Exclusive offers Free tickets and race day deals Racing fixtures Welcome to the summer line up New kid on the block Michael Conlon saddles up with Turf TV
MAGAZINE Welcome to the Club magazine
Time out Club members share tips on race days ahead
SUPPORTING YOUR BUSINESS
We know that opening and establishing a new betting shop can be an expensive business ! Which is why we are offering our existing customers a 50% annual fee reduction on new shop orders in 2011. Terms and conditions apply.
For more information
For more details and for terms and conditions, visit:
Call +44 (208) 614 4070
www.turftv.co.uk/soft-start-scheme/
Welcome to the TURF TV Club magazine In this issue we focus on the next three months of excitement at the racetracks. High stakes and high drama are on the cards, with the likes of Glorious Goodwood making a dent in punters’ pockets and an impact on tills and turnover. (Turn to page 4 for details on what’s coming up, where and when.) Word from the frontline is that you’re planning to make the most of the spectacular fixtures. We rang a number of you to find out your thoughts on the months ahead (page 11) and the resulting comments provide a revealing snap-shot of who’s excited about what – and why. On the excitement front, if you have time to leave the shop and take in a bit of action yourself, then turn to pages 5-8 for your exclusive Turf TV Club offers. Cut out the vouchers and send them to the relevant course. You’ll find the details on the reverse side of the voucher. (There’s a deadline date on each of them, incidentally, so make sure to get it in the post in time.) Finally, we invited our latest Turf TV recruit – Michael Conlon, from OpenBet – to share his thoughts on life in the betting industry.
DAYS OUT FOR TURF TV CLUB MEMBERS Take time out and join us at any of the following fixtures. Divided into Silver Club Days and Gold Club Days, there are free tickets and special deals exclusively for you to use – for yourself, your team or even your favourite customers. SILVER CLUB DAYS Tuesday, 19 July – Musselburgh Thursday, 28 July – Nottingham Thursday, 11 August – Newmarket Monday, 15 August – Thirsk Friday, 19 August – Bangor-on-Dee Thursday, 25 August (evening) – Cartmel Monday 19 September – Hamilton Park GOLD CLUB DAYS Friday, 5 August (Evening) – Haydock Park Saturday, 10 September – Kempton Park Monday, 19 September – Hamilton Park Tuesday, 30 September – Haydock Park • Please turn to pages 5-8 for your vouchers
WELCOME
Any questions? Views you want to air? We want to hear from you. Contact us at club@turftv.co.uk
STOP PRESS Opening a new shop in 2011? Take advantage of our 50% off Soft Start discount for new shops (see opposite page)
TURF TV- CONTACT THE TEAM General enquiries: +44 (208) 614 4070 Help desk:+44 (1902) 625 260 Trackside House, 99 Waldegrave Road, Teddington, TW11 8LA www.turftv.co.uk Managing editor: Stephen Walsh Published by: Alchemy Contract Publishing Ltd Gainsborough House, 59/60 Thames Street, Windsor, Berks SL4 1TX Email: info@alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk. Tel: +44 (1753) 272022 Fax: +44 (1753) 272021 The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or distributor.
03
RACING FIXTURES JUNE 14 - SEPTEMBER 14 * Key: Afternoon Racing (PM); Twilight (TL); Evening (Eve); All Weather Track (AWT) Flat in CAPITALS; Jump in lower case.
