Betfred to sponsor Gold Cup

Next year's Cheltenham Gold Cup will be sponsored by Betfred as part of their purchase of the Tote.

New name behind racing's Blue Riband event

Next year's Cheltenham Gold Cup will be sponsored by Betfred as part of their purchase of the Tote. Cheltenham's managing director Edward Gillespie, said: "I am delighted to confirm that our biggest race will be known as the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2012. "The race takes place exactly six months from today, on Friday, March 16, and the team here is really looking forward to working closely with Fred Done and his colleagues in the build-up to the Festival this season. "We have already had some positive early discussions with the Betfred team about this sponsorship and we are very pleased to welcome Betfred as the latest sponsor of this historic race.'' Betfred boss, Fred Done, added: "Sponsoring the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the proudest moments of my career and we are now looking forward to sitting down to discuss the future, having been very impressed by the professionalism of Edward Gillespie and his team.''