at sport.telegraph.co.uk. Nominations will be reviewed on attheraces Channel 418 and the winner will be announced in The Daily Telegraph and on Channel4 attheraces. Voting will take place by telephone.
Each month's winning jockey will receive 500 and will be entered for the Ride of the Year Award.
Mark Dixon, Marketing Director at Telegraph Group Limited, said: "We're delighted to be renewing our sponsorship of the Ride of the Month Award, especially as it has been extended to a year-round award and for the first time will be voted for by the public."
The Daily Telegraph Ride of the Month Award is just one element of the paper's wide-ranging support of racing, including its sponsorship of the Leading Rider Awards at both the Cheltenham Festival meeting and the Martell Cognac Grand National meeting at Aintree.
TATTERSALLS APPOINTS SOUTH EAST ASIAN REPRESENTATIVE
Tattersalls has appointed Australian based consultant Rodney Rae as its representative in South East Asia with immediate effect.
Rae is the managing director of the Melbourne based Thoroughbred Racing Bureau which specialises in racing and bloodstock consultancy and management services throughout Australia and South East Asia. Aged 37, Rae has worked in the Australian racing industry since 1984 including seven years with the Victoria Racing Club and two years as the Racing Manager for the Western Australian Turf Club, before founding the Thoroughbred Racing Bureau in 2000.
Commenting on his appointment Rae said; "I am immensely looking forward to working with Tattersalls in South East Asia. Racing and breeding throughout the region continue to thrive, and with Northern Hemisphere horses very much in demand we will be looking to continue raising the profile of Tattersalls in South East Asia."
Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said: "Rodney brings a wealth of experience to his new role for Tattersalls. South East Asia is a mixture of established and fledgling markets and we have long felt the need for direct representation in the area to complement our existing promotional activity."
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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