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Arena Racing Company (ARC), Doncaster Racecourse and William Hill announced a new partnership with the sponsorship of the 2024 William Hill Futurity Trophy on Saturday 26 October. The deal means William Hill will once again sponsor the race they were first associated with in 1976.
The final Group One of the British Flat season consistently sees the most successful two-year-olds from Britain and Ireland compete over a mile. The race has proved to be a key stepping stone on the way to classic success for a number of colts in recent times, most recently, Auguste Rodin, who won the William Hill Futurity Trophy in 2022 before going on to win the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes the following year.
As well as Auguste Rodin, recent Futurity Trophy winners Magna Grecia (2018) and Kameko (2019) both went on to victories in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The new deal showcases William Hill’s commitment to both flat and jump racing, sponsoring the final Group 1 of the British flat racing calendar as well as the opening meeting of the season at Cheltenham on the same day.
Aidan O’Brien has dominated this race in recent years and has won the Futurity Trophy a record 11 times. O’Brien looks set to hold a strong hand once again this year with The Lion in Winter currently the 7/2 Favourite.
ARC Director of Commercial Strategy & Partnerships, David Leyden Dunbar, said: “William Hill have a long association with Doncaster Racecourse and the Futurity Trophy in particular so we are delighted to welcome them back to the race. Recent years have proven it a fantastic opportunity for some of the UK and Ireland’s best two-year-olds, and we look forward to another excellent renewal in October.”
Racing Sponsorship Manager for William Hill, Mark Walton, said: “We are delighted to become the sponsors of the Group 1 William Hill Futurity Stakes, strengthening our relationship with Arena Racing Company as the curtain falls on the 2024 Flat season.
“It’s fantastic to once again be associated with such a prestigious event, the final Group 1 of the British Flat campaign, made more special by the fact that William Hill were the sponsors of the race when it became the Futurity back in 1976. I am tremendously excited to see which two-year-old emerges as racing’s next big star.
“We’re thrilled to be sponsoring on such a key weekend in the British racing calendar, which also features Cheltenham’s Showcase meeting, as William Hill continues its commitment to great prices for our customers on the flat and over jumps.”
