Pat Foley with Rebel Gold and Fairyhouse's Peter Roe
Fairyhouse Racecourse welcome SBK, the sportsbook app powered by Smarkets, into the Irish Market this January.
The partnership will see SBK sponsor two feature and supporting races this January including The SBK Dan and Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase (Grade B) on January 13th. SBK will also sponsor The SBK Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle (Grade 3) taking place on the 27th January.
In addition to the sponsorship announcement, SBK and Fairyhouse have confirmed a prize fund increase of the SBK Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase from €80,000 to €100,000.
Speaking about the announcement Peter Roe, Fairyhouse Racecourse Manager commented:
“The SBK Dan and Joan Moore Chase has a long tradition at Fairyhouse and has fitted in well to it’s January date. The 2023 renewal was a great success for the Foley family with Rebel Gold scoring under recently retired Denis O’Regan. It was a privilege to visit Pat and his family in Carlow to announce the SBK sponsorship as they build up their stable star for a repeat bid in the race on 13th January."
The partnership was announced at the yard of last year's winning trainer Pat Foley. Pat recorded his first winner over fences in some style as the Denis O' Regan-ridden Rebel Gold became the most recent name on the illustrious list of winners of the SBK Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase.
It remains Pat’s most valuable success and the race was also one of the last big winners in the fine career of Denis O' Regan who recently retired from the saddle having become the first jockey to ride a winner at every active National Hunt course in Ireland and Britain.
Pat Foley commented:
"We were delighted to win the 2023 SBK Dan and Joan Moore Chase at Fairyhouse with Rebel Gold and the 2024 renewal has been our aim since then. This is a very historic race in the Irish jumps season and with the increase in value to €100,000 we will need to be on top of our game to retain it in what will be a very competitive field."
Previously, the likes of Buck House, Redundant Pal, Merry Gale, Space Trucker and Golden Silver made it onto the roll of honour of the SBK Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase.
Similarly, the SBK Solernina Mares Novice Hurdle boasts a fine recent history. This year’s winner Ashroe Diamond went on to land the Grade 1 Irish EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival, a feat also achieved by Honeysuckle in 2019 as she set out on the road to stardom.
Adam Baylis, Marketing Director at SBK said:
“It’s a huge honour for SBK to be sponsoring at such a prestigious racecourse in Fairyhouse. It’s our first taste of sponsorship in Ireland having enjoyed some great days like the SBK Lincoln at Doncaster and Shishkin vs Energumene dual at Ascot in the 2022 SBK Clarence House Chase. The Irish are synonymous with National Hunt racing and we can’t wait to be involved in two illustrious racedays.”
