SPONSOR BOODLES
Q&A with Michael Wainwright
Boodles, the leading British fine jeweller, sponsored the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the first time in 2022 – a historic year as Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win Jump racing’s blue riband race aboard A Plus Tard
S ince Boodles first sponsored Jump racing’s most prestigious event, it has extended its patronage to include 2023 and 2024. Ben Cox caught up with Boodles’ Managing Director Michael Wainwright to talk about the first year of the partnership, the company’s plans for the future and how the brand was founded. How do you feel your first Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2022 went? “It was always going to be a wonderful day. When I got there on the Friday morning, the sun was shining and there were pink Boodles flags everywhere. I walked around the paddock and grandstand and just thought of my dad, who loved horseracing and introduced me to it many years ago. He died 30 years ago and he would be looking down and feeling pretty proud. As the day unfolded, the result was fantastic, with Rachael, who is wonderful and who transcends the sport, becoming the first female jockey to succeed on A Plus Tard. She was a very impressive winner.” What are your plans for the future at Cheltenham? “Our sponsorship agreement takes in 2024 when the Gold Cup celebrates its 100th anniversary and that is sure to be very special. We have sponsored quite a few events over the years. As well as horseracing, we have also sponsored tennis events, the Royal Ballet and the Salon Privé motor show. I think the
trophies to the racecourse in the 1960s and 1970s. We also supplied trophies to Aintree in the 1990s when the Grand National was sponsored by Martell, and more recently when it was sponsored by Crabbie’s. My passion is Jump racing and I have shares in a few horses, including Ga Law, a Grade Two winner with Jamie Snowden who is hopefully coming back this season and could go for the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November. When the opportunity to sponsor the Cheltenham Gold Cup came up it was the right time for us – we had a bit of extra marketing budget so we decided to go for it.” three-pronged. Firstly, it enhances the Boodles brand, and for something like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, that is the main reason for our sponsorship. A good secondary reason would be that we entertain around 100 people on Gold Cup Day and around 40 people for each of the preceding three days at The Festival, which is always nice, and we are going to be entertaining even more people on Gold Cup Day next year. We also have a shop in The Orchard at Cheltenham that we have had since 2018, and it has proved to be a very good way of meeting new people. Every business needs new customers, and getting new clients is one of the hardest things to do for any organisation. Our presence in The Orchard has enabled us to pick up some What does sponsorship do for Boodles as a brand? “Our approach to sponsorship is
benefits of sponsorship accrue the longer you do it. A lot of our customers really noticed our Cheltenham sponsorship and it puts us right up there, with things like the finish being shown on the evening news. For a company of our size, it’s a big ticket. We have backed the juvenile handicap hurdle since 2018 and people are now starting to refer to that as ‘The Boodles’. We worked hard to get that race where it is and I would be reluctant to relinquish that regardless of what else we do in the future.” How did Boodles get involved with racing in the first place? My father loved horseracing and had a very close relationship with Aintree at a time when it was under the control of Mrs Mirabel Topham, and we supplied
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