Three keen racegoers, who have been Go Racing In Yorkshire season ticket holders since its launch in 1979, will be the special guests at Catterick on Tuesday (Oct 29) when the 40th anniversary of the best value in racing will be celebrated.
Stephen McCann, Tommy Leith and Philip Gibb have all been in from the beginning and will be presenting the prizes after the ’40 Years of Go-Racing-In-Yorkshire Season Tickets Stakes’.
The Go Racing In Yorkshire season ticket offers admission to all race meetings across the county, equating to around 180 days of action on nine top class racecourses at a cost of less than £3 a day.
Started in 1979, it was the brainchild of Simon Channon, who was then the General Manager of Go Racing In Yorkshire, the marketing organisation for Yorkshire’s nine racecourses.
“We were in a recession and it was a dark time in England in 1979. It was the winter of discontent and there wasn’t much money around so the Yorkshire racecourses were trying to combat this and it was decided that the season ticket would provide the bedrock of funding for Go Racing In Yorkshire that year” remembered Simon.
For current Go Racing In Yorkshire Season Ticket holders Stephen McCann, Tommy Leith and Philip Gibb the value was clear.
“I was told about it by a friend and then saw it advertised,” said Stephen. “It was a good way of saving money and I’ve introduced no end of people since,” he added.
Tommy and Philip told similar stories. Both were keen racegoers and found out about the ticket from a friend.
In those days, bus companies would run regular trips to race meetings, often taking bookies and their pitches.
“I used to go with Wallace Arnold, but when they stopped, I started driving and would regularly take my neighbours,” said Stephen.
Tommy agreed, “We used to travel by bus, but when the bookies started to take their own cars there weren’t enough people using the bus, so my friend Bill Fawcett said if he could get someone to go with him he would take his own car. I agreed and we sent away for the tickets,” he said.
Recalling the last forty years, Stephen spoke fondly about the people he has met through racing.
“I’ve made a lot of friends. There was a good team from Doncaster and we all used to go racing together. I’ve had a lot of pleasure from racing and long may it last” he added.
The season ticket runs from the beginning of March to the end of February and season tickets for the 2020/21 season will go on sale from Monday, November 4. They can be purchased by calling the office or online at www.goracing.co.uk.
There are over 180 fixtures across Yorkshire’s nine racecourses and new applicants will receive 15 months for the price of 12 as admission cards are valid from December 1, 2019.