Some of racing's best-known handicaps could see their names disappear if leading sponsor George Ward gets his way.
Ward, the boss of photographic processors, the Grunwick Group, has called for sponsors to be given a free rein to rename pattern races, on the day he announced his £500,000 sponsorship package for the year 2000.
Ward's Flat-racing sponsorship kicks off on Monday when he supports the entire card at Kempton Park where the feature race is the £50,000 Doubleprint Stakes.
The main contest was originally called the Great Jubilee Handicap, a race first run in 1887 and which Ward won as an owner 21 years ago with Smartset.
Monday sees the first time the name Jubilee is divorced from the title.
Ward's programme continues at Sandown at the end of May when the Showcase race is the Doubleprint Rated Stakes, the race known for years at the Whitsun Cup.
Ward will no longer back individual Group races following bad publicity of his Greenham Stakes, but has taken on the Temple Stakes and Henry II Stakes as part of a package and given them the prefix of Tripleprint and Bonusprint, respectively.
Indian-born Ward, chairman of the Horseracing Sponsors Association, said: 'I love history and I think we should respect history, but if we are going to leap forward and compete with other sports I think it is very important for racing to realise that there are other sports that will attract sponsorship.
'Racing can be a bit stand-offish and if we are going to compete I think we have to try and get the sponsor to get full value for his money.
'What we are trying to be is suggestive. It is important for us to try and attract greater, and more, sponsors.'
Ward has inflamed traditionalists before and admitted that his sponsorship of Newbury's traditional 2000 Guineas trial which had its name changed from the Greenham Stakes had evoked scorn.
He said: 'I have been criticised dramatically and after that I said that's it, I'm never going to sponsor the Greenham again.'
Sir Peter O'Sullevan, one of racing's most respected figures, finds it hard to agree with Ward's plans.
O'Sullevan, the former BBC commentator, said: 'As a traditionalist I view with a degree of horror the loss of the traditional names.
'I very much favour the idea of sponsors but it's a pity that they can take over established race names and get their names tacked on.
'It becomes even worse if their name takes over and the original race title is lost completely.
'It would really would be absurd to change all the names but I suppose it depends how you value your birthright.
'Having said that there's nothing wrong with an innovative sponsor who established a new race.
'Look at races like the Whitbread Gold Cup and Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and see how they have become an established part of the calendar.
'Sponsors can also be discreet in their backing of races. For instance the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes has prospered under the backing of De Beers.
'Their name does not appear in the race title and yet they probably get more kudos from it than if it was the De Beers King George.
'I fully sympathise with George Ward as he's put a lot of money into racing but it's hard to contemplate losing races such as the Lincoln and Cambridgeshire that punctuate the season.'
