William Hill backs grassroots Irish racing with new series sponsorship

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Leading bookmaker places itself “at the heart of Irish racing” with new Each Way Extra Challenge Series

William Hill has further signalled their backing of Irish racing with sponsorship of the new William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series. Beginning on October 3^rd at Gowran Park, the series will run over seven months until April 2026, spread across 50 races at 28 meetings across 13 Irish racecourses.

The series will see points allocated per race to trainers and jockeys allocated on a first to seventh place finishing basis (10,6,5,4,3,2,1) with an overall table to decide the prize winners at the final fixture on 24^th April 2026. The winning trainer will receive €50,000, and the winning rider and stable staff will receive €10,000 respectively.

All trainers can compete in the series races, but the bonus point element is only open to trainers with 50 or fewer winners in either of the last two seasons in either code. Any rider who rides for a qualifying trainer will have bonus points allocated, while riders who ride for ineligible trainers will not receive series points for those rides only.

Stable staff from all yards will qualify for the bonus element, including staff of trainers who are ineligible. A €100 best-turned-out award will be given to the stable staff for each race in the series.

Supported by key industry stakeholders the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA), Irish Stable Staff Association (ISSA) & IJA (Irish Jockeys Association), the William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series aims to incentivise the grassroots of Irish racing and demonstrate the leading bookmaker’s commitment to the sport at every level.

William Hill’s Director of Horse Racing, Sandro Di Michele, commented on the new series: “We’re thrilled to launch the new William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series. This initiative runs through the real backbone of the Irish National Hunt season and should have a positive impact on the grassroots of the sport. We really want to position William Hill at the heart of Irish racing, and we believe this series is the perfect way of doing that. We’re very excited to see action get underway on Friday 3^rd October at Gowran Park, and we look forward to the series’ narrative building throughout the campaign.”

Jane Mangan, William Hill racing ambassador, shared her views on the series: “It’s extremely exciting for Irish racing that William Hill are launching this series. Kicking off on Friday at Gowran, there are 50 races and €135,000 in bonus money to be won. This series really has something for everyone, with bonuses for trainers, jockeys and stable staff, it’s set to give a much-needed boost to the heart of the Irish National Hunt season. Spread across tracks all over Ireland, the series will run right through the core of the industry. What’s not to like!”

Trainer Philip Rothwell commented on the series: “This is a huge new initiative for Irish racing, and we must thank William Hill for sponsoring it. What the series will offer is a massive plus for a trainer like me, as it takes the handlers with big numbers of horses out of the equation, giving the likes of me a real chance of winning a trainer’s prize at the end of the season. It’s a massive opportunity for trainers around my level to earn a good living in this sport, and I think thanks to series likes these, there’s never been as much opportunity for guys in similar shoes to me in Irish racing. It’s also fantastic that the stable staff are getting recognition with their own bonus in the series. They are the real backbone of this industry, so we’re delighted to see this support from William Hill and the IRTA.”

Feidhlim Cunningham, CEO of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, commented on the new series: “This initiative is a fantastic opportunity for medium and smaller trainers. The IRTA is delighted to have developed this series in partnership with William Hill which rewards trainers, their riders & stable staff. The races are open to all trainers, ensuring nobody is excluded from running, while the bonus element is specifically reserved for those who trained fewer than 50 winners last season. This represents real, meaningful support for grassroots racing in Ireland.

“With €100,000 in bonuses available for trainers, the €50,000 first prize equates to winning €732,000 in gross prizemoney. The exposure this series will provide to trainers nationwide will be hugely important, and we are very grateful to William Hill for sharing our vision of what this series can achieve.”

Full information on the William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series can be found here.

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