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Dear theracingforum users,
My name is Robin and I am the Website Editor at the BHA.
I am posting to raise awareness of a new website which has been built by the BHA, called http://www.gojumpracing.com
The site is designed to achieve 2 purposes:
1. To be a central ticketing system for British jump racing, providing tickets for every single Jump meeting in Britian
2. To provide DISCOUNTED tickets on almost all of these meetings.The overall goal is that a win-win is achieved for racing. The site is completely non-profit for the BHA, all proceeds go to the racecourses as normal, but the overall win for us is to promote racing and hopefully increase the number of people visiting the courses. The win for the punter is that they are receiving discounts from their ticket purchases, meaning they are saving money off their days racing.
As stated above we are providing discounts on almost all Jump racing meetings. These discounts vary and include advance booking discounts, group booking discounts, raceday packages (pint and free bet etc) and so on. We also have some fantastic special offers, which include for example:
– 50% off ALL tickets to Order of Merit events at Ascot (including Long Walk Hurdle day 20th Dec)
– Group booking discount for Boylesports International
– Free pint, racecard and bet at the King George VI on boxing day
– £8 off ALL tickets to certain Kempton meetings in 2009
– Many moreObviously, being the BHA you are guaranteed to get safe and secure tickets too.
We hope you don’t mind us using the forums to raise awareness of the site. As mentioned above we are trying to create a win-win situation for racing in general and you the race goer and so wanted to engage with you and gauge response to the site.
We strongly recommend that you take a look though and see how much you can save off your planned racing days. http://www.gojumpracing.com
Many thanks, and please feel free to let me know your feedback on the site- we would love to take your views into account.
Robin Mounsey
Website Editor
British Horseracing AuthorityI think it makes you less likely to go spotaneously, in a "what shall I do this weekend" situation, if you know you could have got the tickets much cheaper earlier. Surely plenty of racegoers operate in this spur-of-the-moment fashion, rather than planning their days out well in advance?
Hi Robin
Overall I think it’s a good idea
However, will this initiative not make it easier for touts to get their hands on cheap blocks of tickets for events such as Gold Cup Day or Grand National Day before fleecing punters on the day.
A very good initiative and long overdue.
Just a little nitpicking…I note a ‘free pint’ is on offer. I am guessing that most ladies who frequent NH meetings might prefer a Gin and Tonic or similiar. Disappointing that this seems to have been overlooked.
A great idea, although the block booking would need to be restricted for the reasons David mentions in his post. I’d certainly use it and probably will at some stage. Can I have 2 free pints please
for responding to your post.I’ve been using the racecourse website discounted ticket option for jump meetings recently. It saves me a couple of quid per meeting which builds up over a period of time, and to a certain extent makes up for the fact that other commitments mean I can’t justify taking out a course membership at Perth or Musselburgh.
Rob
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Offering discounted tickets is all very well, but I see little point in creating a new website (and duplicating information) for the purpose of selling them.
Presumably we’ll have goflatracing.com to look forward to in four months time?
As website editor I’m sure you’re aware that searching for the phrase ‘horseracing tickets’ in Google will yield a plethora of results, the first three of which link back to britishhorseracing.com. Why sacrifice that sort of search engine position to create, in effect, a second ticket portal? Are your efforts not better spent re-designing the clumsily created website of the BHA for the benefit of all of the sport’s stakeholders?
I went racing on average twice a week but the price on the gate has put me off. I now only regularly visit Goodwood, where I am a member and Newbury (tattersalls member). Used to go to most Fontwell and Wincanton meetings (amongst others), but even with the Racegoers Club discount it is rarely worth the money these days. With quality of racing on the downgrade I want to see who is running first before making a decision to go. So would not want to pre-book.
If those who turn up on the day have to subsidise those pre-booked even more, then that will make me even less likely to go.
Think this "initiative" will also produce a bigger market for ticket touts.
Why can’t the day of race price come down instead?
Over the last five years I have seen a decline of true racing enthusiasts going racing, with an upsurge of once a year punters instead. Hope the BHA can maintain the amount of oncers in this recession Otherwise it is in trouble, because it has lost many of its core support.
Mark
Value Is EverythingWhy can’t the day of race price come down instead?
Over the last five years I have seen a decline of true racing enthusiasts going racing, with an upsurge of once a year punters instead.
Mark,
Surely having made the latter statement you can see the relative merits of reducing advanced ticket prices compared to those on the day?
I think this initiative is a good one considering the line the BHA are taking at the moment in attracting a wider variety of punters instead of catering for the traditional core fan base (assuming, of course, the tout issue is reduced to a very minimum). Whether said approach is entirely the right one though is slightly more up for debate IMO.
Why can’t the day of race price come down instead?
Over the last five years I have seen a decline of true racing enthusiasts going racing, with an upsurge of once a year punters instead.