JUNE Tue 14
ASCOT
PM
THIRSK
PM
ASCOT
PM
Wed 15 HAMILTON PARK
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
ASCOT
PM
Thu 16 BEVERLEY
Eve
WARWICK
PM
ASCOT
PM
AYR
Eve
GOODWOOD
Eve
MUSSELBURGH
PM
NEWMARKET
Eve
REDCAR
PM
ASCOT
PM
AYR
PM
HAYDOCK PARK
Eve
NEWMARKET
PM
REDCAR
PM
Fri 17
Sat 18
Sun 19 PONTEFRACT
PM
Mon 20 KEMPTON PARK
PM
Tue 21
BEVERLEY
PM
NEWBURY
Eve
CARLISLE
PM
Wed 22 KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Thu 23
Fri 24
Sat 25
PM
HAMILTON PARK
Eve
WARWICK
PM
CHESTER
Eve
Market Rasen
PM
NEWMARKET
Eve
CHESTER
PM
NEWMARKET
PM PM
MUSSELBURGH
Eve
PONTEFRACT
PM
HAMILTON PARK
PM
CATTERICK BRIDGE
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
EPSOM DOWNS
Eve
Thu 30 HAYDOCK PARK
PM
Mon 27 Tue 28 Wed 29
NEWBURY
Fri 8
Sat 9
Sat 2
Sun 3 Tue 5 Wed 6
04
Eve
Thu 28 NOTTINGHAM
PM
YORK
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
Bangor-On-Dee
PM
CHESTER
PM
WARWICK
PM
GOODWOOD
PM
Market Rasen
Eve
ASCOT
PM
MUSSELBURGH
Eve
SANDOWN PARK
PM
CHESTER
Eve
NEWMARKET
Eve
YORK
PM
NEWBURY
Eve
THIRSK
PM
HAMILTON PARK
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
GOODWOOD
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
PM
YORK
PM
HAMILTON PARK
Eve
WARWICK
Eve
ASCOT
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
CHESTER
PM
THIRSK
PM
CATTERICK BRIDGE
PM
HAMILTON PARK
Eve
CHESTER
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
SALISBURY
Eve
YORK
PM PM
Tue 12
BEVERLEY
PM
CATTERICK BRIDGE
PM
Wed 13
SANDOWN PARK
Eve
Cartmel
PM
Thu 14 EPSOM DOWNS
Eve
Fri 15
Sat 16
HAMILTON PARK
PM
HAMILTON PARK
Eve
HAYDOCK PARK
PM
NEWBURY
PM
NEWMARKET
Eve
NOTTINGHAM
PM
PONTEFRACT
Eve
HAYDOCK PARK
Eve
Market Rasen
PM
NEWBURY
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
Sun 17 REDCAR Mon 18 Tue 19 Wed 20 Thu 21
Fri 22
Eve
JULY Fri 1
EPSOM DOWNS
Mon 11 AYR
Eve
SALISBURY
Sun 26 SALISBURY
Thu 7
Eve
HAYDOCK PARK
Eve
SANDOWN PARK
PM
WARWICK
PM
BEVERLEY
PM
CARLISLE
Eve
HAYDOCK PARK
PM
Sat 23
NEWBURY
PM
AUGUST
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
Cartmel
PM
PONTEFRACT
PM
GOODWOOD
PM
HAYDOCK PARK
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
SANDOWN PARK
Eve
REDCAR
Eve
HAYDOCK PARK
Eve
BEVERLEY
PM
NEWMARKET
Eve
ASCOT
PM
AYR HAYDOCK PARK NEWMARKET
PM
Huntingdon
PM
REDCAR
PM
WARWICK
PM
THIRSK
Eve
EPSOM DOWNS
PM
AYR
PM
GOODWOOD
PM
NOTTINGHAM
Eve
CARLISLE
Eve
BEVERLEY
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
Wed 3 Thu 4 Fri 5
Sat 6
Mon 8 Tue 9
Wed 10 KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Thu 11
PM PM
Eve
Cartmel
PM
PM
Mon 29 EPSOM DOWNS
PM
Eve
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
SALISBURY
PM
SANDOWN PARK
Eve
CATTERICK BRIDGE
Eve
EPSOM DOWNS
Eve
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
SANDOWN PARK
PM
NEWBURY
PM
ASCOT
PM
NEWMARKET
Eve
NEWMARKET
Eve
NOTTINGHAM
PM
THIRSK
PM
Market Rasen
Eve
YORK
Eve
NEWBURY
PM
NEWMARKET
PM
Sun 14 PONTEFRACT
PM
PM
Eve
SANDOWN PARK
PM
AYR
PM
Tue 16
Market Rasen
PM
PONTEFRACT
PM
SANDOWN PARK
Eve
CATTERICK BRIDGE
PM
EPSOM DOWNS
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
GOODWOOD
GOODWOOD
PM PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
PM
THIRSK
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
MUSSELBURGH
PM
CARLISLE
PM
Wed 17 NOTTINGHAM
PM
GOODWOOD Wed 27 REDCAR
Mon 15
PM
NOTTINGHAM
BEVERLEY
Sat 13
YORK EPSOM DOWNS Thu 18 HAMILTON PARK
PM
Tue 30 Wed 31
SEPTEMBER Thu 1
Fri 2
Sat 3
Sun 4 Wed 7 Thu 8 Fri 9
Sat 10
PM PM Eve PM
YORK
PM
Bangor-On-Dee
PM
Eve
SALISBURY
Eve
PM
SANDOWN PARK
PM
Fri 19
Sun 28
Bangor-On-Dee
PM
Fri 12
Sat 27
GOODWOOD
MUSSELBURGH
PM
PM PM
CATTERICK BRIDGE
Mon 25 AYR
Eve
NEWMARKET BEVERLEY
Eve
PONTEFRACT
Eve
HAMILTON PARK
PM
GOODWOOD
PM
