1st June 2006
The Brooke is set to receive a substantial windfall as Betfair matches the commission it earns on its birthday race, The Oaks. In recognition of its sixth anniversary, Betfair will be matching the commission raised on the race for its Charity of the Year, The Brooke – the UK’s largest overseas equine welfare charity.
Betfair has committed to raising £125,000 with The Brooke over 2006 through a series of fundraising events at racecourses and other venues up and down the country, with this total being matched at the end of the year. The Oaks is significant for Betfair because it was the first market ever traded. Having taken only £3,462 on the Oaks and the Derby in 2000, Betfair has gone on to become the biggest and most successful on-line betting site in the world.
Sir Peter O’Sullevan CBE, a patron of the Brooke, will receive a cheque from Betfair’s Mark Davies immediately after the big race at Epsom. The money will benefit literally thousands of working horses in the developing world, animals that support the livelihoods of countless poor people as they struggle to survive in some of the toughest places in the world.
“The Betfair partnership and their £125,000 pledge will enable Brooke vets to reach a further 50,000 animals this year alone,” says Mike Baker, the Brooke’s Chief Executive. “Betfair’s generous donation from the Oaks means we are a step closer to realising this ambition.”
Editors Notes:
The 2006 partnership deal involves Betfair matching – up to a total of £125,000 – all the money raised in a series of innovative fundraising activities planned jointly by Betfair and Brooke throughout the year, which include:
· The Brooke’s new ‘racecourse club’ where all 59 racecourses have been invited to raise a minimum of £1,000 each as part of this year’s highly successful national fundraiser campaign, Courses for Horses.
· Betfair account holders donating online to the Brooke
· Sponsorship raised by racing people participating in the Brooke’s overseas challenge rides in Kenya
· A Charity Golf Day
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