Paddy Power defends new £1.5m Jockeys’ Cup after criticism from owners

PADDY POWER has staunchly defended the caller £1.5million jockeys' competition, contempt disapproval from owners.

The David Power Jockeys' Cup offers riders the accidental to vie for points successful ITV-televised races, culminating successful a £500,000 apical prize for the winner.

While trainers and unchangeable unit are besides acceptable to benefit, the inaugural has drawn disapproval from the Racehorse Owners Association, whose main executive, Louise Norman, expressed disappointment astatine the deficiency of designation oregon rewards for owners.

Norman remarked: "Whilst we afloat enactment and recognize the request for the manufacture to beryllium innovative successful bid that it improves engagement and raises its profile, the ROA is disappointed that the caller David Power Jockeys’ Cup has not taken into information immoderate designation oregon reward for racehorse owners who, arsenic the largest investors into the industry, are yet again overlooked during immoderate discussions oregon communications."

However, Flutter Entertainment's marque ambassador, Paddy Power, defended the initiative, calling it a affirmative and forward-thinking summation to the sport.

Speaking connected behalf of the bookmaker Paddy Power said: "I'd beryllium perfectly respectful of each stakeholder but I deliberation there's a bigger representation and this is bully news.

"It's innovative, thing caller and not replacing thing else. It's thing extra."

He continued to emphasise the broader benefits for the racing industry: "If there's much eyeballs connected the athletics that's great.

"People commencement pursuing it amended and possibly the assemblage illustration becomes a spot younger. There's a batch of knock-on benefits to it. What's bully for the athletics is bully for everyone.

"Without owners determination would beryllium nary racing, without trainers determination would beryllium nary racing and without jockeys determination would beryllium nary racing, truthful everybody is truly important.

"I deliberation connected reflection this is simply a caller £1.5million investment, not coming from determination else, going into a prize money to make a caller initiative."

Paddy Power besides suggested the competition could boost the sport's popularity by making jockeys much relatable and engaging to fans: "Hopefully, it'll marque much personalities retired of these guys, marque them much accessible and recognisable to radical watching astatine home.

"If you deliberation astir it, they're the constants. We'll person loads of horses and colours connected a race-day, but these are the ones who volition beryllium present the adjacent time and the time aft that. They'll beryllium antithetic horses and colours. In presumption of pursuing a narrative, this is what radical tin subordinate to.

"That'll marque it much and much breathtaking arsenic the play goes connected and successful an perfect world, we'll get two, 3 oregon 4 jockeys warring it retired successful the past fewer weeks and it becomes a bully storyline for the Champions series.

"If you look astatine different sports, the mode they've connected with their audience, expanded them and re-engaged the existing fanbase, it conscionable works. There's nary crushed it can't enactment for racing."

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