Escorial Racing Forum

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BrianH

BrianH

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I've just received a letter from the Escorial Racing Forum (wouldn't email have been less costly?) to tell me that From Monday 30th October if I wish to access the forum I must pay a subscription of £20 a month, or £55 a quarter, or £200 a year. membership will be limited to 1,000 subscibers. The point is made that Escorial Racing is a non-profit making organisation and that 20% of the fees paid by members will go to charity.

I haven't quite fathomed out yet what happens to the other 80%.

I don't think I'll join.
 
I received the same letter last week.

I asked to be taken off his database. I was obviously kept on it.

No idea why as I am pretty sure he knows I would never part with any money to join.
 
I believe (without certainty) that the forum itself was to remain free to air but that the facilities in the main site would solely be available to paid up members.

I imagine the other 80% would be running costs. I wouldn't know if that included salaries.

I am not overly enamoured by the site these days (and security at work have blocked it to boot), but I don't doubt Ron believes he is offering a value for money service.

I believe it could make interesting reading if he was invited to explain his venture on this forum, although I could understand if the invitation was not issued or accepted.
 
Has he still got that article by you about odds comiling Brian? That stuff's gold dust ~ peope get killed for ev...................arrrgggghhhhhh!!
 
From the website:

From October 30th Escorial Racing becomes a subscription only website.

It will cost:

Monthly subscription = £20
Quarterly subscription = £55
Annual subscription = £200

WHAT DO I GET FOR MY MONEY?

Just one thing, and one thing only….membership of The Escorial Racing Club.

Is that it?

Yes, but….

Initially you will receive the following, free of charge:

Access to the Ratings, Daily Preview, the sections run by “The Team” plus, new sections that will soon become very important to your punting armoury including, Today’s Placepots, Today’s Best Bet and Hot and Cold. Full details regarding these new sections will soon be available on the Forum and also accessible via the Home Page.
Free entry into both the JOKER, ERFC Cup, and Monthly Naps Competition, all of which will carry decent monthly prizes.
An e-mailing service which will deliver the views of the Team on a daily basis to an e-mail address/addresses of your choice.
The E-Mail Special. A service that was first introduced in 2004 that saw 23 e-mails go out to members, producing nine winners, which produced a near 400% profit over the course of 18 months.

As the membership increases to 250 members, the following will be added to the membership package:

Five free entries into both Fantasy Horse Racing games run each season, Flat and National Hunt. The Escorial Racing Members League will have a first prize of £2,500 to the winner, thus giving you 10 chances each year to win £2,500!

As membership increase to 500 members, the following will be added to the package:

An invitation to join us for a day at the races. This will happen at three times during each 12 month period and on each of those days we will be sponsoring a race.
One of the members present on those days will be nominated to present the winning connections of our race with their prizes.
An increase in the prizes on offer for Fantasy Horse Racing, including monthly, quarterly and end of game prizes, plus prizes to the winners of each individual league.
An increase in the prizes on offer for winning the JOKER, ERFC Cup and Monthly Naps Competitions.

Once we have achieved full membership (1000 members):

All of the above plus, Membership of The 100 Club. This is The Escorial Racing Club’s very own syndicate. We will be purchasing three racehorses. They will be placed with trainers in the North, Midlands and South, thus giving the members access to our horses, should they wish to go and visit them at stables. The trainers we choose will have had plenty of experience dealing with syndicates, thereby ensuring a friendly welcome should you wish to visit. Whilst the horses will run in the name of, and the colours of, The Escorial Racing Club, you will be a part owner of one of them and all of them. Let me explain how this works. Once we have 1000 members involved, you will be nominated a 1/333rd share in one of the three horses. Any prize money won will be divided equally between the 333 members owning a share in that horse. At the end of each season, the three horses will be sent to the sales, irrespective of how good or bad they are, and the proceeds* divided equally between the 1000 members. Full details of “The 100 Club” will be on the new website, when it has been completed.
Discounted entry to the tracks which whom we have negotiated discounted entry for our members. Again, full details will be available on the new website when completed.
A membership card that will offer you discounts with various organisations with whom we partner. These will include restaurant and hotel chains, car hire companies etc., in order to offer you cheap facilities should you need to travel to watch one of the horses race and wish to make a weekend of it!

We will not be stopping there, either. The Escorial Racing Club management will continue to strive to produce enhanced benefits for the membership, whilst providing the information through which you will, hopefully, recoup more than your membership fees.

Please read our terms and conditions regarding the “package”.
* After all bills etc. have been paid
Click to expand...

It looks like you're also getting a small share in a horse.
 
...It should be said that I also wouldn't pay to use the Racing Post website, I certainly won't be paying to use this one as I can get superior info at source.
 
Originally posted by Desert Orchid@Sep 12 2006, 01:13 PM
It looks like you're also getting a small share in a horse.
Click to expand...
If membership reaches 1000.

What happens if it reaches, say 750 in the first year, thus requiring no large outlay on nags, but also creating revenue of £150,000. Is the excess put in a bank account and added to the initial pot available to buy a horse when 1000 is reached?

What if it fails to reach 1000 members within, say 5 years, leaving circa £500,000 (plus not inconsiderable interest and minus generous annual costs of £50k) "resting" in an account in the hope that the glorious figure of 1000 will be reached at some point, hopefully before the club has the spending power to outbid Sheikh Mo?
 
I've also received the letter. Now my maths may be letting me down here but it says the aim is to raise £1 million for charity over the next 5 years. If members are paying £200 a year and 20% of membership fees are going to charity then it would need an average of 5000 members a year to raise this. Membership is limited to a maximum of 1000. ;)

I won't be joining anyway.
 
Not quite as good value as Gay Kelleway's tipping service she launched a year or so back.
 
Its up to Ron at the end of the day, I dont use his forum anymore as it simply does not seem to get enough posts on there and gets pretty quiet. As for opening an invitation for Ron, he is a member here so he does not need one.
 
Originally posted by Galileo@Sep 12 2006, 08:49 PM
Its up to Ron at the end of the day, I dont use his forum anymore as it simply does not seem to get enough posts on there and gets pretty quiet. As for opening an invitation for Ron, he is a member here so he does not need one.
Click to expand...
He doesn't post anymore. Something to do with Venn Ottery, BrianH, a teenager and the surrounding who-ha.

Part of the forum rules are that you should not promote commercial interests. Despite claiming to be a non-profit organisation, I don't expect Ron to be financially neutral with regard to the success of the site, so technically it would not be allowable.

Given questions arising from the initial post, and possibly inferences of highly favourable (to Ron) budgeting, and also given that the target market for his project would most likely include people who might read this forum, I would like to see him formally offered, and accepting, an invitation to discuss his project.

I have no interest in the entertainment value which may ensue from such a debate.
 
do u mean good for her or good for the members

is she a better tipster than a trainer not that that would be difficult
 
Its a market place. If people percieve it to be of that value they will subscribe, if not Ron will be faced with difficult choices. I have made the decision not to join.

I think the odds on getting 1000 members at €300 pa would be rather large.
 
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