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Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, is sponsoring the £150,000
Ryanair Chase and becoming The Festival's first official carrier,
Cheltenham Racecourse announced today.
Launched in 1985, Ryanair is Europe's original low fares airline
and will
carry over 35 million passengers this year on 225 routes across 21
European
countries.
The airline has attached its name to a race that promises to establish
itself in Festival folklore. Introduced last year as The Daily Telegraph
Festival Trophy Chase, the Ryanair Chase takes place on Thursday,
March 16,
2006.
The adjustment to making The Festival extend to four days in 2005
led to
the introduction of the two mile, five furlong championship chase
and The
Daily Telegraph backed one of The Festival's newest additions.
A change of ownership at the broadsheet newspaper means that The
Daily
Telegraph has not renewed the sponsorship in 2006, leaving the way
open for
Ryanair to step in with an initial three-year commitment.
Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's Chief Executive Officer, commented today:
"Ryanair, which is now the world's favourite airline, is pleased
to become
a supporter of racing's favourite Festival. For over 10 years now,
Ryanair
has been carrying thousands of visitors to The Cheltenham Festival
on our
frequent, low fare flights to Birmingham, Bristol and East Midlands
airports.
"As The Cheltenham Festival's official airline, we will now
be adding extra
flights and lower fares for the four-day extravaganza next March.
In
addition to a direct web link from Cheltenham to the Ryanair website,
Ryanair will also have a flight desk in Cheltenham for each of the
four
days of The Festival to assist racegoers with flights, tickets and
any
changes they may wish to make."
Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham Racecourse's Managing Director, said
today:
"We are delighted to welcome Ryanair as The Festival's official
airline -
people from all round Europe come to Cheltenham for the four days
in March.
"The Ryanair Chase, The Festival's newest Championship contest,
will go
from strength to strength. Last year's race produced an exciting spectacle
that captured racegoers' imaginations and epitomised the spirit of
the
meeting.
"The Festival (March 14-17, 2006) is the major sporting event
in March and
will provide Ryanair with an excellent platform. We look forward to
working
with Ryanair to continue building Irish interest in the meeting, and
to
encourage our UK-based customers to fly with The Festival's official
airline."
The Grade Two race produced one of the most thrilling finishes during
The
Festival last season when Thisthatandtother, ridden by Ruby Walsh,
prevailed over Fondmort after a pulsating duel.
The performance of the Paul Nicholls-trained chaser, runner-up on
his
previous five starts, was the perfect advert for the new race.
Thisthatandtother got up close to the line to beat the brave Fondmort
by
half a length after an epic tussle from the last fence, with the
well-backed favourite Our Vic disappointing for champion trainer Martin
Pipe.
Nicholls, who is hoping for a repeat victory in the Ryanair Chase,
was
obviously delighted with the performance and said at the time: "I
knew
Thisthatandtother would stay all the way to the line and it was a
great
scrap with Fondmort, but this was always going to be our race."
Nicky Henderson, trainer of Fondmort, was also pleased with his horse's
run
and welcomed the new race. Henderson said: "It is disappointing
to lose but
to be able to put the best two mile, five furlong chasers around in
a race
together is what the racing fans want to see.
"That race was memorable not only for the finish, but also because
it will
be the first of many great two mile, five furlong chases here at
Cheltenham."
For further information, please contact Edward Gillespie (07860 744646)
or
Peter McNeile, Commercial Manager, at Cheltenham Racecourse ((07850
091523), or Peter Sherrard, Head of Communications at Ryanair, on
00 353 1
812 1212.
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