JUST over seven years ago Unibet sponsored its first ever race at Chepstow when a horse called Dubawi Island won the ‘Unibet Offering 5 Places in National novices’ hurdle’.
On Sunday we reach 1000 sponsored races on the day we sponsor the Grade 1 Unibet Morgiana hurdle and the Grade 3 Unibet Greatwood hurdle. More than 9,000 runners will have raced in these 1,000 races with many being household names, while one or two are regarded as the very best racehorses in their genre the world has ever seen.
We’re marking the 1000 race landmark by sponsoring a new Grade 2 hurdle at Punchestown to complement our Unibet Morgiana sponsorship on the same day, entitled Unibet 1000th Race Celebration.
Hopefully many will be aware of our series of races that make up our Road to Cheltenham culminating with the Unibet Champion hurdle itself in March.
These consist of six races run at Cheltenham (3), Wincanton, Haydock Park and Punchestown but in the last half dozen years we have also sponsored races from Bath, Chepstow, Doncaster, Goodwood, Kempton Park (turf and AW tracks), Lingfield (AW track), Newbury, Newcastle (turf track), Newmarket, Sandown, Southwell (AW track), Windsor, Wolverhampton and York.
And in these seven years we have also been the Official Betting Partner of the Epsom Investec Derby, Qatar Goodwood Festival, Unibet Christmas Festival at Kempton, Unibet Hungerford Day at Newbury and the Unibet Jump Season Opener at Chepstow.
And some of the very best horses have run and won races sponsored by Unibet.
So. to celebrate our 1000th sponsored race here is an A-Z of winning horses (and one jockey) from those 1000 race sponsorships; it was hard to choose just one for each letter on most occasions as so many good horses, and good races have been sponsored over the years: But A was easy……..
A is for ALTIOR who won the G2 Unibet Desert Orchid Chase on 27th December 2017 and is one of the greatest horses to have graced the hallowed Cheltenham turf. He won a world record 19 consecutive jump races – across four seasons – and this race was number 16 on that run.
B is for BUVEUR D’AIR who has run in five G1 Unibet sponsored events winning three; the Unibet Fighting Fifth at Newcastle in December 2017, the Unibet Christmas hurdle in December 2017 and the Unibet Champion hurdle itself in March 2019. He’s also finished 2nd in the 2018 Unibet Christmas hurdle and fell in 2019 Unibet Champion hurdle
C is for CROSSE FIRE who has won more Unibet sponsored races than any other horse, His 5 victories came between 17th March 2015 & 10 March 2016 – all at Southwell.
D is for DUBAWI ISLAND who won our very first sponsored race at Chepstow on Grand National day (April 5th) 2014.
E is for ENABLE who ran her last race on British soil in the Unibet September Stakes on 5th September 2020. One of the sports all-time greats. One of just two winners that Frankie Dettori has ridden to success in Unibet sponsored races. Other being Galsworthy.
F is for FRODON who took the G2 Unibet Silviano Conti Chase at Kempton on 11th January 2020 and remains one of the most popular current chasers along with regular jockey Bryony Frost.
G is for GENTLEMEN who won the Unibet Offer Daily Jockey/Trainer Specials maiden stakes at Wolverhampton on 27th March 2015 at odds of 100/1! The highest odds winner of any Unibet sponsored race
H is for HERE COMES WHEN winner of the G3 Unibet Mile at Haydock on 8th September 2018. It was his first win since taking the Qatar Sussex Stakes in 2017. He didn’t win again.
I is for INVINCIBLE ARMY winner of the listed Unibet Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster on 30th March 2019. That season he went onto win G2 & G3 sprints and ended his career finishing 4th in the Prix de L’Abbaye at Longchamp.
J is for JUDICIAL who took the Unibet Conditions stakes at Newmarket on 19th July 2019 The popular Julie Camacho sprinter has won four times since
K is for KHAADEM who demolished his field to land the 2019 Unibet Stewards Cup on 3rd August.
L is for LUKE MORRIS who has won more Unibet sponsored races than any other jockey. His total is currently 45.
M is for MY TENT OR YOURS who finally won at Cheltenham following three seconds in previous Unibet Champion hurdles, when taking the G2 Unibet International on 16th December 2017.
N is for NIETZSCHE who landed the G3 Unibet Greatwood hurdle at Cheltenham on 18th November 2018.
O is for ORIENTAL RELATION who took part in 13 Unibet sponsored races from December 2014 to January 2016 at Lingfield, Wolverhampton and Southwell winning one of them on 5th March 2015 Southwell.
P is for POLITOLOGUE who won the G2 Unibet Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton on 27th December 2017.
Q is for QUALITY ART who ran in 14 Unibet sponsored races from November 2014 to March 2016 winning four of those races, three at Wolverhampton and one at Lingfield.
R is for RED VERDON the jet setting Ed Dunlop trained gelding took the Unibet Conditions stakes at Doncaster on 31st March 2019
S is for SHARJAH who took the G1 Unibet Morgiana on 18th November 2018 and also finished 2nd in 2020 Unibet Champion hurdle, and 4th in 2019 Unibet Morgiana.
T is for THE NEW ONE who raced in five Unibet sponsored races winning the race we have named after him – the The New One Unibet hurdle – at Haydock in January 2018 but he was also runner up in both the G2 Unibet International at Cheltenham and G1 Unibet Christmas hurdle at Kempton in December 2017 and finished his career when being pulled up in the G2 2018 Unibet International.
U is for UZINCSO has won two Unibet sponsored races at Kempton in September and October 2020 from just two runs in Unibet sponsored races.
V is for VERDANA BLUE who has won two Unibet sponsored races. She took the Unibet Elite hurdle in November 2018 at Wincanton before landing the G1 Unibet Christmas hurdle a month later at Kempton. She has also finished 4th in the G3 Unibet Greatwood of 2018 and 5th in the 2019 G1 Unibet Champion hurdle.
W is for WOLOWITZ who won 4 Unibet sponsored races at three different AW tracks; namely Southwell, LIngfield and Wolverhampton, within thre emonths in late 2015 early 2016
X is for XTARA the only horse beginning with X to run in a Unibet sponsored race, finishing 8th at 80/1 and 12th at 66/1 at Kempton in 2020.
Y is for YOU’RE GIFTED who ran in more Unibet sponsored races than any other horse – 20 – winning four times in 2014, 2015 & 2016.
Z is for ZABEEL PRINCE who won the Unibet.co.uk handicap at York in October 2017 from rating of 96, then took the listed Unibet Doncaster Mile in March 2018 before contesting Group1, 2 & 3 races.
