The Punchestown Festival of racing has a sparkling new sponsor…
Pictured above; Rachael Blackmore, friend of Boodles and Michael Wainwright, Chairman of Boodles, with Native, outside the Boodles showroom. Rachael is wearing Boodles’ Lucky collection.
Last week Boodles, the British family-run fine jewellery company whose Dublin store is at 71 Grafton Street, announced a three-year sponsorship of the Punchestown Festival, a pinnacle event on the Irish sporting and social calendar, with five days of top-tier racing featuring the finest Irish and British talent. The sponsorship marks Boodles 20th year on Grafton Street.
The final event in the Irish jump racing calendar, Punchestown is widely acclaimed as the ultimate homecoming for champions, and is one of Boodles most exciting partnerships to date. The Grade 1 Boodles Champion Hurdle, the feature race of Festival Friday (which is also Ladies Day) boasts a stellar line-up of past victors, including close friend of Boodles, Rachael Blackmore.
Boodles sponsorship of Irish racing is a natural extension into the heart of the sport, following on from its ongoing sponsorships of British racing events such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Chester Races, and York Races.
“Our involvement with horse racing in the UK started all the way back in the 1930s when we made the trophies for the Grand National at Aintree,” said James Amos, Managing Director of Boodles. “We feel privileged to have been invited into the Irish racing world almost 100 years later. We are excited to think that The Boodles Bar, in the centre of the hospitality area, will have a great buzz about it throughout the festival.”
Conor O’Neill, CEO of Punchestown emphasised the shared appreciation for heritage and brand integrity: “We are so pleased to welcome Boodles to the Punchestown Festival. To partner with a family-run, award-winning luxury brand whose team truly appreciate the importance of heritage and brand values is a wonderful privilege.”
Boodles recently launched their first ever equine-inspired jewellery collection, Lucky, which will be on display in the glamorous Boodles Bar throughout the Festival. www.boodles.com www.punchestown.com
