Weatherbys GSB Premier Handicap
Weatherbys are delighted to sponsor the Weatherbys GSB Premier Handicap at Naas on 23rd August – a card that features the first running of the valuable Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes.
The racecourse is only a furlong or two from the Weatherbys office and is a course where they have sponsored for many years.
Weatherbys Ireland General Manager Sharon O’Regan commented: “We view this sponsorship as support for the whole industry which is understandably under a great deal of pressure in the face of the Covid pandemic. It will sit alongside our other race sponsorships headlined by the Weatherby Ireland Greenland Stakes and the very popular Weatherbys ITBA National Hunt Fillies Bonus Scheme.”
As well as through sponsorship Weatherbys has been looking to support everyone working in the industry on a practical level.
The most visible aspect of this will have been through the introduction of the Vaccination App which has enabled the digital capture of vaccination records of registered Thoroughbreds.
In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic it has become necessary to change operations on race day to make things safer and as efficient as possible for all involved.
As a result, Weatherbys developed the App to allow for digitally approved vaccinations and pre-clearance measures ahead of raceday which is now fully operational in IRE and the UK.
It includes a centralised, data share repository which also supports pre-clearance for race entries between IRE and the UK.
Sharon O’Regan said: “The Vaccination App is the first component of the E-Passport which will become the digital lifetime document for horse and encompass traceability, welfare, biosecurity and whole herd health from cradle to grave for the Thoroughbred and Non Thoroughbred. It has been designed and built by Weatherbys and we are confident it will become a vital tool and a huge benefit for the industry in the years ahead.”
General Manager of Naas Racecourse Eamonn McEvoy commented: We are thrilled to partner with Weatherbys who will sponsor the Premier Handicap on the most valuable raceday at Naas. Weatherbys are a neighbouring company to us and we look forward to growing the partnership with Sharon and her team. The company has always been recognized for their innovation and have to be commended on their most recent development of the vaccination app.”
