Bahrain Turf Club revealed as the new Irish Champion Stakes sponsor

A last-minute reprieve means the search for a sponsor of the Irish Champion Stakes is over after Horse Racing Ireland and Leopardstown announced a six-year deal with the Bahrain Turf Club to back the €1 million showpiece.

Since Qipco ceased its backing of the Group 1 in April 2020, the last two runnings of the marquee event have been run without a sponsor, leading to Leopardstown publicly appealing for sponsors to promote the prestigious event last month.

With just a month to spare, that initiative has now culminated in an agreement that will see the Bahrain Turf Club sponsor the race, ensuring it will be staged as the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes until 2027.

Run in its current guise at Leopardstown since 1991, the Irish Champion Stakes is the highlight on the opening day of Longines Irish Champions Weekend. Next month's race on September 10 has attracted some top-class entries, including French Derby and Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni, Luxembourg, Native Trail, Bay Bridge and State Of Rest.

HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, chairman of the Bahrain Turf Club, said: “The Bahrain Turf Club is delighted to establish this partnership with Leopardstown and Horse Racing Ireland by sponsoring one of the most prestigious races in world racing, the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes."

The Bahrain Turf Club was established in 1977 as the Rashid Equestrian Horse Racing Club before being renamed in 2021.

Tim Husbands, chief executive of Leopardstown, is delighted with the outcome.

Husbands said: “We are honoured to welcome such a prestigious and international brand, the Bahrain Turf Club, to support our flagship Flat race, the Irish Champion Stakes. To have this international support reinforces the importance of the Irish Champion Stakes in the Irish racing calendar."

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