The Racing Post and Leopardstown have announced an extension to their partnership, with the outlet providing title sponsorship and race sponsorship of day one of the racecourse’s Christmas Festival.

Under the terms of the four-year agreement, day one of the festival will continue to be called Racing Post Day, whilst the feature race of the day will be billed as the Racing Post Novice Chase.

The Racing Post – part of the Spotlight Sports Group – has highlighted the agreement as indicative of its ‘commitment to Irish racing’ as the country’s racecourses return to full attendance after months of organising meetings behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions, with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) permitting venues to increase their indoor capacity to 60% and outdoor capacity to 50% in September.

‘The past eighteen months have been incredibly difficult for racecourses across Ireland and we’re delighted to announce our continued support,” said Alan Pepperell, Retail Director of the Racing Post.

“The Leopardstown Christmas Festival is a highlight of the racing calendar and we’re hoping to see full crowds return this year to enjoy the high-quality racing on show. The Racing Post is committed to Irish racing and we know how valuable sponsorship is especially after the pandemic, we’re delighted to extend the agreement for the next four years.”

Taking place between 26-29 December, the Leopardstown Christmas Festival features seven Grade One races and a number of valuable handicap meetings, with over €1 million on offer. 

Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown, remarked: ‘We are absolutely thrilled that the Racing Post has extended their partnership through to 2024. Day one of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival is always one of the most exciting dates in the Irish racing calendar and with Racing Post as the title sponsor, we’re expecting it to be bigger than ever. We’re excited to welcome spectators back on track for what is sure to be a festival to remember. ‘