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I was sure the Horris Hill Stakes was run this weekend at Newbury, but after a quick look through the race titles for the weekend earlier in the week it was nowhere to be seen.
I figured they had maybe moved the race til later in the season, or had even dropped the race.
Having looked at tomorrow’s racecards in more detail, I see that it is in fact being run tomorrow – under a new title.
It is now known as the ‘Mountgrange Stud Stakes’.
I wonder what it will be known as next year? (And the year after that etc etc…).
FFS! Am I the only person increasingly pee’d off with this dropping of historic race names?
I suppose the Eclipse Stakes will be known as ‘The Coral’ from next year!
Ditto Pegwell, I can understand changing a name of a race if the new sponser is taking over from a previous sponser, ie The Whitbred Gold Cup, whitbred been a brewery in the UK I do believe. Horris Hill is the name of a boarding school near Newbury, so the name should be "The Mountgrange Stud Horris Hill stakes. I presume that some sponsers believe that because the historical original name still remains, people will call it just that and totally ignore the sponsers name, thats the only reason why I think that the name Horris Hill has been dropped altogether by Newbury Racecourse.
Another for tomorrow:
The Persian War Novices Hurdle at Chepstow is now:
The ‘Ballymore Properties Novices Hurdle’.
- Total Posts 438
Couldn’t agree more on the changing of names. I still refer to races by their old names when talking with friends, anyway.
What’s almost as depressing is the complete desecration of this Newbury meeting. There was a day’s flat racing on Thursday, with the Horris Hill Stakes as that day’s highlight, followed by jumps on Friday, headed by the Glynwed International H’cap Chase, and then flat again on Saturday, with the St Simon Stakes the feature. It used to be one of my favourite meetings of the year, with the day of National Hunt action in the middle an amuse bouche for the season to come….. Bring it back, Newbury!
There are two major 2 and a half mile chases before Christmas at Cheltenham. The first is the Mackeson and the second is the Massey Ferguson! Isn’t it nice that the Hennessy Gold Cup, is still the Hennessy? Unless of course they’ve sneaked a change!
Rob
I can understand the need to change a name if it’s for advertising/sponsorship purposes [although the Whitbread and Mackeson will always be the aforsaid in my book]. but I can’t see the reason for taking out the name of a famous horse in the title…surely the name of the race will stick in the mind more if there’s an association with something familiar, and, as such is better for advertising purposes…. it’s disrespectful to the memory of the horse as well……one of the most important things about racing to me is the sense of tradition and history and we lose that at our peril….
Add me to the list of people fed up with the changing of racenames.
Leave them alone FFS!!
There are two major 2 and a half mile chases before Christmas at Cheltenham. The first is the Mackeson
You mean the Thomas Pink, Rob?
Mike
I’m always amused by people complaining about race name changes who insist on referring to things like the Mackeson and the Massey Ferguson as if those two weren’t simply sponsors names like the ones they object to. In fairness, I’m also inclined to refer to old titles but I’m a realist who recognises that sponsors needs are important for the benefit of the races in question. I do object to the backdating of race titles though ~ the press pack for the Cheltenham’s Open meeting may well mention, for example, that the last grey to win the Paddy Power was Senor El Betrutti. That irks me ~ the race that Susan Nock’s gelding won wasn’t the Paddy Power but the Murphy’s and Bright Highway was the last Irish trained winner of the Mackeson.
There are two major 2 and a half mile chases before Christmas at Cheltenham. The first is the Mackeson
You mean the Thomas Pink, Rob?
Mike
I do not, it’s the MACKESON!
Horris Hill is a place in the Newtown area of Newbury.
Thanks Rob, as in the Greenham Stakes then.
Long thought it referred to some old timer associated with the course (cf John Porter, Fred Darling) lumbered with an idiosyncratic spelling of the name Horace!
I too don’t care for the demotion of traditional race names to (registered as…) Why can’t there be a rule that all sponsors must only append their names to them, as in the Weatherby’s St Simon Stakes tomorrow?
Sky Bet Yorkshire Chase sounds a whole lot grander than plain Sky Bet Chase, as indeed would Betfair Lancashire Chase.
I suppose sponsors are – like adverts on TV – a necessary evil without whom the show would collapse, hence their demands are accepted without quibble.
great to hear alan king on the bbc yesterday call the newly named boylesports international hurdle "the bula"
great to hear alan king on the bbc yesterday call the newly named boylesports international hurdle "the bula"
Quite right too, it IS the Bula, I’ve had enough of names changing, Newbury seem especially bad, Greenham, Horris Hill,etc. What’s wrong with Mountgrange Stud Horris Hill Stakes? Or Haras Du Fresnay Le Buffard Jacques Le Marois, hows that for a mouthful?
Do Formula 1 teams change their name with a new sponsor, no? Marlboro McLaren Honda – Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, no problem.
Heritage is one of the greatest things in Racing, lets not lose it, remember the Cathcart Chase, now just the Ryanair Trophy Chase. Sort it please.Slightly off topic but on 5 Live this morning I heard that Kauto Star was beaten in the Old Roan Stakes………hmmmm,..were is Luke Harvey????
I agree with all the above, except for Andy’s RAC comment’s about the Cathcart. The conditions of that race changed out of all recognition so as to render a continued referral to the race as the Cathcart to be ridiculous. It is, in effect, a new race.
I disagree with the majority of the comments here and as a marketeer who has been involved in the sponsorship of UK and Irish races for the last 10 years feel qualified to give the oppoing view.
Sponsorship generally is about brand awareness, recognition and association – possibility of client acquisition and an element of good corporate citizenship.
Companies have a plethora of vehicles to choose from in terms of their sponsorship portfolio. Horse racing is one such option. A sponsor will normally put in 25%-33% of the value of the race as an association. This point is to underline the dependancy on corporate benefactors ( this is for televised product)
One of the reasons that racing struggles for sponsorship outside of the gambling corporates is that strictly speaking it does not represent good value for money.The association with the race is all to brief the visual attachment negligible. Contrast that with football and or rugby exposure (note Coral’s association with the Premiership).
In order to leverage association the sponsor is obliged to insist that the race is the Skybet Chase etc. The inclusion of the word Yorkshire means that in the vernacular, the race is also referred to as the Yorkshire and therefore defeats the entire point of the exercise.Note Stayers to World Hurdle transition (although still daft name)
I think the media and racing professionals need to help with this process Alan King referring to the race as the Bula I find irritating – the race is the Boylesports International. It is a case of he who pays the piper calls the tune or in this case name. The math is simple racing needs sponsors in order to survive and the price the industry has to pay is the forsaking of some of its legacy of past champions in order to see new ones.
I would like to see a minimum sponsorship commitment of 5 years for all Grade 1 races that would at least allow public and all racing professionals a chance to get used to the idea and embrace a new name. It is for thse excat reasons that people had no issue with Mackeson or Massey Ferguson Frankly Seasons Holidays 2 year deal for the Champion Chase is a sell out.
Best
Conall
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