DORSET brewer Hall & Woodhouse is continuing its stint as the longest-running sponsor in horse racing by pledging to support the Badger Beers Chase at Wincanton for another three years.

The Blandford business has sponsored the feature race since it began more than 60 years ago.

Mark Woodhouse, family director at Hall and Woodhouse, said: “We’ve always loved horses in the brewing industry, because we relied on horses to get our beer to the pubs and other trading outlets. This historic event has been part of the family for over 60 years and so it is only fitting that we continue to support the race due to our own vast heritage across the south.”

The annual race sees the business celebrate with more than 400 team members, business partners and suppliers.

Chairman Anthony Woodhouse said: “The Badger Chase is a highly anticipated event for our team, and this year was even more special after we weren’t all able to come together last year due to the ongoing health crisis.

“With an estate of around 170 pubs, it is extremely rare that we have the opportunity to come together on this scale with team travelling from our trading areas that stretch from Bristol to Exeter across to London and Brighton. It is therefore wonderful that we have this date confirmed in our team’s diary for at least the next three years.”

Jack Parkinson, general manager of Wincanton Racecourse, said: “It is a fantastic achievement to have reached 60 years of partnership in 2021, and we are really looking forward to building on those years as we look ahead to the next.”