Cartmel
CATTERICK BRIDGE
Eve
PM
PM
Tue 2
Bangor-On-Dee
PM
Eve
CARLISLE
THIRSK
PM
YORK
Thu 25
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
PM
Eve
Wed 24
CARLISLE
SALISBURY
PM
Tue 23
Mon 1
BEVERLEY
SALISBURY
Mon 22
Fri 26
Eve
NEWMARKET
Sat 20
PM
PM
ASCOT
Thu 28
Sun 31 Market Rasen
BEVERLEY
Sun 24 CARLISLE
Tue 26
Sat 30
AYR
ASCOT BEVERLEY
PM
Fri 29
Fri 19
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
TL
REDCAR
PM
SALISBURY
PM
HAYDOCK PARK
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
Eve
ASCOT
PM
HAYDOCK PARK
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
PM
MUSSELBURGH
PM
THIRSK
PM
YORK
PM
CARLISLE
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
TL
EPSOM DOWNS
PM
CHESTER
PM
SANDOWN PARK
PM
CHESTER
PM
GOODWOOD
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
TL
Sun 11 GOODWOOD Mon 12 Tue 13
PM
KEMPTON PARK (AWT)
PM
MUSSELBURGH
PM
HAYDOCK PARK
PM
BEVERLEY
PM
Wed 14 KEMPTON PARK (AWT) SANDOWN PARK
TL PM
Musselburgh
Nottingham
Tuesday 19 July General Enclosure
Thursday 28 July Grandstand Enclosure
One FREE ticket for the TURF TV Club member Usual ticket price £16
One FREE ticket for the TURF TV Club member. Usual ticket price £10
To book: Complete your details and send to the address overleaf by Tuesday, 12 July
To book: Complete your details and send to the address overleaf by Thursday 21 July
Newmarket
Thirsk
Thursday 11 August Grandstand and Paddock Enclosure
Monday 15 August Members Enclosure
One FREE ticket for the TURF TV Club member. Usual ticket price £16
One FREE ticket for the TURF TV Club member and one half price guest. Usual ticket price £20 Guest price £10
To book: Complete your details and send to the address overleaf by Thursday 4 August
To book: Complete your details and send to the address overleaf by Monday 8 August
Bangor-on-Dee
Cartmel
Friday 19 August Paddock Enclosure
Thursday 25 August (evening) Paddock Enclosure
One FREE ticket for the TURF TV Club member. Usual ticket price £19
To book: Complete your details and send to the address overleaf by Friday 12 August
One FREE ticket for the TURF TV Club member. Usual ticket price £18
To book: Complete your details and send to the address overleaf by Thursday 18 August
Please fill out in BLOCK CAPITALS and send to:
Please fill out in BLOCK CAPITALS and send to:
TurfTV Club Day, JCR Team, 1st Floor, Norfolk House, 47, Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham, NG1 2AB Telephone: 0844 579 3011 | www.nottinghamracecourse.co.uk
TurfTV Club Day, Musselburgh Racecourse, Linkfield Road, Musselburgh, East Lothian EH21 7RG Telephone: 0131 665 2859 | www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk
Name:
Name:
Address:
Address: Postcode:
Email:
Telephone:
Postcode: Email:
Telephone:
I would like to apply for my free ticket
I would like to apply for my free ticket
* Terms and conditions apply. See page 8
* Terms and conditions apply. See page 8
Please fill out in BLOCK CAPITALS and send to:
Please fill out in BLOCK CAPITALS and send to:
TurfTV Club Day, Thirsk Racecourse Ltd, Thirsk Racecourse, Station Road, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1QL Telephone: 01845 522276 | www.thirskracecourse.net
TurfTV Club Day (Newmarket), JCR Team, 1st Floor, Norfolk House, 47, Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham, NG1 2AB Telephone: 0844 579 3011 | www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk
Name:
Name:
Address: Postcode: Email:
Telephone:
I would like to apply for my free ticket I would like to bring one guest at £10
Address: Postcode: Email:
Telephone:
I would like to apply for my free ticket
I enclose a cheque for £10 made payable to ‘Thirsk Racecourse Ltd’.
