BMW extends racing deal

BMW New Zealand is extending its partnership with Auckland Racing Club (ARC), which will see the marque become naming-rights holder for the Group 1 New Zealand Derby on March 5.   The BMW New Zealand Derby stake will also increase its current stake from $750,000 to $1 million in 2017 for the 141st running “of what many consider to be the country’s premier race” for three-year-old thoroughbreds. The stake was co-founded between New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and the ARC. Florian Renndorfer, managing director of BMW NZ, says: “The partnership is a very exciting and dynamic fit.” The partnership here follows a long-standing association the marque has had with horse racing across the Tasman.