NatWest have signed a three-year deal to sponsor Newmarket's Rowley Mile Racecourse, the first venue sponsor in the history of Britain's most historic racecourse, where the Sport of Kings as we know it today was born.
As well as title sponsorship of the course, which was named after Charles II's hack, Old Rowley, and where the first race ever run under written rules in Britain was staged in 1666, NatWest will have a number of permanent advertising sites on course and their logo will appear on tickets, badges, brochures and on the Newmarket Racecourses website.
Additionally, NatWest will make more use than ever before of the excellent conference, exhibition and banqueting facilities on the Rowley Mile throughout the year.
The racing season on the NatWest Rowley Mile, "Course of Champions", begins with the three-day Craven Meeting from Tuesday, April 18 to Thursday, April 20 and continues with the first two Classics of the British season, the Stan James 2000 Guineas and Stan James 1000 Guineas, on Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7.
"This a ground-breaking sponsorship for British racing and is another major boost to the NatWest Rowley Mile following our announcement last autumn of Stan James' five year deal to sponsor the Guineas Festival," commented Lisa Hancock, Newmarket's Managing Director.
"The NatWest Rowley Mile is the spiritual home of flat racing and has consistently led the way in the sport in this country. It was the first course to use starting stalls, the first to use a photo finish and the first to use sectional timing and speed sensing and we are now proud to be
making another first, this time in the commercial field."
For NatWest, Mark Andrews, Regional Managing Director, Commercial Banking East Anglia and NHC, said: "Our sponsorship of the Rowley Mile, Course of Champions, fits well with our aims in championing the way forward in banking, customer focus and entrepreneurial thinking, whilst forging a team-oriented and performance-driven environment.
"NatWest has been a client of Newmarket for a number of years and the racecourse's positive attitude, approach and professionalism have enabled us to maximise the potential from all of the events we have held with them."