Horse Racing: Derby's Sponsorship Potential

The decision by Vodafone to drop their sponsorship of the Derby after the next running of the Classic in June means that, for the moment at least, neither of the great middle-distance races of high summer has a long-term commercial backer. Since blue-chip multinationals with spare cash in their sponsorship budget are hardly ten-a-penny, it will be a measure of the relative desirability of Epsom and Ascot to see whether the Derby or the King George ends up with the smartest new partner.

Tracks like these prefer to have "trophy" sponsors for their major events, in contrast to the more pragmatic approach at Cheltenham, where even the Queen Mother has her price, with not too many questions asked. Even some lifelong republicans felt that allowing an upmarket timeshare company to sponsor the Champion Chase was a little tacky, to say the least, so heaven knows what the diehard royalists who must comprise a rather larger percentage of the track's annual membership must make of it.

It is just this sort of hard-nosed commercialism, though, that has made Cheltenham such an astounding success in recent years, so those in charge have presumably done the maths. There may be the odd Disgusted of Chipping Norton who decides to cancel their annual membership in protest, but not nearly enough of them to justify turning away a fresh source of cash.

The whole business of sponsorship is a commercial one, of course, for all that it is often characterised as being more akin to a charitable donation by a generous benefactor, with racing cast as a suitably grateful and fawning recipient. Epsom did Vodafone a considerable favour by allowing them to attach their name to the most famous Classic in the world. They showed their appreciation by paying a handsome price that suited both. Now, Vodafone expects to get a better return on its money elsewhere, and Epsom can do the same favour for somebody else.

It is not just Epsom that makes the Derby so desirable, however, since racing as a whole also plays its part. A peak is only a peak because of the mountain underneath it, and it is a point that the marketing executives who are currently trying to find a new sponsor for the race should bear in mind.

As far as many punters and racegoers are concerned, The Derby Stakes, plain and simple, is the ideal name for the ultimate Classic. It is clean and uncluttered, with its sense of history and heritage undiluted. Without a sponsor, we will also be spared the sort of nonsense that was often a feature of Channel 4's coverage a few years ago, when you might be told, for instance, that "Mahmoud won the Vodafone Derby in 1936".

At the same time, though, they also appreciate that sponsorship helps to keep the prize fund competitive. From this perspective, sponsorship is not so much a good thing as a necessary evil.

The Derby is different, which is why it will have little trouble attracting suitors, but that difference is also the reason why the "right" company may not be the one that offers the most money.

The fact that the entire sport, punters and racegoers included, has a stake and an interest in the name of a great race like the Derby is one that Epsom needs to remember - and the same one that that Cheltenham appeared to forget when the Queen Mother Champion Chase was sold off by the pound.