{"id":12849,"date":"2016-10-21T17:09:13","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T16:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=12849"},"modified":"2016-10-21T17:09:13","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T16:09:13","slug":"down-royal-set-for-%e2%80%98wkd%e2%80%99-festival-of-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2016\/10\/down-royal-set-for-%e2%80%98wkd%e2%80%99-festival-of-racing\/","title":{"rendered":"DOWN ROYAL SET FOR \u2018WKD\u2019 FESTIVAL OF RACING"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<h1><em>\u20ac50,000 prize fund confirmed for Grade 2 WKD Hurdle<\/em><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/press24.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-12850\" title=\"press\" src=\"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/press24-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"430\" height=\"286\" \/><\/a>A \u20ac50,000 prize fund has been confirmed for the Grade 2 Hurdle on Day one of the Down Royal Festival of Racing taking place Friday 4<sup>th<\/sup> and Saturday 5<sup>th<\/sup> November.<\/p>\n<p>The action packed Grade 2 Hurdle on the first day of this year\u2019s Festival, which is once again sponsored by \u2018WKD\u2019, has attracted a wealth of talent over the years including the legendary AP McCoy, with last year\u2019s race won by record-breaking jockey Bryan Cooper.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Todd, General Manager at Down Royal, said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Festival of Racing is just around the corner and we\u2019re delighted to confirm a \u20ac50,000 prize fund for the Grade 2 WKD Hurdle. Attracting such a high calibre of entrants, the Grade 2 Hurdle is always an action packed race and a highlight of the Festival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn recent years, Down Royal has established itself not only as a premier sporting destination in Northern Ireland but also the venue of choice for corporate and social days out alike.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur first class facilities, coupled with some of the most exhilarating horse racing in Ireland sees thousands of both seasoned and first time racegoers from across the country flock to the Festival, which this year will take place on 4<sup>th<\/sup> and 5<sup>th<\/sup> November.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDown Royal has a long standing partnership with WKD and we\u2019re delighted to have them on board once again, particularly as the brand celebrates its 20<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary and unveils a new look.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brendan Loughran, Head of Business Unit, SHS Group, which owns the WKD brand, said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDown Royal is a world-class venue, and a fantastic backdrop for a great day out. The Festival of Racing is a highlight in the racing and social calendar and we\u2019re thrilled that WKD, Premium Sponsor of the first day of the Festival on Friday 4<sup>th<\/sup> November, will be unveiling its new look to racing enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWKD is an iconic brand, launched in 1996, and its innovative flavour and identity resonates with racegoers here. The new transformational pack design indicates how the WKD brand is metamorphosing as it celebrates its 20<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are four variants in the WKD range:\u00a0 the original WKD Iron Brew &amp; Blue; WKD Berry and WKD Passion Fruit, which was previously named WKD Blush. Contemporary new bottle shapes with clean, stylish lines incorporate a fresh new WKD marque bringing a sophisticated feel to the design.\u00a0 Adding an element of fun, the new bottle caps come in a variety of bold, bright colours.\u00a0 No fundamental changes have been made to the liquid in terms of flavour or ABV (alcohol by volume) which remains at 4%, and there are no changes to the recommended retail price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Racegoers will also be raising the fashion stakes for the WKD Best Dressed Lady competition on Friday 4<sup>th<\/sup> November which will see the best outfit win an \u2018Ultimate Night Out\u2019 prize package.<\/p>\n<p>Brendan Loughran added:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo reflect the glamour and elegance of the female racegoer that Down Royal attracts, this year WKD is offering a superb prize for the Best Dressed Lady on Friday 4th November.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe winner will receive an amazing \u2018Ultimate Night Out\u2019 prize which includes a Ciara Daly Makeup session for four people, transfers by limousine, dinner in Belfast City followed by VIP tickets to a top nightclub.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gates will open at 11am on both Friday 4<sup>th<\/sup> and Saturday 5<sup>th<\/sup> November. General admission can be pre-booked online starting at \u00a312 and a range of corporate and hospitality packages are also available with more information at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.downroyal.com\">www.downroyal.com<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u20ac50,000 prize fund confirmed for Grade 2 WKD Hurdle A \u20ac50,000 prize fund has been confirmed for the Grade 2 Hurdle on Day one of the Down Royal Festival of Racing taking place Friday 4th and Saturday 5th November. The action packed Grade 2 Hurdle on the first day of this year\u2019s Festival, which is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2016\/10\/down-royal-set-for-%e2%80%98wkd%e2%80%99-festival-of-racing\/\">Continued<\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12849"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12849"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12851,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12849\/revisions\/12851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}