Dubai: Dubai Duty Free’s commitment to the two-day Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Meeting at Newbury Racecourse sees the world’s leading airport retailer mark a landmark 20 years of sponsorship at the Berkshire venue in England on Friday.
The early season fixture is a significant source of winners for the year ahead, a fact which is best illustrated by Kingman’s resounding victory over subsequent 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes at the meeting.
Top-class performers at the meeting including Western Hymn, J Wonder and Eagle Top will also be making their seasonal reappearances.
Dubai Duty Free sponsors seven of the 14 races offering over £200,000 (Dh1 million) in prize-money, over two days of high-quality racing.
New Providence, trained in Newmarket by Hugo Palmer, looks set to contest the Dubai Duty Free Stakes ahead of a crack at the 1,000 Guineas (G1) in May.
The filly, who won three of her six starts last season including a Group 3 at Salisbury in September, looks to follow the same path as Lahan used as a stepping stone ahead of claimed Classic glory in the 1000 Guineas in 2000.
Commenting on the operation’s two decades of association with Newbury, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free said: “This year’s running of the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes marks a significant milestone in our relationship with Newbury and with British racing, although Dubai’s association with the race formally known as the Fred Darling Stakes pre-dates our entry into horseracing sponsorship in the UK.
During the past 20 years we have seen dramatic growth in our own business and we have also been pleased to be able to watch Newbury Racecourse develop into the multi-facetted operation it is now.”
As well as top-class action on track, spectators will have the chance to sample Dubai’s hospitality at the event, with complimentary dates and traditional Arabic coffee in the Dubai Duty Free Marquee adjacent to the parade ring. Visitors can also win free entry into the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise and Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draws.
Dubai Duty Free senior executives led by McLoughlin, Salah Tahlak, Senior Vice President-Corporate Communications and Sinead El Sibai, Vice President-Marketing will be in attendance to welcome guests from the UK racing and travel retail industries and to present trophies to the connections of the winners of each of the Dubai Duty Free sponsored races.
The Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials is the first of four racing fixtures sponsored by Dubai Duty Free throughout the year, others include, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh in June, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot in August, before returning to Newbury for the Dubai Duty Free International Weekend in September.
