sentences:  It was the first commercial sponsorship in British sport, and the longest-running until it ended in 2001.In recent years the race has been sponsored by At the Races (2002–03), Betfred (2004–07) and Bet365 (2008–).The record for the longest-running sponsorship of a British horse race is now held by the Hennessy Gold Cup, which was launched seven months after the "Whitbread" and was sponsored by Hennessy until the 2016 running.