A FULL house of 10,000 racegoers packed into Gowran Park for its recent Red Mills Raceday, all free of charge, and racecourse manager Eddie Scally believes the track will continue reaping the benefits of the free admission incentive, now in its third year, sponsored by Connolly’s Red Mills.

“It worked very well,” Scally reported. “We had a big mix of people of all ages and there was a different atmosphere in each part of the enclosure, giving it a festival or carnival feel. We’ve had a lot of good feedback from people who enjoyed the day and we’re being told that we’re bucking the trend in that Saturdays have become quieter days at some racing venues.”

This year Scally noticed an increase in the number of buses which arrived at the track, suggesting that many racegoers were planning to take a drink during the day, which was reflected in the increased bar sales.

Scally says there are several advantages to the free admission initiative. “We know how many are coming and we have all their email addresses, so we can contact them with special offers in the future,” he explained.

“Over the past three years we have built up a database of more than 6,000 contacts. We don’t bombard them with emails but we give them early access to free tickets and special offers, which we know they appreciate. Everyone likes to be at the front of the queue.”