RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
barryb

Entry fees

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Maybe the racing industry shouldn't be so embarrassed of the entry fees that is charged as plenty of other bastards are gouging the hell out of the public.

I just googled what the cost of going to the cricket test is today, $35 per person to watch NZ play a 2nd string test nation & a stack of rules of what you can and can't take into the ground. Cup day next week at Te Rapa is $10 per person & will be a lot more entertaining. $35 is bloody steep for the cricket, $20 would be far more realistic and would see double the numbers there.

Yesterday evening the Mrs took a group of kids to the Hamilton baths and $5 each to get in (fair enough, that's reasonable), but $50 to use one of their BBQ's to cook a few sizzlers is close to f--king theft.

The chiefs/HSBC sevens is $400 for the season, Waikato Racing Club season membership is $100.

Is it because racing is associated with gambling that clubs are embarrassed to charge realistic entry fees like other events?. Is the thought that charging to enter will detract from how much betting money people put through the tote?. Funny logic really when I see plenty in the members area who have more money than a bull can shit having $2 bets & then think nothing of buying a $250 bottle of sparkling to drink at their table.

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Not really on the entry fee topic...but it always amused me to see the First-Four-Shippers in their permanent carparks with carefully crafted sandwiches and boots full of liquor,  all brought from home - and none would be so profligate as to put a dollar through the tote.

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1 hour ago, barryb said:

Maybe the racing industry shouldn't be so embarrassed of the entry fees that is charged as plenty of other bastards are gouging the hell out of the public.

I just googled what the cost of going to the cricket test is today, $35 per person to watch NZ play a 2nd string test nation & a stack of rules of what you can and can't take into the ground. Cup day next week at Te Rapa is $10 per person & will be a lot more entertaining. $35 is bloody steep for the cricket, $20 would be far more realistic and would see double the numbers there.

Yesterday evening the Mrs took a group of kids to the Hamilton baths and $5 each to get in (fair enough, that's reasonable), but $50 to use one of their BBQ's to cook a few sizzlers is close to f--king theft.

The chiefs/HSBC sevens is $400 for the season, Waikato Racing Club season membership is $100.

Is it because racing is associated with gambling that clubs are embarrassed to charge realistic entry fees like other events?. Is the thought that charging to enter will detract from how much betting money people put through the tote?. Funny logic really when I see plenty in the members area who have more money than a bull can shit having $2 bets & then think nothing of buying a $250 bottle of sparkling to drink at their table.

Which Club charges or stocks a sparkling wine worth $250 ??

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58 minutes ago, Pam Robson said:

Not really on the entry fee topic...but it always amused me to see the First-Four-Shippers in their permanent carparks with carefully crafted sandwiches and boots full of liquor,  all brought from home - and none would be so profligate as to put a dollar through the tote.

Pam does sum it up so perfectly. I can recall the people that used to be on the free invite list for some of the major racing events; all they were there for was the free booze and food and their faces never lifted from the plate when a race was on.

The problem we have these days is that many meetings cater more for the party goers who are there to have fun and get drunk and don't mind paying an entry fee, rather than genuine racegoers who expect better facilities and expect to be able to see and hear races from other meetings and easily get a bet on much the same as if they were in a TAB. This is where so many clubs have fallen way off the pace.

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3 hours ago, Pam Robson said:

Not really on the entry fee topic...but it always amused me to see the First-Four-Shippers in their permanent carparks with carefully crafted sandwiches and boots full of liquor,  all brought from home - and none would be so profligate as to put a dollar through the tote.

Add to that all the fashion in the field brigade, all lining up for the prizes at the big events, probably don't spend a cracker, and do nothing for racing

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The problem with racing charging entry fees is that the average racegoer sees his or her punting $ as an adequate means to funding their entry onto the course, particularly because in most cases they do their dough.

However the average race goer doesn't understand the funding mechanism that the racing clubs are under and therefore is very hesitant or resistant to paying the entry fee that in most of the smaller clubs cases is a significant portion of the revenue generated in enabling those clubs to put on a race day and continue to exist.

I used to be dead against entry fees but they are a necessary part of holding the day in most cases, if you think that for a $20 entry fee on an Industry Event day the club has to get each person to punt around $235 through the tote to generate the same amount of income that is generated via an entry fee of $20 then you can understand why they are required, particularly over the summer period.

Not to mention that most clubs nowadays are putting on kids entertainment and the smaller country clubs might be allowing some BYO or reasonable priced bar prices and 6-8 hours of entertainment then its really the best value for money around over the summer period.

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I certainly hope we don't have meetings charging $20 for industry meetings. You pay that to enter decent Saurday meetings in Sydney and Melbourne with top grade facilities and top horses. And in Australia the main emphasis is on the punters needs. In NZ the actual punter is ignored and is better off at home watching the racing on TV.

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9 hours ago, Pam Robson said:

Not really on the entry fee topic...but it always amused me to see the First-Four-Shippers in their permanent carparks with carefully crafted sandwiches and boots full of liquor,  all brought from home - and none would be so profligate as to put a dollar through the tote.

Pam, not really true. Most of them or their sons made it to the committee of the CJC. 

And (not grammatically correct) haven’t they continued to keep the CJC at the forefront of NZ racing, notwithstanding the continuous “demand” that your “Guineas Races” should be moved north. 

Unfortunately they allowed the NZ Derby & NZ Oaks to move north thus weakening the bred by allowing the the onset of slow maturing stayers, instead of 3 year olds that can quickly get up to a distance such as in England.

Liz

 

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1 hour ago, We're Doomed said:

I certainly hope we don't have meetings charging $20 for industry meetings. You pay that to enter decent Saurday meetings in Sydney and Melbourne with top grade facilities and top horses. And in Australia the main emphasis is on the punters needs. In NZ the actual punter is ignored and is better off at home watching the racing on TV.

I don't agree, there is nothing like being on course and enjoying the atmosphere watching the field spring for the finish up the home straight, the noise of the crowd the moment, particularly if its a decent course with a decent straight .

Whilst I think $20 is a fair bit to go on course I can understand the rationale behind it . An NPC game or a night at Western Springs with an Industry type program will cost you about that much to see.

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10 hours ago, We're Doomed said:

Pam does sum it up so perfectly. I can recall the people that used to be on the free invite list for some of the major racing events; all they were there for was the free booze and food and their faces never lifted from the plate when a race was on.

The problem we have these days is that many meetings cater more for the party goers who are there to have fun and get drunk and don't mind paying an entry fee, rather than genuine racegoers who expect better facilities and expect to be able to see and hear races from other meetings and easily get a bet on much the same as if they were in a TAB. This is where so many clubs have fallen way off the pace.

You are right there DOOMED yesterday at Ellerslie could hardly hear the commentary in the stand from the BOOM BOOM shit sound coming from the hospitality tents at the end of the grandstand absolutely no idea that lot   

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2 hours ago, Insider said:

Pam, not really true. Most of them or their sons made it to the committee of the CJC. 

And (not grammatically correct) haven’t they continued to keep the CJC at the forefront of NZ racing, notwithstanding the continuous “demand” that your “Guineas Races” should be moved north. 

Unfortunately they allowed the NZ Derby & NZ Oaks to move north thus weakening the bred by allowing the the onset of slow maturing stayers, instead of 3 year olds that can quickly get up to a distance such as in England.

Liz

 

I do agree with your derby/oaks comments....not about the rest so much, I'm afraid!

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