Garrard partners with Great British Racing International (GBRI)
Garrard recently entered a new partnership with Great British Racing International (GBRI), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting British horse racing to the international community. Through the new partnership, we aim to strengthen our ties with a sport that, like Garrard itself, has a long and distinguished history in the UK.
Founded in 1735, Garrard’s links to horse racing date back to 1842, when it crafted the very first Gold Cup for Royal Ascot, the UK’s most esteemed horse racing event. Today, Garrard is the Official Trophies and Silverware Supplier to Royal Ascot and creates a new Gold Cup each year, together with the trophies for winners of the other Group 1 races.
A truly global affair, new events have helped position the Middle East at the forefront of the sport globally. In 1996, Garrard crafted the ornate, gilded trophy for the Dubai World Cup, which quickly became a staple on the international horse racing calendar. The launch of the Bahrain International Trophy in 2019 began a new chapter in the history of the sport in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with the inaugural Saudi Cup taking place the following year. Prior to each, Garrard was commissioned to create bespoke trophies that captured the glory of winning these prestigious events.
The owner of the winning horse at the Bahrain International Trophy is allowed to keep their award, which means our silversmiths must create a new trophy each year. Based on the original design for the 2019 edition, a row of galloping horses decorates the base of the cup, and the lid features a single silver pearl, acknowledging Bahrain’s long tradition of pearl diving.
Former British football manager and player Sir Alex Ferguson, who owns more than 30 racehorses, is one of the latest to have lifted a Garrard trophy in his moment of victory. He won the hotly contested Bahrain International Trophy in November 2023 with his homebred horse Spirit Dancer, part of Great British Racing International.
In 2020, Garrard was commissioned to create a bespoke trophy for the Saudi Cup. With a total prize of $20 million, this top-tier event has become known as the most valuable horse-racing event in the sport’s history. A perpetual trophy that is passed from winner to winner each year, the sterling silver Saudi Cup stands at over one-metre tall and is covered in an ornate chased design, richly gilded in 24 carat gold.
For almost four centuries, British horse racing has been at the forefront of the sport internationally. Our new partnership with GBRI not only reinforces our support of the horse racing community; it is also an opportunity to celebrate our connections with a sport that has played such a starring role in our trophy-making heritage.
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