Legendary bookie saves racing with massive new £2MILLION bonus and historic sponsorship deal

6 months ago 54

LEGENDARY bookie Fred Done has saved racing – with a massive new £2million bonus and sponsorship of all five Classics.

His company Betfred will put their name on the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, the Derby and Oaks and the St Leger – the five biggest Flat races.

City Of Troy won this year’s Betfred Derby – but the bookies will now sponsor all five Classics[/caption]

And any horse who goes onto claim the Triple Crown – 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger – will pocket a whopping £2m bonus.

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Billionaire businessman Done, 81, said :”Nobody has ever sponsored all five British Classics and I am so proud to be the first.

“I am honoured as a bookmaker to be supporting the sport that I love.

“I want to put the British Classics back where they belong, at the forefront of global horseracing.

“As The Bonus King, it only seems right that I should offer a bonus.

“Therefore, I am offering £2 million to any horse who wins the Betfred Triple Crown, consisting of the Betfred 2000 Guineas, Betfred Derby and Betfred St Leger.

“It hasn’t been done since Nijinsky back in 1970, and although Camelot came very close in 2012, it seems about time we were celebrating another Triple Crown winner.”

Betfred’s massive move comes after Qipco ended their sponsorship of the Guineas Festival and King George weekend at Ascot.

Aidan O’Brien spoke of City Of Troy being a Triple Crown contender before the start of the season.

The awesome two-year-old flopped in the 2000 Guineas – held every year at Newmarket on the first weekend of May – before romping home in the Derby.

O’Brien has a record ten wins in the 2000 Guineas over a mile and a record seven 1000 Guineas winners, as well as ten Derby and Oaks winners and seven St Leger victors.

The Ballydoyle boss welcomed the huge new sponsorship.

He said: “It’s a great incentive that Betfred have put up a £2m bonus for any horse that wins the Triple Crown.

“We all at Ballydoyle and Coolmore greatly appreciate all their sponsorship throughout the season and this bonus will make the Classic races even more exciting.

“It takes a very unique horse to go through all the Triple Crown races – they have got to have quality, class, speed, stamina and mental strength.”

While Amy Starkey, managing director of The Jockey Club, said: “We love working with Fred and all his team so we are absolutely thrilled that Betfred have become the new sponsors of the two iconic Classics staged on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, the 2000 and 1000 Guineas.

“We have already seen how Betfred’s tremendous enthusiasm and dynamism has elevated the Derby and Oaks at Epsom Downs and their passion for racing is fantastic for the sport.

“The offer of this huge bonus for the Triple Crown is another superb initiative and we’re already really excited about how we can promote these iconic British Classic races in 2025.”