IRELAND/UAE. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby will take place this Saturday (1 July). It has been ten years since the retailer first became the title sponsor of the historic flat race.
Dubai Duty Free said it remained “supremely committed” to the event at Curragh Racecourse in Kildare, and last year the prize money was increased to €1.5 million.
“The 10 years that we have been sponsoring the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby have been wonderful for Dubai Duty Free and very successful for our business,” noted Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Colm McLoughlin.
“It is great to be involved with a race of this prestige for such a long period of time, and we have seen it go from strength to strength each year. The new development at the Curragh will be fantastic and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished project in 2019.”
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby also includes a number of other events that take place around Kildare in the week building up to the race. This year, Dubai Duty Free said it was hoping to get the business community involved by delivering bunting to premises around Newbridge and Kildare Town “to bring out the colour in both towns and giving them an opportunity to enter the Best Dressed Shop Front competition”.
The winners of the competition will receive €1,500 and VIP hospitality at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby in the Dubai Duty Free VIP private suite, while second place will get €1,000 and third place will receive a prize of €500.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Golf Classic, which will be held at The K Club on 29 June, gives amateur golfers the opportunity to play on the course which hosted the 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the 2006 Ryder Cup. The winning four-person team will be invited to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Saturday where they can enjoy full hospitality courtesy of Dubai Duty Free in a private VIP suite.
The Five AA Red Star K Club hotel will host the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Ball on 30 June. It has raised more than €230,000 for local charity the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation in the past three years.
The Dubai Duty Free Most Stylish Lady competition will run on 1 July and the best dressed lady will win a luxury trip to Dubai, staying in the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, in addition to €1,000 Dubai Duty Free spending spree.