AUSTRALIAN horse racing betting solutions provider, BetMakers Technology Group is the new sponsors of the Triple Crown Series of races.
This announcement of the 2021 BetMakers Triple Crown sponsorship deal was made yesterday at a press conference held at Caymanas Park.
The Triple Crown gets underway on June 5 with the running of the 1000 and 2000 Guineas. The 1000 Guineas is confined to fillies and the 2000 Guineas is for colts and geldings, with both races to be contested over one mile (1,600m) for purses of $3.75 million each. Last year the purse for the Guineas races was $2.8 million each.
The Classic series continues on July 3 with the running of the Jamaica St Leger. The Grade One event will be run over 10 furlongs for a purse of $4.5 million. Last year the St Leger purse was $3.0 million.
The final race in the series is on August 6 (Independence Day) with the 101st running of the prestigious Jamaica Derby for a purse of $7.5 million. The Derby is run over 12 furlongs (2,400m) with the purse offered last year being $6.5 million.
The total purse on offer for the three Triple Crown races stands at $19.5 million but it was not disclosed at the press conference the sponsorship amount BetMakers would actually put into the Triple Crown coffers.
BetMakers Technology Group had signed a historic $70-million five-year deal with Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) subsidiary, Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) in December of last year. The deal is expected to revolutionise the racing experience at the 62-year-old track.
Kimani Robinson, chairman of WAGS International Limited, gave BetMakers’ commitment to the sport.
“There’s so much happening at Caymanas Park and BetMakers is just very eager to get fixed odds starting in Jamaica. When we heard about the Triple Crown and that there was an opportunity to sponsor it, it was a no-brainer. And I think that based on all the plans we are hearing, we are just happy and looking forward to the next couple of months,” Robinson said.
Denzil Miller, SVREL’s racing secretary, said that it should be a smooth sailing Triple Crown series this year with competitive races being the order of the day.
“The Triple Crown Series is always highly anticipated by racing fans and horsemen alike. With the addition of the Portmore and the Kingston as the final two stops on the road to the Triple Crown, both over 1500m, the transition of the three-year-olds to the BetMakers Triple Crown Series should be a smooth one – the first real test starting over 1600m in the Jamaica 1000 and 2000 Guineas on June 5,” said Miller.
