Willie Mullins raises the bat

GIVEN public relations is often about thinking on your feet and reacting quickly to news, it’s always nice when you can prepare for the inevitable.

Willie Mullins needed six winners to become the first trainer to hit a century at the Cheltenham Festival, and with a host of hot-pots poised to strike, The Jockey Club made sure their ducks were in a row.

On social media, a rich celebratory graphic featuring some of Mullins’ most well-known Cheltenham winners was published, whilst the old trusty numbered saddlecloth was presented to Willie in the winners’ enclosure providing the perfect photo call opportunity.

Oh, and if you want to watch them all back, The Jockey Club also devised a video scrapbook, beginning with Tourist Attraction’s win in the 1995 Supreme, and with the century completed by Jasmin De Vaux winning this year’s Champion Bumper.

Getting together for 100 years of the Gold Cup

HOW to raise some extra awareness of the season’s premier Jumps race?

Well, it was the 100th year (not actually the 100th renewal, but don’t let that get in the way of a good story) of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, so The Jockey Club ramped up the nostalgia with a photo-call of past winning jockeys.

The picture generated strong engagement on social media and featured across many newspapers early in the week building up to the big race on the final day of the Festival.

Paddys play on Irish dominance

NEVER short in the creative marketing space, Paddy Power took the opportunity to poke fun at the British on St Patrick’s Thursday.

The Irish led the Prestbury Cup standings 10-3, so when the bookmaker unfurled its jokey advertising banners reading “Thanking Cheltenham for being Ireland’s B&B”, they caught a lot of attention.

However, the last laugh might have been on Paddys, as the British roared back with five winners of their own on the day!