Punchestown Racecourse today announced the news that Close Brothers, the leading UK merchant bank, is to join the sponsor ranks at the home of Irish Jump racing in what will be their first sponsorship deal in Ireland.
The commercial partnership will see the banking group sponsor the Close Brothers Mares Listed Novice Hurdle on the Thursday of the Irish National Hunt Festival. The €35,000 two mile contest has this year been upgraded to listed status as part of the progressive enhancements to the mares programme in Ireland.
Announcing the sponsorship, Managing Director of Close Brothers Commercial Finance Ciaran McAreavey said:
“In the ten years since Close Brothers opened its office in Belfast we have continued to increase our presence here with offices now in Dublin, Cork and Galway. Today’s announcement reflects the commitment we have to continuing this sustained growth in the Irish market. We are very much looking forward to expanding our current sponsorship portfolio to include the prestigious Punchestown Festival”.
Janet Creighton, Head of Sponsorship at Punchestown, commented:
“We are delighted to welcome Close Brothers as a new sponsor for the next three years at Punchestown. They have already showcased their commitment to racing in the UK and we at Punchestown look forward to working with the Close Brothers team to deliver a successful sponsorship experience here in Ireland”.
The 2018 Punchestown Festival gets underway from Tuesday 24th April and runs until Saturday 28th April. The Close Brothers Mares Listed Novice Hurdle will take place on Thursday 26th. For full information on the 2018 Punchestown festival please visit www.punchestown.com or call +353(0)45 897704.