Boylesports marking 10 years as sponsors as Punchestown Festival

Leading Irish bookmaker Boylesports will celebrate their tenth year of sponsorship at the 2017 Punchestown Festival with a thrilling renewal of the Boylesports Champion Chase on the opening day, Tuesday 25th April. The record prize fund of €250,000 on offer for the feature race has attracted the attention of Cheltenham Ryanair chase winner Un De Sceaux, British trained raiders Ar Mad and the Tom George trained God’s Own who won the race last year. Entries for the 2017 Boylesports Champion Chase will close on Wednesday 5th April. 2016 Boylesports Champion Chase winning trainer Tom George who is looking forward to returning to Punchestown with God’s Own said: “Our plan is to go the same route as we did last year, it seemed to work well for us. God’s Own ran well at Cheltenham but made a few mistakes. "He certainly seems to prefer Punchestown as he has won twice at the festival so we are looking forward to getting him back there for the Boylesports Champion Chase”. Boylesports, who recently agreed a new deal that will extend their sponsorship to include the 2019 Punchestown Festival, first sponsored at the home of Irish jump racing in 2008. The following year they stepped up as feature sponsors of the champion chase, a race that boasts one of the most prestigious lists of previous winners including Sprinter Scare, Sizing Europe, Master Minded and Moscow Flyer. The new commercial arrangement will make Boylesports activity at Punchestown, spanning twelve years, their longest standing racing sponsorship to date. Commenting on the announcement Boylesports Head of Communications Leon Blanche said “ We are delighted to be sponsoring at the Punchestown Festival for a tenth year in a row and that BoyleSports is associated with what probably can be described as one of the highlights of the Irish sporting and social calendar.” He added “This year’s renewal sees a record prize fund of €250,000 and could see last year’s winner God’s Own try retain the crown and clash with Cheltenham winners Un De Sceaux and Special Tiara.” Punchestown General Manager Dick O’Sullivan welcomed the news by saying: “I think everyone who was here the day that Sprinter Sacre won the Boylesports Champion Chase in 2013 would agree that it was one of racing’s most memorable occasions in recent times. It is a race that always produces a great story. It is also a race that really kicks off the Punchestown Festival in style. O’Sullivan continued: “When you sponsor at Punchestown you become invested in the event and our relationship with John Boyle, Leon, Danielle and all the team at Boylesports hit the ground running in 2008 and has simply grown stronger since. We are extremely grateful to them for their support through the tough times and great times and we look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come”.