Racing: Herald sponsors carnival

The New Zealand Herald has entered into a sponsorship arrangement with Auckland Racing Club in a deal which incorporates naming rights of both The New Zealand Herald Summer Carnival and The New Zealand Herald Auckland Cup.

The publisher of the NZ Herald, APN NZ chief executive, Ken Steinke, sees this relationship as an integral component of the Herald and Herald on Sunday sponsorship portfolio and as the foundation of a strong relationship moving forward.

"The Herald is proud to develop this partnership with the Auckland Racing Club for the coming season and we are excited about the future plans for development at Ellerslie Racecourse," Steinke said.

"The New Zealand Herald Summer Carnival has always been a heritage event for Aucklanders and we look forward to working with the Auckland Racing Club to ensure it remains a relevant and compelling tradition for future generations of Aucklanders for many years to come."

Club chief executive Chris Weaver is equally delighted with the union, which has a history - the Herald sponsored New Zealand's premier classic, known as the New Zealand Herald Derby between 1988 and 1996.

"The NZ Herald Summer carnival is the pinnacle of the thoroughbred sport," Weaver said. "Ellerslie plays host to the finest horses, jockeys, trainers and owners during this magnificent week of racing.

"It shows the City of Auckland at its finest and the huge crowds that flock to Ellerslie are testament to the special place the racing industry holds in the hearts of New Zealanders."

The chairman of the Auckland Racing Club, Lyn Stevens, QC, said: "To have the New Zealand Herald join the team is fantastic. It is a great endorsement to what we are trying to achieve at Ellerslie with our plans to restore the traditions of racing heritage, fashion, excitement and entertainment to our sport."

The New Zealand Herald files are full of more than a century of dramatic stories from New Zealand's greatest racing carnival.

On January 2 this year the Herald carried a front-page article on English-born apprentice Gemma Sliz and her Auckland Cup victory on Matamata stayer Upsetthym.

The fact that several months down the line Sliz was lucky to escape permanent injury when she fractured a frightening number of bones in a race fall is just one of the up-the-ladder, down-the-snake memorable racing tales.

There will be plenty more from the New Zealand Herald Summer Carnival, which opens with the Mercedes Derby on Boxing Day.