Seven-figure bonus on the line for Triple Crown winner as new Guineas sponsor ups the stakes
City Of Troy ridden by Ryan Moore at Epsom
Betfred will offer a £2million bonus to any horse who can land the Triple Crown after taking on the sponsorship of all three legs; the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the St Leger.
The bookmaker, founded and owned by Fred Done, was already the sponsor of the Derby and the Leger, and finished the Classic portfolio when Qipco ceased to put their name to the Guineas earlier in the week.
No horse has landed the Triple Crown since the Vincent O’Brien-trained Nijinsky under Lester Piggott in 1970, with Camelot coming closest in recent years when taking the Guineas and the Derby in 2012 before narrowly missing out on the final prize in the Leger.
City Of Troy, trained like Camelot by Aidan O’Brien, was thought to hold a chance of succeeding where Camelot failed this season but his bid fell at the first hurdle when he could not land a blow in the Guineas – although he did bounce back to take the Derby.
Betfred boss Done said of the incentive: “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.
“It (Triple Crown) 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.”
Amy Starkey, managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses which owns Newmarket, added: “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.
“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.”
O’Brien, who trains from the same Ballydoyle yard that produced Nijinsky, said: “It’s a great incentive that Betfred have put up a £2million 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.”
