The Curragh and Dubai Duty Free have announced an extension of their partnership, which includes title sponsorship of the Irish Derby and five additional races on the day. The Group One Classic attracted a quality field this year and was won by the Ralph Beckett-trained Westover. Prize money for the contest will increase from €1 million to €1.25 million in 2023. Dubai Duty Free has been the title sponsor of Ireland's premier Classic race since 2008 and this extension is a very welcome development for Irish racing. In 2023 the Derby will also revert to a Sunday for the first time since 2011, taking place on 2 July.
VIEWERSHIP TO INCREASE
Worldwide viewership of the Irish Derby will be significantly enhanced by the full card becoming part of the Tote World Pool for the first time next year. Tote World Pool was introduced in 2019 to operate a single pool on several major international race meetings. The partnership extends beyond the sponsorship and in addition to the racing, The Curragh and Dubai Duty Free will work together to deliver an exciting festival with something for everybody, including live music, style awards, food village and much more.
A LIVELY MEETING OF THE BEST
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Weekend is a three day festival of top quality racing, showcasing the best that Ireland has to offer with a lively evening meeting on Friday, Ladies Day on Saturday, while the Sunday will feature all the spectacle, glamour and excitement of Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day.
Tickets are now on sale with early bird offers available via The Curragh’s website at www.curragh.ie. Dubai Duty Free executive vice chairman and CEO, Colm McLoughlin said: “Sports sponsorship has long been part of Dubai Duty Free’s marketing strategy and our title sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is in line with our global strategy of promoting both our own duty free brand and the city of Dubai itself.
“We are pleased with the level of exposure that we continue to generate from this event and being a Tote World Pool event will significantly enhance the global viewership. We have successfully sponsored the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby for the past 15 years and we are happy to extend our sponsorship, with an increase in prize money, and look forward to working with The Curragh to grow this event even further.”
Curragh CEO, Brian Kavanagh added: “Dubai Duty Free have been much valued partners of The Curragh since 2002, when they sponsored the Anglesey Stakes, and are a pleasure to work with. We are delighted to announce this extension to the Derby sponsorship and the increase in prize money for the Derby itself.
We are also very pleased that Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day has been selected as a Tote World Pool event and excited about the switch back to a Sunday which will allow the three day festival to build up to its feature race. “We are very grateful to Colm McLoughlin, Sinéad El Sibai and all the team at Dubai Duty Free for their continued support of The Curragh, Irish racing as well as local charities."
