The Ayr Gold Cup has extended relations with Virgin Bet, retaining naming rights of the three-day Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Festival which runs from Thursday 15-17 September.
The deal follows the ‘success’ of the inaugural partnership which commenced in 2021, as the Scottish flat race will appear on ITV Racing’s live television broadcasting.
David Brown, Managing Director of Ayr Racecourse, stated: “I know I speak for the entire team at Ayr in saying we are delighted Virgin Bet have renewed their sponsorship of the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Festival.
“Virgin Bet is one of the fastest growing sportsbooks in the UK and it is an honour for us that they have once again pledged their support to the biggest and richest flat racing festival in Scotland which is also one of the most anticipated fixtures in the British racing calendar.”
ITV1’s coverage of the 2021 race reached 1.24m people, with a peak audience of 632k for the flagship race itself.
Brown added: “Sponsorship has never been as important to racing as it is now and to attract a sponsor of this magnitude underlines the importance of this festival. We look forward once again to working with the team at Virgin Bet to deliver a memorable 2022 Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup.”
In addition to the feature race, the betting operator will sponsor eight other key races during the festival. This includes Saturday’s Ayr Silver Cup, the Doonside Cup Listed Race, and the Firth of Clyde Stakes. Virgin Bet will also continue sponsorship of Thursday’s Kilkerran Cup and the Ayr Bronze Cup on Friday.
“Following the success of last year’s partnership with Ayr Racecourse, we are proud to continue our sponsorship of one of the highlights in Scotland and the UK’s racing calendars,” noted James McKay, Sportsbook Director at Virgin Bet.
“Virgin Bet continues to cement itself as a leading runner in horse racing, and following the popularity of last year’s festival amongst our customers, headlined by The Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup, it was only natural for us to extend our partnership with one of the biggest moments in the flat-racing season.
“We can’t wait to once again support British racing on what I’m sure will be a thrilling three days at the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Festival in September.”
