Forum Replies Created
- Posts
How much of the £10 spend in the above is profit?
£10 spent on a meal and two pints of beer is not £10 profit, for instance.
Hi,
Havent got a clue mate. What I quoted was just an example and not actual figures. What the statistics showed is that free entry almost tripled the attendance than if there were an entry fee, and if those free entrants spent the same as people who pay to get in then logically the racecourse would make more money.
Mike
Drifting from the point slightly, I would like to see free entry into Racecourse to improve the image of racing, ie, more families attending etc.
I can’t remember the course, it could have been Perth, but recently they released some statistics to show that allowing free entry is more profitable than charging at the gate. It showed something like 3,000 paying £10 entry fee and spending an average of £10 = £6,0000, whereas free entry meant 8,000 attending spending an average of £10 = £8,000.
My local racecourse is Sedgefield, and they charge around £15 to get in the main stand. Now Sedgefield, as you know, has poor quality cards and I would rather sit in my house and watch it on ATR than spend £15 to get in a run down grand stand. This is probably why their average attendance is very low, and the people attending are punters rather than families having an enjoyable day out.
If Sedgefield, and courses alike introduce free entry you would get the attendance figures soaring. Families would be attending and they would make a lot of money out of mams and dads buying food and drink for themselves and the kids.
I know a lot of tracks, especially the bigger ones, still get packed attendances and families attending despite an entry fee, but some of the smaller tracks need to considerable lower their entry fee’s or even offer free entry to lift the profile of their respective tracks and the image of racing at the track.
Mike
i agree MM, there’s too much low quality turf racing and cancelled turf fixtures or cards decimated or turned into lotteries when it rains a bit. tracks like kempton and the new ones coming will be the future of racing here whether anyone likes it or not and the dissenters, like the turf tracks will gradually disappear over the forthcoming decades
Yes I agree, AW is no longer the ‘make shift’ meeting for when the turf is rained off – sometimes its the ‘principle’ meeting, like when it hold the AW Derby etc. Lingfied and Kempton hold some top class racing and in a few years time it will be even more popular. Remember, Kempton ditched it’s turf track to go to AW Racing, now that surely is a sing of things to come.
Mike
I think you miss the point slightly.
I dont mean keeping ‘one’ horse on the go all round, I mean keeping ‘flat racing’ on the go al round.
Just look at the recent examples of horses who have been kept on the go on the All Weather – need I say anymore – arguement settled lol.
1. Barshibe – made its debut on AW – then won at Royal Ascot
2. Silkkwood – won a maided on AW – then won a GRP 2 at RA
3. Zaham – 1st 3 runs on AW – then won at Royal Ascot (RA)
4. Boscobel – 1st 3 runs on AW – then won GRP" at RAWhat I am trying to say is that AW racing has benefited a lot of stables. It means thtat 2 year olds, who normally wouldnt get a run, suddenly have a chance of getting some experience during the winter once they show signs of maturing. The above examples are perfect examples.
All the best
Mike
Welcome to the forum Mikky .. I have a question.
Folk reckon that Kempton AW runs like a dog track, I don’t watch much racing, I’m generally busy eating spam sandwiches and wotnot. There isn’t enough data for me to decide whether this opinion is valid or not, what do you reckon mate .. what’s the word on Kempton, bad PR or is it really small step up from cartoon racing ??
Dave,
Thanks for the welcome.
With regards Kempton… Well you have got to give it time really. It’s the newest of the All Weather tracks, and personally I think you have got to give it time.
One thing I will say is that Kempton is a class above Wolverhampton and Southwell with regards to the class of racing, only Lingfield is better (AW Derby etc). Kempton is the first AW track that is right handed also, and if you remember, the first All Weather tracks in England (which were in 1989) were mocked for many years. Now they are used by all the big trainers and are seen as a perfect way of keeping horses on the go all year. Kempton will only grow, as will All Weather Racing.
Mike