* Terms and conditions apply. See page 8
* Terms and conditions apply. See page 8
Please fill out in BLOCK CAPITALS and send to:
Please fill out in BLOCK CAPITALS and send to:
TurfTV Club Day, Cartmel Racecourse, Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 6QF Telephone: 01539 536340 | www. cartmel-racecourse.co.uk
TurfTV Club Day (Bangor-on-Dee), Chester Race Company Ltd, The Racecourse, Chester CH1 2LY England Telephone: 01244 304610 | www. bangorondeeraces.co.uk
Name:
Name:
Address:
Address: Postcode:
Email:
Telephone:
Postcode: Email:
Telephone:
I would like to apply for my free ticket
I would like to apply for my free ticket
* Terms and conditions apply. See page 8
* Terms and conditions apply. See page 8
Hamilton Park
Haydock Park
Monday 19 September Grandstand Enclosure
Tuesday 30 September
One FREE ticket for the Turf TV Club member. Usual ticket price £14
£35pp, County Enclosure entry and use of Private Facility, car parking, racecard, 2 course fork buffet lunch on shared tables, tipster talk.
To book: Complete your details and send to the address overleaf by Monday 12 September
To book: Tel: 01942 402605 and ask for Sonia Whitfield, Raceday Hospitality Executive
Hamilton Park
Haydock Park
Monday 19 September
Friday 5 August (Evening)
£30pp, Main Enclosure and use of Hospitality Area, 2 course lunch at shared tables, racecard. Usual Ticket price £75
To book: Tel 01698 283806 and quote HPRUK11
£35pp, County Enclosure entry and use of Private Facility, car parking, racecard, 2 course fork buffet lunch on shared tables, tipster talk.
To book: Tel: 01942 402605 and ask for Sonia Whitfield, Raceday Hospitality Executive
Kempton Park Saturday 10 September £49pp. Main Enclosure and use of Hospitality area, 2 course lunch at shared tables, racecard. Usual Ticket price £80pp.
Gold Club Days for Turf TV Club members To book: Tel: 01932 753518 and speak to the hospitality team
Please fill out in BLOCK CAPITALS and send to: Turf TV Club Day, Hamilton Park Racecourse, Bothwell Road, Hamilton, ML3 0DW. Telephone: 01698 283806 | www. hamilton-park.co.uk Name: Address: To book: Tel: 01942 402605 and ask for Sonia Whitfield, Raceday Hospitality Executive Subject to availability.
* Terms & conditions apply. See page 8
To book: Tel: 01942 402605 and ask for Sonia Whitfield, Raceday Hospitality Executive Subject to availability.
* Terms & conditions apply. See page 8
Postcode: Email:
Telephone:
I would like to apply for my free ticket
* Terms & conditions apply. See page 8
To book: Tel 01698 283806 and quote HPRUK11 Subject to availability.
* Terms & conditions apply. See page 8
* Terms & Conditions:
To book: Tel: 01932 753518 and speak to the hospitality team. Subject to availability.
