Racecourse Entry Fee

Galileo said:
What racecourse in the UK has free entry? There is one isn't there?
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Are there mutterings of a similar approach in Ireland Gal?? You'd be a man with his ear to the ground on these things.

I'm blue in the face barking on about how irish racecourses need to keep up the marketing and get the crowds in the door. Once again, no-one in the centre of Dublin knew anything about the Leopardstown race nights. A captive audience. I go back to the Field of Dreams line "if you build it, they will come". build the right product and they will come. The courses think that just because you put on a good band that Irish people will pay €20 in, €3 for a racecard and €6 for a dodgy burger and that's before a bet, a drink or the Luas out!!

sorry I'll stop ranting now.
 
What is the average price of entry to racecourses and other than watching the actual race what do you actually get for the entry fee other than basic facilities?
 
What would you expect to get for your entry fee, Toobe? You pay £50 to go and watch football, and that's what you expect to see, isn't it? You get to see the races, that's it, for a basic entry fee! Plumpton includes a race card with the price of entry, but that's unusual.

There are standard prices and then discounted prices at all courses. You can get discounts by booking online, discounts for booking in advance, discounts for various group bookings, discounts if you're a student, an OAP, belong to the Racegoers Club (£3 off entry fees where applicable), or present any promotional vouchers at the turnstile that are relevant to the course and the day. Course entry fees range from £10 during the winter at many AW courses, to £15 and Bob's Your Uncle for premier course festivals. Race cards cost from £2.50 to £3.50 for Derby Day, for example (although you get a huge amount of information for that). So, as an example, if you booked in advance for Lingfield last February, you'd pay £8 (£10 less £2 for booking early).

I don't know what facilities you think you'd get for entry - the use of a loo, the use of the bars, the availability of the restaurant, the tv screens, the provision of the Tote, the bookies - but like any event you pay to see, whether it's the opera, a film, or a visit to the zoo - the right to enter is what you get, unless you pay for one of the special packages some courses offer. They cost an all-in fee which includes entrance, a race card, a Tote betting voucher, a drink, maybe a snack, and sometimes (if the course runs them) a behind-the-scenes visit around the course. Just logon to any course's website and they should detail their range of options.
 
granger said:
Target schools like the GAA does. A day at the races could do many a thing to a young impressionable child
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I must give credit where it is due though. The HRI courses are running a program for youngsters. It's like a get start thing where the kids are brought into the weigh room, into the parade ring (when the horses aren't around - I hope Aidan O'Brien is listening) and at the end of it get their own set of silks to bring home (albeit adult size - I have mentioned to them to get a batch of kiddie sized silks).

While we might all grimmace at this, you should see the faces of the kids when they get their silks. It's a great way to introduce kids to racing and Johnny Murtagh would be perfect for this given his status as a top jock, roll model (now that his boozy days are behind him) and a father.
 
Towcesters free entry policy,which I did not expect to work,has been a roaring success. There are thousands there spending money eating,drinking and gambling. Fabulous atmosphere even allowing for the modest racing.
 
They've been getting school kids coming to the races in big groups for the last couple of years at least over here.
 
I would have thought a race card would have been part of the entry fee I must admit. It seems all in all you get more than the football and it would seem in some respects value for money.
 
Shadow Leader said:
They've been getting school kids coming to the races in big groups for the last couple of years at least over here.
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They have Turia Tellwright do a feature on it in the RP with Ollie McPhail every 3 months or so. Think it's Huntingdon that does it though there may be more.
 
Toobe - don't you pay £50 just to get in to see the footie, though? If you average £20 to get in to see six, seven or eight races, spread out over a whole afternoon, it strikes me you get quite a lot more bang for your buck than a game of kickball!
 
I've seen the pieces IS, but I refuse to read any of the guff penned by Turia Tellwright so I wouldn't know where they'd been based.
 
Exactly Krizon, so would you see then there is a strong possibility that racing offends its potential punter in someway, whether by stereotypes forming attitudes i.e elitism or that it is obviously corrupt and or other similar reasons.

By the way I would not spend £50 to go to the football, thats not far off the mark for a set of shoes for one of the horses!!!
 
In the interests of balance, I should point out that myself and my other half will be attending Leopardstown tonight primarily (solely in her case) to see Aslan after racing. How can I protect her in this craaaaazy.....
 
"I've seen the pieces IS, but I refuse to read any of the guff penned by Turia Tellwright so I wouldn't know where they'd been based."

I'm afraid I'm guilty of the same thing, Shads, but the name fascinates me so I thought I would 'google' it. Wanted to see what her background in journalism is/was.

Couldn't find any information on that, but besides being the daughter of the infamous Kirkland, she is the daughter of The Honourable Caroline Fiona Fitzherbert, as was, and a descendant of William I of England. As you probably know she has a background in eventing.

There might be some clue in there in how Kirkland keeps his job and she got hers
 
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