Construction equipment giant JCB will make its debut as a sponsor of horseracing by backing the Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle, which is run at Cheltenham Racecourse on the last day of the National Hunt Festival, Thursday, March 14, 2002.
The great race, worth £90,000 is the championship event for four-year-old hurdlers. It is the first race on the card on the final day of the three-day Festival, which includes the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The three-day Cheltenham meeting is the most popular jump racing event in the world, attracting over 50,000 racegoers each day, as well as millions of television viewers.
Sir Anthony Bamford, JCB Chairman and Managing Director, said today: ‘Many of our existing and potential customers are keen racegoers, and we have regularly had a presence at Cheltenham, so it is a logical step for us to raise our profile at the biggest meeting of the National Hunt calendar.
‘JCB is the world’s fifth largest manufacturer of construction equipment, and has been successfully expanding its brand with the launch of do-it-yourself, gardening, fashionwear and other popular consumer items.
‘Over the next three years, JCB intends to make full use of the opportunities provided by the Cheltenham sponsorship to promote the company brand and its full range of products to those at the course and watching on television.
‘The JCB Triumph Hurdle gives us an excellent opportunity to form a close association between Cheltenham and JCB, which have a similar prestige and style about them’.
Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham’s Managing Director, commented: ‘Cheltenham Racecourse is delighted to welcome JCB as the sponsor of the JCB Triumph Hurdle. JCB is only the third sponsor there has been for the Triumph Hurdle in the famous race’s history.’
The inaugural running of the Triumph Hurdle, for four-year-old novices, took place in 1939 at Hurst Park, where it continued to be run until transferred to Cheltenham in 1965 after the London course closed. The race has developed champions and thrills, for invariably it is contested by a big field, with the maximum number of runners allowed being 30.
Persian War, successful in 1967, was probably the best-ever winner, going on to complete a momentous treble in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle in the next three seasons.
The other winner of the Triumph Hurdle to later win the Champion Hurdle was the Michael Stoute-trained Kribensis, who won the former in 1988 and two years later took the Champion Hurdle.
Nicky Henderson is the only current trainer to have won the JCB Triumph Hurdle on three occasions, a feat only previously achieved by Fred Rimell.
The Lambourn-based trainer’s glorious treble was kicked off by First Bout in 1985 and two years later he took the first prize with Alone Success, both ridden by Steve Smith Eccles, and most recently scored with Katarino in 1999.
Interest in the JCB Triumph Hurdle starts early each season as bookmakers offer ante-post betting.
This season Henderson looks to have a strong hand again, with both Prizeman and Greenhope among the current market leaders. The latter is unbeaten in his two runs over hurdles, including an impressive success when beating Picture Palace in the Jet UK Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on November 17.
The most recent running of the Triumph Hurdle saw the Francois Doumen-trained Snow Drop win the race in a record time in 2000.
This was the sixth time that a French-trained horse has prevailed and the first since 1955, while the Irish have launched five successful raids, the most recent of which was by Commanche Court from Ted Walsh’s County Kildare yard in 1997.
The three-day National Hunt Festival takes place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 12 to 14, 2002, and is all-ticket. Please visit www.cheltenham.co.uk for more background information.
To download a colour copy of the JCB logo, please go to www.jcb.co.uk/logo and click Download JCB logo in gif format. Alternatively, for mono, click Download Black and White JCB logo in JPG format.
For further information please contact:
Peter McNeile
Cheltenham’s Commercial Manager
T: 01242 513014
John Palmer
JCB Head of Corporate Affairs
T: 01889 593602