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Sponsors don’t feel they got much of a bang for their buck this year so the Fred Winter will be known as the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle with the brackets (formerly the Fred Winter) next season.
Seems a shame.
First time I even knew that Boodles were this years sponsor of the race, was with this announcement earlier today, long after the actual event… Can hardly blame them.
I would have to agree, you can hardly blame the company here, and I am with you Nausered, I was unaware of their involvement with the race until this announcement.
A shame indeed. It’s not as though Jockey Club Racecourses are a conventional public company who always need to prioritise commercial imperatives. They should have protected status for races like this and forego the sponsorship.
Its a race that should be scrapped but if it has to remain then “Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle in Association with Boodles” would be the best way to deal with it. That way when Boodles is replaced by some other sponsor their name can be just slotted in, but Fred Winter would remain to the fore
The Powers That Be bang on about the rich history/heritage that is unique to British Racing and is a big part of its draw and yet more and more of our famous named races (flat and jumps) are being relegated to ‘registered as’or being lost altogether.
Whilst the Fred Winter is a more recent addition on the books it celebrates one of NH all time greats who made it at the top level not only as a jockey but as a trainer too. For me a sponsor’s name should go in front of the race name and not replace it – if they continue their sponsorship of this race for many years to come, if you ask them what your fancy for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle is punters will probably still give you a blank look until you said ‘you know the Fred Winter”.
Some of these sponsors are here for 5 mins and then gone the next and they shouldn’t have the ability to change the name of these races just because they are too lazy to put the work in to promote their brand – the only reason I know who Boodles were is because I happened to catch ITV Racing (I think it was them anyway) doing a piece from their on site booth on the day of the race.
Maybe me just being an old miserable sentimental so and so but I still know these races as the Hennessey, the Whitbread, the Game Spirit, the Mildmay of Fleet, the Cathcart and the Gold Trophy and it saddens me as more and more of these names keep disappearing.
Similarly, the Bula is now meant to be known as the International…..even though the sponsor has changed since.
It’s a massive bugbear of mine – races should keep their original name; I still called races the Whitbread, Mackeson, Hennessy, etc the Swinton Insurance lost it’s sponsorship, but renamed the race The Swinton…Football teams and Formula 1 teams change their sponsors, but you still know who they are, because the team name remains, only the sponsor.
Don’t think many of these sponsors do their homework as if they did they would realise that most of these events will be forever referred to by the first sponsors name – a fine example would be the Massey Ferguson which has not been run under that name for 36 years ! The Swinton was intially called the Royal Doulton and its first staging had what is undoubtedly the finest field ever gathered for a handicap hurdle ( fantasy board game stuff) but was won by the easily forgotten Royal Gaye.
Ignoring the Hennessy change, I didn’t realise just how big a culprit Newbury is in changing race names for both NH and flat:
N/H
Betfair Hurdle (Schweppes/Tote Gold Trophy Hurdle),
Betfair Exchange Chase (Game Spirit Chase),
Ladbrokes Intermediate Hurdle (Gerry Fielden Hurdle),
Ladbrokes Novices Chase (Hopeful/Fulke Walwyn/Berkshire/London Pride Novices Chase)
John Francome Novices Chase (Worcester Novices Chase)Flat
Dubai Duty Free Stakes (Fred Darling Stakes),
Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes (John Porter Stakes)
Al Rayyan Stakes (Aston Park Stakes),
Worthington’s Indigo Leisure Stakes (St Simon Stakes),
Bathwick Tyres Stakes (Horris Hill Stakes),
Denford Stakes (Washington Singer Stakes)I am sure other courses also have made changes but this was quite eye opening.
This is a familiar case of cultural vandalism that’s been addressed here on TRF several times in the past
My view on here-today-gone-tomorrow sponsors has always been that having chucked money at the race they’re entitled to see their name in the race title; but it should be prefixed to the registered name
in this case: Boodles Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle
or examples from LD73 above: Betfair Game Spirit Chase, Dubai Duty Free John Porter Stakes
Obviously, this would not apply races instigated by sponsors such as the Whitbread and Schweppes
Why would the sponsor not benefit from the race being called the Boodles Fred Winter or the Fred Winter sponsored by Boodles? Losing Fred Winter’s name from the race to any extent ironically draws less attention to the race IMO so the sponsors and racing purists all lose out.
