DOOLEY INSURANCE GROUP TO TOP AND TAIL PUNCHESTOWN FESTIVAL  

DOOLEY INSURANCE GROUP TO TOP AND TAIL PUNCHESTOWN FESTIVAL       

One of Ireland’s largest independent, family owned and run insurance brokers, the Dooley Insurance Group will once again ‘top and tail’ the Punchestown Festival and will sponsor two races during the famous festival.  The Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase will run at Punchestown on the opening day, Tuesday, 26^th of April.  The group will also sponsor the Dooley Insurance Group WFA Cross Country Steeplechase on the closing day of the festival, Saturday, 30^th of April. The €125,000 Grade 1 contest is set to be one of the most thrilling races of the season and has attracted a top-quality field of 20 entries including two of the most exciting chasers on the circuit, Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champs.  The race is expected to produce some very exciting racing action when this pair are expected to lock horns at the curtain raiser of the festival.

Established over sixty-five years ago the Dooley Insurance Group is now one of Ireland’s largest independent insurance brokers with over 12,000 clients throughout the country. The Dooley Insurance Group are also an official insurance partner of Punchestown Racecourse. Despite the challenges of the pandemic the group has grown and has acquired the long-established business of Padraic O’ Connor Insurances in Offaly in December 2021 with further acquisitions on the cards. The company now has 15 members of staff and will soon double its office space at the Naas office at Millennium Park in order to accommodate new team members.

Tim Dooley, Managing Director of the Dooley Insurance Group said, “We began sponsoring at Punchestown in 2017 and since that time our support has grown in importance and stature and is Grade 1 status since 2019.  The Grade 1 race has attracted some of the most incredible horses and we are particularly thrilled this year with the quality of the entries. The prize money too has also gone up from €100,000 to €125,000 which is testament to the importance of the fixture.  The growth in our business over the last 18 months has been phenomenal and the pandemic has reminded customers how important it is to have adequate cover and to protect the things and people that matter most you.  Health insurance, business insurance and cyber security insurance are particularly important now, and we offer all of these services to our ever-growing client base.  Ultimately, though our growth is due to our strong relationships with our customers. They want to be able to pick up the phone and speak to a ‘real person’ and get bespoke and unbiased advice, and that is what we offer.  We can offer people solutions and products from over 50 different providers so we will always offer the ‘best fit’ solution for our clients.  We are delighted to be part of Punchestown again and to have the opportunity to showcase our brand and services – it’s an iconic festival.”

Mary Healy Dooley, Marketing & PR Director of The Dooley Insurance Group said, “Punchestown has always been at the heart of the community here in Kildare and this sponsorship offers us the perfect platform to promote our business and our brand to our target audience through the mediums of television, radio, print and social media.  It also allows us to increase our digital footprint as more and more racing fans will watch the action unfold through their smart phone or other digital devices.”

Punchestown CEO Conor O’Neill said, “The Dooley Insurance Group have been brilliant supporters of Punchestown as both sponsors and service providers. We aim to engage with dynamic, market leading businesses and always seek out local providers where we can so the Dooley Group are an ideal fit here at Punchestown.   The Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase has been one of the most hotly contested races in recent times and this year’s renewal is billed as one of the highlights of the season. We are really looking forward to it.”.

The Punchestown Festival will run from Tuesday, 26^th April to Saturday 30^th of April. For more information on the Dooley Insurance Group please see www.dooleyinsurances.ie  or call (045) 431642. For further information on the Punchestown Festival see www.punchestown.com

–ENDS-

For further press information, photography or to interview Tim Dooley of the                  Dooley Insurance Group please contact Aileen O’Brien, O’Brien PR.  (045) 407017 or mobile (086) 8403624 aileen@obrienpr.com

NOTE TO EDITORS:

The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase and is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong (3 miles and 120 yards, or 4,938 metres), and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers and has seen some past winners going on to find racing glory in both the UK and Ireland.