Boylesports will sponsor RTÉ's horse racing coverage in "a seven-figure investment" by the group. The bookmaker already sponsors major Irish racing events including the Irish Grand National and the Irish Greyhound Derby.

"This deal cements our place as Ireland's number one bookmaker in terms of monetary contributions towards Irish racing," said Boylesports chief executive John Boyle, who founded the company in 1989. It now has 197 betting shops and is Ireland's largest independently-owned bookmaker.

The two-year deal applies to RTÉ’s television, radio and online coverage of horse racing, including its broadcasting from festivals such as Punchestown, Galway and Leopardstown.

In total, RTÉ Sport broadcasts 24 days of live Irish racing coverage on television each year, while it also covers key race meetings from the UK, including the Aintree Grand National and the Cheltenham Festival.

RTÉ’s racing coverage was previously sponsored by Betfair.