Qatar Sponsorship Boosts Goodwood Purses
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England's Goodwood Racecourse has announced a 10-year partnership with Qatar that will result in more than £2 million invested in prize money for eight key races during the Qatar Goodwood Festival 2015.
The inaugural Qatar Goodwood Festival will be July 28-Aug. 1, 2015.
The sponsorship, which is the single biggest deal ever done for the benefit of British racing, also includes a commitment to increase the funding year-on-year. As a result of the Qatar sponsorship, total prize money on offer for the week now totals £4.5 million.
The group I Qatar Sussex Stakes July 28 has a total prize fund of £1 million and the group I Qatar Nassau Stakes, the feature race on the Saturday of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, is now worth £600,000.
Each group II feature race—Qatar Lennox Stakes, Qatar Goodwood Cup, and the Qatar King George Stakes—are now worth £300,000 each. In addition, Qatar has guaranteed that if any current group II race achieves group I status, the prize money will rise to at least £500,000.
Other races to benefit from increased prize money are the two group II races for 2-year-olds—Qatar Vintage Stakes and Qatar Richmond Stakes—each of which will be worth £200,000.
The Sussex Stakes, Goodwood Cup, and Nassau Stakes will remain part of the QIPCO British Champion Series.
"I am delighted that Qatar have decided to play a significant part in Goodwood's position as one of the finest racing experiences in the world," Lord March, Owner of Goodwood, said in a release. "Goodwood has for more than 200 years been about the best racing in the most English of settings, accessible to everyone. Our partnership with Qatar will make an enormous contribution to horseracing in the UK. "
"Thanks to the wise guidance of His Highness The Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar supports sport all over the world," said Hamad Al Attiyah, president of the Qatar Equestrian Federation: "Goodwood is already one of the most iconic sporting festivals of the British summer season and we are delighted to be the title sponsor over the five days. The sponsorship demonstrates Qatar's further commitment to British racing and, with such huge prize-money on offer, we hope it will help to attract international runners from all over the world as well as continuing to see the best in Britain, France, and Ireland."