Magners Irish Cider is to be the exclusive sponsor of the most prestigious jumps horse race in Europe, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The four-year agreement between Magners Irish Cider and Jockey Club Racecourses will see the first ‘Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup’ on Friday, 15 March 2019, the feature race on the final day of jump racing’s showpiece event.

In addition, the agreement, which will run until 2022, will also see Magners Irish Cider become the Presenting Partner across all four days of The Festival, which will be recognised as ‘The Festival, presented by Magners’.

This represents the first major horse racing sponsorship by Magners.

The partnership between Jockey Club Racecourses and Magners Irish Cider, celebrates the brand’s Irish heritage by associating with the leading British and Irish-attended event in the UK, attracting crowds of over 260,000 annually, and watched by millions of horse racing fans across the world via TV and digital platforms.

The Festival is the fourth biggest sporting event in the UK, in terms of the total number of visitors. In addition, The Festival has broad and increasing appeal in Ireland, with approximately one third of tickets sold in 2018 going to Irish race-goers. 

Jason Ash, chief marketing officer of C&C Group plc, said: “Magners Cider is 100% Irish, made in Clonmel, County Tipperary, where William Magner first started making cider over 80 years ago. Famous for our Irish heritage, sociability and positive view on life we are truly excited to put our name to the most prestigious Jump race in Europe and partner with one of the UK’s best sporting and social occasions as a platform to engage fans and bring Magners to a global audience.

“Given The Festival is a major occasion in the sporting calendar of racing fans across the world, especially in the UK and Ireland, we are delighted to be a part of such an iconic event. We see our partnership with The Festival and the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup as a perfect fit, providing a year-round platform to bring to life our new “100% Irish” positioning to consumers in the UK and internationally.”