Budweiser stays in the saddle with Irish Derby sponsorship

Budweiser is to continue to sponsor the Irish Derby until 2004 with a new sponsorship package that is worth £12 million (€15.24 million).

Budweiser's involvement with the event goes back to 1986 and is seen as a key element in the success of the brand in Ireland. According to Mr Bill McNulty, VP of Anheuser-Busch and MD Europe, Ireland is the fifth-largest market for the lager, not, as might be expected, in per capita terms, but in volume terms. Last year alone, consumption of the brand grew by 15 per cent between July and December.

Budweiser will also be giving a special Millennium Prize at the Irish Derby in 2000 when a $1 million bonus will be awarded to the winner if, during the same season, the horse has also won the English, French or Kentucky Derby.

While Budweiser logos will be much in evidence at Derby day on June 27th, the company will not be using the latest advertising medium to hit the racing world.

From the waist up, the jockey's clothes, which include their brightly-coloured silks, are owned by the horse's owner; however, the jockeys themselves own the rights to their breeches. Commercial logos appeared down the legs and on the bottoms of some breeches at Cheltenham and it is thought that top jockeys are able to charge up to £5,000 for on-breeches logo placement.