The authorities need to be a bit bolder with this practice and hold onto the great race names whilst also making sure that the industry ( media, racecourses etc) makes sure that sponsors names get as much exposure as possible WITHOUT selling off the history of these great races.
I’m probably in the minority but I am not precious about these things. Boodles are investing a significant amount in racing and in reality will they see a commercial return on this- probably not. If they are putting their money down they deserve to have their name on it. Like it was said above nobody knew Boodles sponsored it this year and in reality that’s not fair.
A hybrid of the two names might have worked but could make it even more convoluted.
This is a familiar case of cultural vandalism that’s been addressed here on TRF several times in the past
My view on here-today-gone-tomorrow sponsors has always been that having chucked money at the race they’re entitled to see their name in the race title; but it should be prefixed to the registered name
in this case: Boodles Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle
or examples from LD73 above: Betfair Game Spirit Chase, Dubai Duty Free John Porter Stakes
Good idea Drone, as long as the media use a sponser’s name when talking about the race. Like many here, first I knew Boodles sponsered the Fred Winter was when hearing they weren’t happy afterwards. So can’t blame sponsers for wanting a change of name.
Do agree, races with sponsers names should be shortened in the manner you wisely suggest. Other than that it’s not the fault of racing authorities or sponsers. If we want race names to remain it is imo up to primarily the media but also us racing enthusiasts to use the sponser’s name in the title when talking about a race.
Value Is EverythingYes, this is all about how the media, connections and enthusiasts refer to a sponsored race when talking, especially, and writing about it.
Sponsors in the early days were inclined to commit to a race for the long-haul and races became identified by the sponsor’s name. It cannot be said that the media failed to refer to that name. Perhaps because of over-familiarity lessening the effect of sponsorship many long-term sponsors nevertheless pull out, e.g. Hennessy. It can cause issues for the media when a formerly well-established name is constantly changed, e.g. Massey-Ferguson, Racing Post, several races at the Festival. I do not blame presenters and pundits if, when quickly referring to a race whilst making a broad point, they struggle to instantly remember the current title of it. They need a one or two word generally known reference. When the race in question is one that pre-sponsorship was known after an equine or human icon it is actually preferable for it to be referred to as such. I feel races of this nature, like the Fred Winter, should not be sponsored or, if they have to be, the sponsors name should be an afterthought following the race’s proper title.
In the case of the last-named race, every time there is discussion of a juvenile and its future prospects during next season the pundit/trainer/jockey is automatically going to think/say “Fred Winter”. It remains to be seen whether they will check themselves and utter “er…Boodles” and whether/when the instantly recognisable common term of reference to the race becomes Boodles. I hope it doesn’t but if in a few years time Boodles pull out and are replaced by, say, Warren James there is even less chance of the sponsor’s name being used, it all becomes hopelessly confusing and the viewer/reader is left unsure of which godforsaken contest is meant.
Good idea Drone, as long as the media use a sponser’s name when talking about the race. Like many here, first I knew Boodles sponsered the Fred Winter was when hearing they weren’t happy afterwards
Have standards slipped? The media, TV pundits in particular, used to always mention the sponsor when introducing and calling a race; sometimes so pointedly that I got the impression they were under strict orders to do so
The PA on-course still do so, don’t they?
I leapt into this thread without checking the full title for the Fred Winter race, imagining that as you and others didn’t realise it was sponsored by Boodles, that their name didn’t feature; but on now checking I see that it was indeed in my favoured format:
Boodles Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Fair play to the sponsor and not too much of a tongue-twister for the racegoer/punter
So one can only assume that the former obligation, born perhaps of common courtesy, to at least acknowledge the sponsor on TV or in the Rags has lapsed
I’ve always believed that the BHA have got this one wrong: instead of having the current name followed by the “registered as” in parentheses, it should be (for example) the Fred Winter Hurdle, sponsored by Boodles.
Having race titles in this format both retains the historical significance of the name and draws attention to the current sponsor.
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