* Terms & conditions apply. See page 8
Simply complete the voucher/s for the race days you wish to attend and return to the address as stated on the voucher. Please make sure you check the booking deadline to avoid disappointment. You will receive tickets direct from the racecourse. If for any reason you do not receive your ticket, you can contact the racecourse directly using the telephone numbers detailed on the vouchers. In the event that a raceday is cancelled, we’ll do all we can to reschedule your special day. Can not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Strictly non transferable, these club day vouchers are for use by Turf TV members only. Not for use by on-course bookmakers or their employees. Strictly not for re-sale (value 0.0001p).For monetary offers, payments must be processed fully before tickets are dispatched. Issued subject to the rules of Turf TV and also to the Racecourse Terms and Conditions of entry and notices (copies available on request). Racecourses have the rights to refuse applications. Each ticket offer has its own specific booking deadline, which must be adhered to.
“ The first time that I went to Cheltenham with my dad as a very small boy, I saw the great Arkle run. That was probably what got me hooked.” Michael Conlon.
Michael Conlon Saddles
up with TURF TV
Turf TV’s latest recruit is invited to introduce himself. Welcome, Michael Conlon.
M
ichael Conlon knows where his loyalties lie after a career spanning over 30 years in the betting industry. Some 20 years ago Michael Conlon, himself, owned a couple of betting shops in his native Ireland and understands fully the challenges facing today’s bookmaker. He is, therefore, thrilled to be joining Turf TV at an exciting period in the broadcaster’s fledgling history and is keen to promote a mantra of being approachable, providing an important link between the racing broadcaster and the betting shop operator. “My first priority is to understand the lie of the land from our customers, taking on their point of view,” says Conlon, who has been in the job for
a couple of months now.” My door is always open, and if bookmakers have ideas or suggestions then I would love to hear from them. Every bookmaker has access to my mobile number and I will always return the call. I don’t differentiate between the one-shop operator and the big guys – I will always give them my time.” Conlon started out as an accountant before deciding turf accounting seemed more palatable. On informing his mother of his career change he received the stern reply, “What do you know about selling turf?” Conlon wasn’t deterred, and spent a number of years managing a shop for William Hill in the UK before acquiring his very own shop in Ireland following a successful Cheltenham flutter.
“I won a decent sum on Tied Cottage winning the 1980 Gold Cup which brought about my move away from Hills and setting up my own business in Ireland. Tied Cottage was later disqualified because of a banned substance and the race was awarded to Master Smudge. Luckily though I still received my payout!” remarks a cheerful Conlon. Conlon would later sell his shops before joining SIS in Ireland and working his way up to general manager. An opportunity then arose at Alpahmeric (now OpenBet) where he became sales director, enabling him to become a well-known face in betting retail across the UK and Ireland. Conlon has enjoyed his previous incarnations, but is relishing the new 09
Frankie Dettori rides Rio de la Plata to victory during the 2010 Yorkshire Ebor Festival.
challenges at Turf TV: “I feel I’ve come full circle joining Turf TV. The industry is one of those incestuous industries where the same people pop up all over the place. I feel I know virtually every bookmaker in the industry both in the UK and Ireland, from the single-shop operators through to the big three.” One of his initial tasks will be to strengthen the relationship with independent operators who are encountering very difficult trading conditions. Conlon believes that Turf TV will do all it can to help the independent’s cause: “We’re constantly looking at various initiatives which could possibly help bookmakers. That will become clearer when we launch our pricing policy in a couple of months time. We’ve taken the views of our customers on board and the difficulties that they face.” Conlon is also keen to highlight a number of new initiatives that are already in place. “To help customers opening new shops, Turf TV is available at a 50% discount on the standard TV rate for the first 12 months of operation.
