Goffs extends major sponsorship with Kildare racecourse

Naas Racecourse has announced that thoroughbred auction house Goffs have extended their sponsorship of the Group 3 Goffs Lacken Stakes for a further three years from 2025 to 2028.

The Goffs Lacken Stakes, which takes place on Royal Ascot Trials Day, Sunday, May 18, has produced a series of top-class winners and several who have gone on to stand at stud in recent years, including Sioux Nation, Caravaggio and The Antarctic. Reflecting the race’s elevated status on the flat racing calendar, prize money will rise to €60,000 from this year, reaffirming the Kildare courses as a premier venue for emerging sprint talent.

The extended agreement also includes the continued support of the popular Goffs Owners & Trainers Lounge at Naas Racecourse, which has been a major contributing factor to the track winning the prestigious Racecourse Award for the past three years.

Aidan McGarry, General Manager of Naas Racecourse, said: “Goffs has been a long-time supporter of Naas Racecourse and we are thrilled to partner with Goffs for another three years. Their backing of the Goffs Lacken Stakes has allowed us to enhance the prizemoney level for that important contest and we look forward to another high-class renewal on May 18 which will be shown on TG4 and ITV. The support from the team in Goffs has also allowed Naas Racecourse to keep investing in our owner raceday experience, and our award-winning Owners & Trainers Lounge is a testament to our constant drive for further improvement."

This announcement comes during a landmark year for both Goffs and Naas Racecourse, who will jointly host their first-ever breeze-up sale at the track. Horses will breeze at Naas Racecourse on Monday, June 23, with the sale taking place back at Kildare Paddocks on Saturday, June 28, on the eve of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby - another major initiative aimed at enriching Ireland’s thoroughbred offering and further integrating top-class racing and sales.

Henry Beeby, Group Chief Executive of Goffs, added: “The Lacken Stakes fits perfectly with Goffs’ ethos of supporting races that produce real stallion prospects. We are proud to renew and expand our partnership with Naas Racecourse in a year when we will also stage our first breeze-up sale here. It’s an exciting new chapter and one about which we are passionate."

This extended sponsorship of the Goffs Lacken Stakes represents a cornerstone of the partnership between two of Ireland’s most dynamic racing and bloodstock institutions.

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