Aidan O'Brien welcomes £2m Triple Crown bonus as Betfred take over backing of all five British Classics

Betfred's lucrative offer of a £2 million bonus for any horse who wins the Triple Crown has been welcomed by two of Flat racing's most powerful operations after it was announced the bookmaker would sponsor all five British Classics next season.

It will be the first time the five races have been backed by one brand after Betfred added the 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas to the Derby, Oaks and St Leger. The Newmarket contests had been sponsored by Qipco since 2011, before it announced it was scaling back its investment into British racing last week.

Betfred, founded by Fred Done in 1967, also pledged a seven-figure bonus should a horse win the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger. There has been no winner of the colts' Triple Crown since Nijinsky in 1970, with Camelot being the last to come close when he was beaten three-quarters of a length by Encke in the St Leger 12 years ago.

Aidan O'Brien, the trainer of Camelot, has talked of potential Triple Crown bids in recent years for top-class pair City Of Troy and Auguste Rodin. He said: “It’s great that Betfred have put up a £2m bonus for any horse who wins the Triple Crown. All of us at Ballydoyle and Coolmore greatly appreciate all their sponsorship throughout the season and this bonus will make the Classic races even more exciting.

Encke denies 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner Camelot the Triple Crown in the 2012 St LegerCredit: Edward Whitaker

"It takes a very unique horse to go through all the Triple Crown races – they have got to have quality, class, speed, stamina and mental strength."

Juddmonte have won every British Classic and took last year's 2,000 Guineas with Chaldean, and racing manager Barry Mahon believes the Triple Crown bonus will be a positive addition.

He said: "It's exciting news. All of these bonuses are relevant and are important in keeping the Classics at the high level they are. It's a great incentive and it could persuade plenty of owners and trainers setting out with a Classic horse to have a real go at it. 

"If we have one good enough and can tick off the first couple of Classics, then we'd definitely be enticed into possibly having a go at it, for sure."

Betfred took over the sponsorship of the Oaks, Derby and St Leger from Cazoo last year and in January extended their backing of the Epsom Classics until 2026. In addition to the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas, the firm will sponsor seven additional races at the three-day Betfred Guineas festival next May.

City Of Troy romps home in the Betfred-backed DerbyCredit: John Grossick

Done said: "Nobody has ever sponsored all five British Classics and I'm so proud to be the first. I'm honoured as a bookmaker to be supporting the sport that I love. I want to put the British Classics back where they belong, at the forefront of global horseracing.

"The Triple Crown hasn’t been done since Nijinsky back in 1970, and although Camelot came very close in 2012, it seems about time we were celebrating another winner."

The Guineas have been sponsored by bookmakers before, with Stan James backing the races between 2006-2010, and online firm Ultimatebet for two years previously.

Amy Starkey, managing director of Jockey Club racecourses, said: "We've already seen how Betfred’s tremendous enthusiasm and dynamism has elevated the Derby and Oaks at Epsom and their passion for racing is fantastic for the sport. 

"The offer of this huge bonus for the Triple Crown is another superb initiative and we’re already really excited about how we can promote these iconic British Classic races in 2025."

While Nijinksy was the last winner of the colts' Triple Crown, the fillies' equivalent – the 1,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger – was won by the Henry Cecil-trained Oh So Sharp in 1985.

Read this next:

Fred Done's full house of Classics shows that sometimes long shots do come in 

'Back to its best' King George well placed to attract new sponsor as Qipco drops backing for Ascot Group 1 and Guineas festival 

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