Mark,
Surely having made the latter statement you can see the relative merits of reducing advanced ticket prices compared to those on the day?
I think this initiative is a good one considering the line the BHA are taking at the moment in attracting a wider variety of punters instead of catering for the traditional core fan base (assuming, of course, the tout issue is reduced to a very minimum). Whether said approach is entirely the right one though is slightly more up for debate IMO.
Racing enthusiasts are interested in the racing. If the racing is not good or value for money they will not go racing. If someone pre-books they do not know what horses will turn up. It might work for big days, but not the Fontwells of this world. It does not matter how much free beer is laid on for them. At Fontwell, since Northern Racing took over the quality seems to be even poorer where as entrance fees go up.
I am not against initiatives to get different types of people to go racing, the odd fair ground or pop concert is a good thing (though I won’t be there).
Get the quality of runner up and I might start going again.
Mark
Value Is EverythingMark
It’s not quite that straightforward. My racing is limited to weekends and holidays. I’ve booked a day off to go to Musselburgh on Monday and, though I don’t know what will be running yet, I shall be going provided the weather permits. For that reason I’m only too happy to book in advance and save myself money, and should the meeting be abandoned I can use the ticket for a future meeting.
Maybe I’m lucky, the standard of Scottish race meetings is generally pretty decent but for those of us working and taking time off for midweek meetings we have to take a chance on quality. Mind you, I’m a perverse sod who looks forward to a 2 mile selling hurdle or a 3 mile 0-90 handicap chase! Ask graysonscolumn, he’ll understand……
Rob
Hi everyone,
Thanks loads for your interest and feedback so far, it is very much appreciated.
I just thought I would try to respond to some of the points you have raised.
Re: Touts getting hold of tickets.
Fortunately we are able to track the names/addresses/tickets bought and a whole host of information for every single purchase, and as such are aware of this issue and keeping tabs on it- we have systems in place to deal with it. As YET it hasnt reared its ugly head, but please be aware we are monitoring this every day.Re: Free pint offered
You have raised a very valid point here. I am going to have to look into this and clarify exactly what drinks are offered- I’m sure that it isnt only a pint and that wine and soft drinks will be catered for. I will look this and amend accordingly, but this is a very good point and appreciated.Re: Will there be a goflatracing.com
Absolutely. If the initiative proves to be a success we have a decision to make whether to turn the site into a complete ticket site for both codes of racing, or whether to run a parallel flat website. Either way, if the initiative works we will definitely do flat racing too.Re: Redesigning BHA website
Trust me, I am on to this! I am well aware that the site is outdated. Unfortunately I have only been in this role a matter of short months but already have the wheels in motion for this. The first thing I have done is to redesign the Go Racing area of the site (http://www.britishhorseracing.com) into a logical and more user friendly order. I would like you all to know though that we have a design agency working on adding a new homepage and making the entire site much more modern and add some great features, these will be with us early next year. In the longer run we’re running a complete overhaul and redesign of the entire site. So yes, don’t worry we are on to this! These things take time though.Many thanks again for all your feedback, it is much appreciated.
Yours
Robin- Total Posts 17716
If so much time is being invested in redesigning britishhorseracing.com, why is there a perceived need for gojumpsracing.com (and, it would seem, goflatracing.com) when the BHA’s website is returned in the first three positions in Google’s search for horseracing tickets?
It makes absolutely no sense.
Typical BHA though I suppose, fixing things that aren’t broken.
Mind you, I’m a perverse sod who looks forward to a 2 mile selling hurdle or a 3 mile 0-90 handicap chase! Ask graysonscolumn, he’ll understand……
Not too much weak stuff at Kelso for you on Sunday, though, is there! Hope it beats the weather.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I know quite a few of my work colleagues book tickets in advance for specific days – such as the Newmarket nights and for popular Cheltenham days.
However they would usually deal directly with those tracks and wouldn’t think of going to a centralised agent – especially if thoses tracks were offering early bird offers or discounts for bulk purchases.
When I wanted to book tickets in advance for a Fairyhouse meeting (I was organising a stag party) I went onto their website for information and was certainly pulled in by the various hospitality options. I didn’t go there via the Horseracing Ireland site though.
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I think most people would do the same thing, Adrian, which makes this new website all the more pointless (I’d re-design it too to be honest, but then again I’m a fussy sod when it comes to graphic design).
From what I can remember I have only used the BHA’s ticket booking facilities twice – to go to Chepstow some five years ago and to Newmarket for the July meeting in 2004/5. Other than that everything has been booked via the respective racecourses’ own website.
Good idea in principle Robin, but could you clarify the position regarding current discount schemes such as the ‘Go Racing in Yorkshire Season Ticket’ and ‘RUK Club Days’? Presumably your scheme will run in tandem with these rather than replace them.
A centralised booking facility will be welcomed by many I’d have thought be they discounted or not, much like the advance booking of rail tickets via QJump
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