William Hill to sponsor Trials Day at Naas

Leading bookmaker William Hill will extend their support of Irish racing as the firm becomes the title sponsor of the William Hill Spring Festivals Trials Day at Naas Racecourse on February 23rd.

William Hill will add four races to their sponsorship portfolio in Ireland by including the Grade 3 William Hill Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle, the William Hill Nas Na Riogh Novice Handicap Chase, the William Hill Handicap Hurdle and the William Hill (Pro/Am) Flat Race.

Last season, Bottler’secret made a winning debut over hurdles in what will now be the Grade 3 William Hill Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle and the Gavin Cromwell-trained four-year-old went on to land a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival before finishing second in Grade 1 company at the Punchestown Festival.

Carefully Selected, Gerri Colombe, Stellar Story and William Munny are among the more familiar winners of the William Hill (Pro/Am) Flat Race with the likes of Ile Atlantique, Caldwell Potter and Wingmen among those placed in the race previously.

Subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner and Grade 1 heroine Limerick Lace is a previous winner of the William Hill Nas Na Riogh Novice Handicap Chase, as is Home By The Lee, who has become a leading light over hurdles at Grade 1 level.

Aidan McGarry, Manager of Naas Racecourse, commented: “We are delighted to welcome William Hill as our sponsorship partner for one of our flagship fixtures.

“Naas Racecourse is a notorious nursery of champions — both over jumps and on the flat — and Festivals Trials Day at the end of February is perfectly timed with the right type of races for horses to go on and win some valuable jumps races at the major spring festivals.

“William Hill are title sponsors at both Cheltenham and Punchestown and we look forward to watching horses from our fixture on 23rd February go on to compete at those festivals as well as the likes of the Grand National meetings at Fairyhouse and Aintree.”

Andrew McCleave, Head of Marketing for William Hill Ireland, said: “We are thrilled to be sponsoring Spring Festivals Trials Day at Naas. This card has been a real springboard for future stars in recent years, and we’re really excited to see which promising individuals at Naas on 23rd February.

“We also see this raceday as a fantastic addition to William Hill’s Irish sponsorship roster, which is headed by our headline season support of Dundalk Stadium and the William Hill Champion Chase at the Punchestown Festival. William Hill sees itself at the heart of the Irish racing scene, both with our array of sponsorships, but also our team of ambassadors featuring Gavin Cromwell and Keith Donoghue. This latest sponsorship fits in perfectly and we can’t wait for the action later this month.”