Paddy Power returns to sponsorship at Cheltenham on New Year's Day

Paddy Power will mark the start of the new decade with a return to sponsorship at Cheltenham, with the bookmaker supporting three races on the track's New Year’s Day card.

The Grade 2 Paddy Power Broken Resolutions Already Dipper Novices’ Chase (1.25), the Grade 3 Paddy Power Handicap Chase (2.00) and the Paddy Power 68 Sleeps To Cheltenham Handicap Hurdle (2.35) will be the first races sponsored by Paddy Power at Cheltenham since the end of 2015.

Paddy Power said: "We wanted to kick the new year off with a bang, and what better place to blow the Christmas cobwebs off than at the magnificent Cheltenham on New Year's Day?"

The bookmaker has a storied history of sponsoring races at Cheltenham, most notably through its backing of the feature handicap chase at the track's November meeting between 2003 and 2015.

Power added: "The company was a long-term sponsor at Prestbury Park until the end of 2015 and it's a perfect time to rekindle the relationship at the start of a new year and new decade."

The Dipper Novices' Chase was won last year by leading King George hope Lostintranslation, while the Grade 3 handicap chase was claimed by Aso, also bound for Kempton's big race on Thursday.

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