- New partners in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland
- Digital transformation in American equestrian events
- US Racing Joins Online Revolution
Future Ticketing is delighted to announce partnerships with three venues in US horseracing. Future Ticketing is a horseracing sector leader across Ireland and Britain and the addition of the Willowdale Steeplechase Races, the Maryland Hunt Cup and Blue Ridge Hunt strengthens the digital ticketing provider’s position in the vibrant American racetrack market.
Each track was previously over-burdened with administration but the partnership with Future Ticketing has revolutionised the ticketing process by enabling racecourses to reserve finishing post parking spaces when booking tickets, manage complex ticketing with ease and facilitate ticket sharing through the digital ticketing app. The Blue Ridge Point-to-Point Races took place on Saturday, March 30 at Woodley Farm, Berryville, Virginia and for the first time, there were two National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctioned races.
Blue Ridge Hunt Joint Master Jeffrey LeHew said this year’s was one of the best ever and he was delighted to partner with Future Ticketing.
“The Blue Ridge Point to Point in 2024 was one of the best ever, the horses came, the people came, and the weather came! My team is very happy that we chose Future Ticketing this year to help with ticket/parking sales, at the beginning we were nervous to change from our existing provider as this was what we were used to in the past,” said LeHew.
“The internet site the Future Ticketing guys designed for us worked great, was simple for us and our customers to use, and was easy to tweak when we wanted to make adjustments. The other thing we like about Future Ticketing that we have not been used to in the past is the email capture/record that we will use next year for marketing. I am very glad I met Peter and Future Ticketing.”
The 2024 Maryland Hunt Cup took place on Saturday, April 27 at the racecourse in Reisterstown where picnicking and tailgating are well-established traditions.
It was the 127th running of the prestigious race and this year digital parking passes were sold for the first time. The Willowdale Steeplechase event at Chester County, Pennsylvania features six NSA-sanctioned races and the day is a celebration of the rich equestrian heritage of the region. Saturday, May 11 sees the 31st anniversary running of the Willowdale Steeplechase and tailgating is a special attraction, with spots at four different sections provided.
Andrea Collins, Race Director, Willowdale Steeplechase, said: “Partnering with Future Ticketing has eased the ticket purchase journey for our customers and that has always been a key goal for us.
“We were impressed with the graphic user interface and have found the dashboard easy to use. An important consideration for us too was the fact the Future Ticketing system is cloud-based, which is of course a major advance on having a PC-based operation. Along with that, we have super support from Future Ticketing and crucially, the merchant charges are reasonable. So all in all, we look forward to working with Future Ticketing into the future.”
Peter McNeile, International Sales Director, Future Ticketing, said he is proud to be working with all three new partners.
“In Future Ticketing we are privileged to have been selected by Willowdale, the Maryland Hunt and Blue Ridge Hunt as their ticketing partners. We see it as a vote of confidence in us and a recognition of the track record we have already built up in US racing across a number of other partners,” said McNeile.
“The flexibility and agility of our cutting-edge software enables us to tailor our offering to the specific needs of each partner so we can offer the most modern ticketing solutions available, while at the same time honouring the fine traditions which our partners are preserving.”
Future Ticketing sees its growing presence in the US racing market as a natural progression from its position as the number one digital ticketing operator for horse racing in the UK and Ireland.
Future Ticketing entered into a multi-year partnership with the Jockey Club in 2023 ensuring its software and API ticketing infrastructure is used across 14 UK racecourses, including three of racing’s most iconic venues, Cheltenham, Aintree and Epsom Downs. Up to two million people attend Jockey Club events across 332 race days each year and over 220,000 attended the four-day Cheltenham festival in March and the Aintree Grand National on April 13 attracted nearly 60,000. Future Ticketing has long-term partnerships with many other racecourses in the UK and Ireland and last year renewed its relationship with one of England’s oldest, Beverley in Yorkshire. With other partners in the Middle East and Australia, Future Ticketing caters for annual attendances of about 10 million at racecourses across the globe.
