Tuesday 27 September 2016 16:56, UK
Cheltenham Racecourse has announced Randox Health will sponsor two £50,000 handicap chases at The Showcase on Saturday, October 22.
Earlier this year, Randox Health signed a five-year agreement to become title sponsors of the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree from 2017 and was also unveiled as the official healthcare partner of The Jockey Club.
By embarking on this Group-wide partnership, The Jockey Club is striving to raise Randox Health's message of preventive health and wellbeing amongst its members, and to the wider racing audience of all Jockey Club Racecourses.
The two Randox Health-sponsored contests - the Randox Health Handicap Chase over two miles and the Randox Handicap Chase over three miles and a furlong - are the richest races over the two days of The Showcase, which gets Cheltenham's new season underway.
Popular chaser Balthazar King captured the three mile, one furlong contest three years on the bounce (2011, 2012 & 2013) and was runner-up to Pineau De Re in the 2014 Grand National.
The Randox Health Handicap Chase, run at two and a half miles up to and including 2014, has provided some valuable pointers to the BetVictor Gold Cup at The Open in November. Johns Spirit captured both races in 2013, as did Shooting Light (2001) and The Outback Way (1999).
Dr Peter FitzGerald, Founder and Managing Director of Randox Health, is looking forward to The Showcase which marks the beginning of the roll out of Randox Health branding across Jockey Club courses.
"We are thrilled to be able to bring the name of Randox Health to the participants and viewers of the Randox Handicap Chase and the Randox Health Handicap Chase," he said.
"The races mark the beginning of our partnership with The Jockey Club, whose courses are the perfect platform to highlight the benefits of our Randox Health Preventive Health Programmes to the public, and also to bring the other diagnostic capabilities of our healthcare company, including Equine Health and Food Testing, amongst others, to the attention of equestrian enthusiasts.
"Our health is our most valuable commodity and so we want to keep the horse racing fraternity healthy so they are able to enjoy such fantastic events as The Showcase."
Carey Buckler, Regional Head of Partnerships, South West Region, Jockey Club Racecourses, said: "I am delighted that Randox Health are to sponsor at Cheltenham during The Showcase.
"Their involvement with The Jockey Club is really exciting and it is great that we are able to work with them across the Group ahead of next year's Randox Health Grand National."
