Yarmouth’s 71st East Anglian Derby will be sponsored by *Sun Bets, and will return to a winner’s prize of £15,000.
Promoter Simon Franklin said: “It makes such a difference having a sponsor and obviously affects the prize money which is back to 2015 levels when Totesport backed the competition.”
Franklin is equally delighted to have secured the Thursday night (September 21) for the 462 metre final which will be broadcast live on SKY.
He said: “It must be five or six years since we were able to hold the final on the Thursday which is the last day of the local horse racing festival. It makes a massive difference to our attendances during the week.”
Tabcorp’s UK Executive Director , Bernadette McLoughlin said: “Sun Bets is pleased to sponsor the 2017 East Anglian Derby at Yarmouth. Greyhound racing is an important betting product in our portfolio and we look forward to working with and promoting this year’s competition.”
Before then, the Caister Road track host the traditional taster, the Bud Light East Anglian Challenge with heats over the Derby distance. The heats are on Saturday 5 August with the £1,200 final the following Wednesday.
Entries close at Noon on Tuesday.
*Sun Bets launched in August 2016 and is one of the UKs fastest growing online betting and gaming brand. It is the latest addition to the Sun’s stable of sport and entertainment products, and follows on from the Dream Team fantasy football game and Sun Bingo. It complements News UK’s Premier League and Scottish Premier League highlight video rights as well as the company’s acquisition of Wireless Group, which owns stations TalkSport and TalkSport 2.