
Down Royal confirms Ladbrokes Festival of Racing €125,000 prize fund for Grade 1 Champion Chase
Horse racing at Down Royal is scheduled to take place behind closed doors later this month, with confirmation that Ladbrokes will continue as headline sponsor of the long-established two-day Festival of Racing.
Set to be staged on 30th & 31st October, a no-spectators policy is still in place, along with strict protocols designed to safeguard staff, officials and participants alike.
With a total prize fund over the two days of €423,500, Friday 30th October will see the WKD Hurdle as the feature race with a race purse of €60,000, while the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase will run on Saturday 31st with the winner taking home €125,000.
Emma Meehan, Chief Executive of Down Royal Racecourse said: “These are unprecedented times for us all and over the past seven months the Coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the horse racing industry.
“We have a tough time ahead before normal business can resume and we are in a position to open our gates to punters, but for now the safety of our staff and competitors is of the utmost importance.

The six figure deal, the largest in Down Royal’s history, will see the bookmaker take on title sponsorship of the first Grade 1 Champion Chase of the National Hunt season, with a prize fund of €140,000.
Pictured marking the new partnership (l-r) is Emma Meehan, Chief Executive of Down Royal Racecourse and Nicola McGeady, Head of PR at Ladbrokes.