York Racecourse has announced a major new sponsor as it prepares for another busy season.
Boodles, the luxury British jewellery brand, will become a major sponsor of the Dante Festival when it opens the season from Wednesday 17 May- Friday 19 May.
The Boodles Yorkshire Cup will be the Group Two feature contest of the final day of the Festival. It becomes part of the Boodles portfolio of significant races that includes the Cheltenham Gold Cup as well as the Chester Vase.
The York contest was first staged in 1927, the same decade that Boodles first opened their Liverpool Head Office and will carry the name of leading family jewellers for at least the next three seasons.
To mark the new partnership the prize money for the race has increased once again, rising to a record £180,000 (up £5k on last year), a figure that denotes its status as part of the QIPCO British Champions Series.
Entries for this year’s race include the reigning St Leger winner, Eldar Eldarov, multiple Group One winner Trueshan, as well as Quickthorn the eye-catching champion in the 2022 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup.
York Racecourse head of sponsorship James Brennan said: “Everyone at York is delighted to welcome the team from Boodles to the Dante Festival and is excited to be working with a supportive partner who demonstrates such a commitment to British racing.”
Boodles MD Michael Wainwright said: “Boodles has been involved with horseracing sponsorship for years, as the title sponsor of the Chester May Festival and more recently of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.
“It is a great way of entertaining our clients and getting our name out there.
“With a recently opened Boodles Shop in Leeds, sponsorship at York seemed an obvious step for our company. We are delighted to be involved at such a prestigious racecourse as York with sponsorship of the Yorkshire Cup itself. We look forward to it hugely.”