Romantic Proposal will defend Flying Five title next month© Photo Healy Racing
The Curragh has announced that Al Basti Equiworld, the UAE’s leading supplier of horse feeds and supplements, will sponsor the Group 1 Flying Five, one the leading sprint races in the international racing calendar.
The race will be titled The Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five. The Group 1 contest over 5 furlongs will be one of the feature races at The Curragh on Sunday 11th September, Day 2 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend and will carry total prize money of €400,000.
The agreement is for the next three years with the option to extend their support for a further two years.
Some of the fastest horses in the world feature among the thirty five entries for the race, including Group 1 winners A Case Of You, Winter Power and last year’s winner Romantic Proposal.
Other notable contenders are Kaadem winner of the King George Stakes at Goodwood, Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes winner Ladies Church and Prix Maurice De Geest winner Highland Princess, together with the unbeaten Royal Aclaim, Flotus, Mooneista, Castle Star, Twilight Calls and King’s Lynn who carries the colours of owner and breeder, The Queen.
The race is broadcast live on RTE and ITV and receives significant global coverage on RacingTV and its associate channels as well as throughout the US as part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In initiative with the winning horse receiving a free entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
In addition, The Curragh has teamed up with Horse Racing Ireland to offer the winner of the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai an automatic entry into the Flying Five each year.
The Flying Five is one of eight races on a star studded programme, which also features the Comer Group Irish St Leger, Moyglare Stud Stakes and Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.
Al Basti Equiworld founder Malih Al Basti said, “We are very pleased to be able to support horseracing in Ireland and to add the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five to our portfolio of international sponsorships which include Group races at York, Newmarket, Dundalk and in New Zealand, and a number of high-profile jockeys in the UK, Ireland and France.
“I am sure The Curragh will provide an excellent stage for the continued promotion of our brand.”
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of The Curragh commented: “We are delighted to welcome Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai to our roster of sponsors here at the Curragh and very grateful to Malih Al Basti and his team for agreeing to support the Flying Five on Longines Irish Champions Weekend.
''This is an important race for us and is part of the Win and You’re In promotion by the Breeders’ Cup with the winner guaranteed a run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Recent winners such as Caravaggio, Sole Power, Havana Grey, Glass Slippers and Romantic Proposal attest to the quality of the race and this year’s entries point to a very strong renewal. The support of sponsors with significant international profile such as Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai is essential to increasing prize money at The Curragh and we are delighted to welcome them to the fold.”
