13th December 2022
The Curragh and Dubai Duty Free announce extension of Irish Derby sponsorship.
Derby to revert to Sunday date next year.
The Curragh and Dubai Duty Free today announced an extension of their partnership, which includes title sponsorship of the Irish Derby and five additional races on the day. The race attracted a high-quality field this year and was won by the Ralph Beckett trained Westover. Prize money for the Group 1 Classic will increase from €1 million to €1.25 million in 2023.
Dubai Duty Free, one of the world’s leading airport retailers, 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 date for the first time since 2011, taking place on Sunday July 2nd.
Worldwide viewership of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby will be significantly enhanced by the full eight race programme becoming part of the Tote World Pool for the first-time next year. Tote World Pool is an exciting initiative which was introduced in 2019 whereby global tote operators operate a single pool on several major international race meetings. It has been agreed with the Hong Kong Jockey Club that from next year Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day will become a permanent fixture as a Tote World Pool event. Terrestrial TV coverage of the race will also include live broadcasts by both RTE and ITV.
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.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Weekend is a three-day festival of top-quality racing taking place next year from the 30th of June to the 2nd of July, showcasing the best that Ireland has to offer with a lively evening meeting on Friday, Ladies Day on Saturday featuring the Group 1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes and the Kildare Village Ladies Derby, while 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 on www.curragh.ie or call 045 441205