Hills to extend Derby ties

[Tony2005]

Hills boost Derby prize to £250K in two-year deal


NEXT year’s Derby will break the world record for prize-money in greyhound racing after sponsors William Hill on Friday night revealed the winner of the Classic will pocket a staggering £250,000, £50,000 more than Salad Dodger so memorably scooped last week.

The new prize-money even puts greyhound racing’s big event above most of the purses paid last year for horseracing’s Guineas and Royal Ascot meeting, and compares well with some of Britain’s big sporting payouts.

And, making a nonsense of talk that the company appetite for the sponsorship was waning, chief executive Ralph Topping committed his firm to a two-year deal for the amazing sum.

As well as the huge winner’s purse, the agreement also increases the prize-money for second and third, with the runner-up now scooping £25,000 (from £10,000) and the third £10,000 (from £6,000).

That £25,000 for second is the joint-second biggest prize in UK greyhound racing along with Sunderland’s William Hill Classic.

Topping said: “We are proud to continue our sponsorship for at least another two years. We were delighted with the reaction to our £200,000 Derby, with a Wimbledon record entry, and one of the most competitive events ever – producing that astonishing fairytale for Bruno Berwick and Salad Dodger.

“To see a bricklayer win the big one reminded me of growing up in mining villages in Scotland, and where similar ordinary, proud people raced their greyhounds.

“Everyone needs a dream, and greyhound racing is delivering it at Wimbledon. It gets everyone excited, thinking about breeding, and buying a dog. Salad Dodger proved it can be done, and a quarter of a million sounds even better. Doesn’t greyhound racing deserve it?

“When we took it over in 2010, Bandicoot Tipoki won £75,000 and I made a promise afterwards that we’d do our best to move it upwards. We’ve kept that promise. It’s a fantastic sport, and it deserves a fantastic prize. Good luck to everyone involved!

[Tony2005]

No stunts: £250,000 hard cash reflects our passion

I’ve been sitting on a secret for the last few days that I’ve been bursting to tell people. And by now, you’ll know it.

Next year – and indeed the year after – we’ll be crowning a £250,000 winner of the William Hill Derby. For those that haven’t looked (and I have), that’s £12,000 more than Jezki picked-up for winning this year’s Champion Hurdle, and £50k more than the winner of the Queen Anne Stakes will scoop at Royal Ascot in ten days’ time.

Added to that, as again you’ll have read, we’re raising the second prize to £25,000 from £10,000, and the third prize to £10,000 from £6,000. Quite astonishing numbers.

I often mistakenly get the credit for the injection of cash that William Hill have put into the Derby in recent years. But to clear it up, it’s not me. I promise. It’s actually all about Ralph. Few will realise that our Scottish boss is a closet greyhound fan. So I’ll out him now.

I’m fairly certain he watched every round of the Derby [and I’d bet he punted a bit on it too]. He loves the sport and furthermore he loves an underdog, and I think we all realise that greyhound racing these days is often the underdog.

We love the game, we recognise that there are moments that it needs to shine. Just as it did last week. In glorious, unique fashion.

The £250,000. It’s not a stunt or a promotion, or increasing our market share. There is not commercially-driven justification. It’s simply about the passion we have at William Hill – from top to botton - for sport, and for greyhound racing.

Kate Miller