A new shop obviously takes time to build its customer base so this will help operators during this period,” he says. In addition, the morning schedule has received an overhaul. “There’s live studio presentation every morning and we’ve now added more virtual content. Our aim is to have as few blank days in the schedule as possible and we’re working hard towards achieving that goal,” says Conlon. “We’ve also produced promotional material for all independent members which highlights the great summer of sport and racing and will enable operators to inform their customers of what’s taking place.” Meanwhile, he is also determined to stamp out piracy in betting shops: “A number of people have been caught pirating our services - in other words trading using Racing UK. We’re about to do a purge on that, as it’s quite evident that some shops are flouting this. So we are encouraging operators who are doing this to come forward and sign up with us legitimately. “We have prosecuted bookmakers who have been found to be doing this,
In the next few months alone we have Glorious Goodwood, the King George IV and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, the July meeting at Newmarket and then the York Ebor, says Michael Conlon. 10
Name: Michael Conlon Age: 55 Favourite sports: Racing, football and Rugby Union Favourite Team: Leinster – (the Heineken Champions, as Conlon is keen to point out!) Sporting qualifications: UEFA B Football Coaching License Sports participating in: Still plays 5-a-side football once a week Favourite racing memory: Seeing the great Arkle on his first visit to Cheltenham, although his favourite horse was Moscow Flyer. He is a particular fan of national hunt racing as it’s clearly not fair that our existing customers pay their charges while others are getting the service for under £30 a month because they’re using a domestic license.” Looking ahead, Conlon is keen to remind subscribers of Turf TV of the quality race meetings that are taking place over the next few months. “Going forward we need to help operators promote the top meetings as they did many years ago. Turf TV, has, without doubt, the best UK horse racing - basically the staple diet of the betting shop. In the next few months alone we have Glorious Goodwood, the King George IV and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, the July meeting at Newmarket and then the York Ebor. “We need to work harder to draw enthusiasm for these great meetings and encourage a younger audience to watch, and bet on racing. The first time that I went to Cheltenham with my dad as a very small boy, I saw the great Arkle run. That was probably what got me hooked and racing has these wonderful narratives that help capture the imagination.” It’s clear that Conlon is desperate to reinvigorate racing’s appeal in the betting shop and, in his new role, will have ample opportunity to do just that. Expect to see Conlon at a betting shop near you very soon.
Summer screenings
What’s on the cards? With big summer meets and a fantastic flat season ahead, how do you see the summer-spend panning out? Bill Carrigal of GW Carrigal Bookmakers, West Yorkshire “We’re particularly looking forward to the Ebor meeting at York this summer as it’s not very far from here and most of our regulars have been there, so it creates a bit of a talking point. It’s still known as the Ascot of the north. In terms of promoting the big races we find that word of mouth is still the most effective way of getting the punter’s interest. If you start talking about these meetings a couple of weeks in advance of them taking place you’ll find that it plants a seed and those customers will return and place a bet. You’re basically building the excitement and enthusiasm for it all the time. This summer we’ve no big World Cup or European Championship, so most of the other sporting interest will revolve around the Open.” Johnny Ridley of Johnny Ridley Bookmakers, Durham “If there’s a quality field running, as there will be in the July and August meetings - Glorious Goodwood and the Ebor - then people are a lot more interested in having a bet. Punters are not interested in four or five runner races. I find the evening meetings oncourse are better attended, because many in attendance would normally go and watch their football team or a match on television. Now the season has finished you’ll find more will appear in the betting shop in the evening and on a Saturday afternoon as well. One of the biggest betting turnover events we’ve ever had was on the Champions League Final so many of those punters will be looking to spend their money on something else now.”
