Having seen a tweet from ITV Racing’s Richard Hoiles at the weekend, I decided to find out all we need to know about the Racegoers Club

You recently had a letter published in the Racing Post, replying to Tom Kerr’s Column, can you tell us why you responded?

Tom’s column made reference to the price of mid-week tickets on racecourses and we wanted to make people aware of the fantastic savings that can be made when you become a member of the Racegoers Club. Our concession scheme offers savings across 90% of fixtures including 51 completely free days. You can join for just £35 a year or £55 for a joint membership which really is exceptional value.

What is the Racegoers Club and when did it start?

The Racegoers Club is the official supporters club for British racing fans. It was formed in 1968 and is managed by the Racecourse Association, hence the excellent links with all racecourses. The club is a not for profit organisation, so you can be assured everything we do is focused on providing a better club for our members and delivering the best value available in racing. We have unrivalled relationships with racecourses, trainers and breeders, allowing us access to facilities and stables that no other club can offer. We have around 4,000 members at the moment and this year is our 50th anniversary so we’ve plenty planned to help us celebrate.

How can people Join?

You can simply sign up online – – by filling in your details and paying with a card or you can give us a call on 01344 625 912 and we will sort everything out over the phone.

What benefits do people get from joining the Club?

As well as the concessions scheme we run racecourse events, stable tours, ownership syndicates and many more benefits such as:
Membership Welcome Pack
Quarterly Magazine featuring interviews and articles with trainers, jockeys and industry professionals
Monthly e-newsletters
Access to exclusive events across Great Britain
Opportunities to visit top racing yards
A great value ownership experience through one of our syndicates with some of the Britain’s top trainers
Concessions at over 90% of fixtures across all of Britain’s racecourses

Can you tell us why people should get involved and how they can do so please?

If you love racing and want to experience behind the scenes trips and events then get involved and join today. You’ll also get the chance to make great savings when you go racing and be part of the official racing supporters club of the sport. Our ownership opportunities are exciting and a great way to experience the thrill of ownership at an affordable level. Visit our website today to find out more and join today or get in touch if you have any questions – [email protected]

As mentioned at the beginning, my interest sparked from a tweet from ITV’s racing commentator Richard Hoiles. Richard is an Ambassador for the RaceGoers Club and here he is to tell you about his experience as a member…

Having grown up in suburbia and with no ‘horsey’ background the Racegoers Club played a key part in getting me involved in the sport.
Central to this was the voucher book, allowing not only discounted admission at a vast number of racecourses but also as a template as to when it would be best to take time off work. The fixture list is much changed from those days but Haldon Gold Cup week used to be a prime target, with racing at Newbury on the Wednesday and Wincanton on the Thursday all with the little green tickets knocking a few quid off that could be added to the Placepot perm (my speciality in those days).
The magazine was always a good read and featured Horses to Follow competitions on both the Flat and Jumps which close to the deadlines for submission would occupy my every waking moment. For several years I battled with a the wonderfully mysteriously named ‘Mr Orange’ who was my nemesis and with whom I would work many years later via his role as Go Racing In Yorkshire supremo. Healthy half way leads were thrown away and late rattles failed to catch the leaders before finally routing the field in the Jumps competition in the early 80’s, my proudest racing moment at that point.
My first visit to a racing yard came on a Racegoers Club outing – to John Webber’s at Cropredy Lawn where I still remember patting Kelly’s Honor’s nose (one of my favourites at the time) and seeing Mid Day Gun and Selborne Rambler pop like old hands over the tyres in a tight round loose school.
The fact these memories still live with me so vividly are testament to how much they meant at the time. How a mysterious world became more accessible and how it helped foster and channel an interest which in the end would lead me to finding a way into the sport that I loved.
Many years on and it gave me great pleasure to be asked to be an ambassador for the Club and pop into their excellent facilities at Cheltenham, which can provide a much needed base for the day at a fraction of the cost of the corporate equivalent. These days my horses to follow usually result in seven losers, but it is always enjoyable to see the life long devotion to the sport the Club has engendered for so many of its members.
If you haven’t heard of the Racegoers Club until now then check it out, or better still buy membership for a year. I very much doubt you will ever regret it.

Rich Williams – 3 Furlongs Out & arseonlinetips

In Association with Racegoers Club, who kindly supplied all the photo’s and a very special thanks to Richard Hoiles