The Aintree Grand National has unveiled its new sponsor from 2014 in the form of Crabbie’s, maker of a rather tasty alcoholic ginger beer.
Crabbie’s will sponsor the famous race for three years and 2014’s running will have a purse worth GB£ 1 million for the first time.
The sponsor will also see its name attached to the Fox Hunters’ Chase and the Topham Chase at the Aintree Grand National meeting.
John Smith’s had sponsored the race between 2005 and Auroras Encore’s 66/1 win in April 2013.
There were reports that Aintree wanted to avoid a bookmaker sponsoring the race if possible, so Crabbie’s will be seen as a success. This is a strange position to adopt, given how much Ladbrokes did to save the race from extinction in decades gone by.
The role of bookmakers in sponsoring races should not be underestimated. In 2012 the betting sector sponsored over 3,000 races, some 41% of the total. Bookmakers put up nearly GB£ 32 million in prize money in the sponsored races out of a total of GB£ 82 million.
Food and drink companies sponsored just 502 races (7%) and these races contributed GB£ 6.5 million in prize money.