Craig Scotford of David James Racing, Gloucester “We’re looking forward to the big summer meetings as the flat season this year has some fantastic horses with the likes of Workforce, Canford Cliffs, Frankel, Carlton House and Goldikova. We’ll expect much better OTC trade as we price match with a number of the online sportsbooks which makes us stand out on the high street. The strength in depth of the flat could really help bookmakers this summer.” Terry Crehan of Betterbet, St Helens “Many bookmakers may well see their football punters move over to racing in the summer. We like to keep an eye on our competitors and try and do something a little bit different. We run a number of promotions in shop including guaranteed odds on all races up until 1pm which works pretty well. We’re running a promotion in shop at the moment where our punters can win a season ticket to St Helens. To win they have to find a winning Yankee at any of the big meetings and if they come up trumps we’ll give them a 50% bonus and the season ticket. We ran this for Cheltenham and Aintree and will continue to roll it over until someone wins; if nobody does then we’ll have to run a raffle!” Darren Coombes of Independent Bookmakers, Salisbury “The big meetings are invaluable to bookmakers as they tend to run from Tuesday to Friday or Tuesday to Saturday and it’s like having bonus Saturdays throughout the week. It’s nice to have a bit of quality on during the
week. You’d hope that racing’s market share will be higher bearing in mind we don’t have any major sporting competitions on this summer. Regulars will presumably have more money to spend on the core product of racing rather than diverting it round other betting mediums. Glorious Goodwood stands out head and shoulders above some of the other late summer fixtures. This year you’ve got some quality horses coming through on the flat and you can sense that the enthusiasm is building amongst our regulars. We always tend to try and mix and match odds across firms to give our customers the best value but during Royal Ascot and probably during Glorious Goodwood we will go best odds guaranteed on every runner in every race. So we try and offer value that you wouldn’t necessarily get with the bigger firms. Brian Mason of Cinque Port Racing, Hythe “There’s no doubt the big summer races on Turf TV generate plenty of interest amongst my regulars in the shop. There’s definitely more of a buzz about the place when there’s high quality racing taking place. We generate about 30 per cent more trade just during the big meetings , so we can’t do without them. For Ascot I always put on a top hat and we bring in strawberries and cream for our customers. On the hot summer days we’ll ring the ice-cream shop opposite and I’ll foot the bill for ice-creams all round. I think word is getting around though, as the shop seems to always get busy around that point!” 11
SUPPORTING YOUR BUSINESS
John Smith's d Plate Northumberlan 5 June 2011 Newcastle, 23-2
MAGAZINE
Glorious Goodwood Goodwood, 26 - 30 July 2011
berland Plate, The John Smith’s Northuthme most va luable run over two miles, is rope. First run in staying hand icap in Eu e ‘Pitmen’s Derby’, 1833, it’s known as thining history. th anks to the area’s m the Gosforth Park As well as the plate, and the Seaton Cup (over five fur longs) events. Delaval Trophy are main
Highlights of the meeting include the Group 1 Sussex Stakes (one mile) and the Nassau Stakes (one mile and 2 furlongs) for three year old and above fillies. The Sussex Stakes was originally a race for two year olds, and first run in 1841. The Richmond, Vintage and Molecomb Stakes are also highly prized, while the Group 3 Gordon Stakes is regarding as a good litmus test for the St Leger.
July Festival Newmarket, 6-8 July 2011
Ayr Gold Cup Festival Ayr, 15-17 September, 2011
The highlight of the July Festiva l is the six-furlong Group 1 Darley July Cup. Other top races include the Cherry Hinton Stakes and July Stakes for twoyear-olds, the mile-and-a-half Princess of Wales’s Stakes and the Falmouth Stakes over a mile for fillies. 1665: Charles II decreed by an Act of Parliament in 1665 that Newmarket’s Town Plate be run every October. It is the world’s oldest surviving horse race 1750: The Jockey Club was founded at Newmarket.
The first Ayr Gold Cup ran in 1804. It’s a relative novice in the course’s illustrious history, however, which traces its racing roots back to 1576. The Gold Cup became a handicap in 1855, and is now said to be the richest sprint handicap in Europe.
now…? Did you k re Some fixtu d n a facts surprising stats
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth meeting Ascot, 22-24 July 2011
A fixtures favourite, this was first run in 1951, marking the 100th anniversary of the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace and the 1951 Festival of Britain. In 1975, Grundy ran the course in 2min 26.98seconds – a record that still stands. A supporting cast of top notch races includes the International Handicap, the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes for two-year-old fillies and the ladies’ race.
Coral Eclipse Meeting Sandown Park, 2 July 2011
The coveted 10- furlong Coral-Eclipse also known as Lad ies Day - is Sandow flat racing showpiece of the year. 2011 n’s sees it included in the British Cha mpion Series, reportedly the richest ever premier flat racing event. Liz McClarnon, Atomic Kitten singer and winner of Celebrity Masterchef, is this year’s ‘face’ for the day. Founded in 1875, Sandown Park was the first racecourse to be enclosed.
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