Famous horse race gains new sponsor

SAVILLS Ireland and Leopardstown Racecourse have announced that one of the most important races in the Irish horse racing calendar is to be sponsored by the international property firm.

The feature race, which takes place on December 28 as part of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, will now be known as The Savills Chase on what will be billed Savills Day at Leopardstown.

The Savills Chase is a Grade 1 Steeplechase over a three-mile distance. It was first run in its current form in 1992, and has since been won by many great champions including Denman, Beef or Salmon, Synchronised, Tidal Bay and Bobs Worth.

 Savills Day at Leopardstown is the third day of the Christmas Festival which takes place from December 26 to 29. The festival features seven Grade 1 races with leading horses, jockeys and trainers competing in National Hunt racing at its finest.

 Last year, 12 runners lined up with 24 Grade 1 wins between them for the €150,000 Grade 1 Leopardstown Christmas Steeplechase. This resulted in a 1-2-3 for owners Gigginstown House Stud as Road to Respect, trained by Noel Meade, took first prize followed by Balko Des Flos and Outlander.

The Chief Executive at Leopardstown Racecourse, Pat Keogh, said: "We are delighted to welcome Savills to Leopardstown. The Savills Chase is a race with a fine history and it is wonderful to see such a strong international brand supporting it. Thanks to their generous support we will be increasing the prize fund to €175,000 for this year. We look forward to making this a very successful partnership."

Angus Potterton, Managing Director of Savills Ireland, added: “We are thrilled to sponsor the main event of the national hunt season.

“The Leopardstown Christmas Festival has always been a significant occasion during the Christmas season in Ireland and the Grade 1 Savills Chase is the highlight of the week.”