Team Valor Promotion

What follows is an announcement this week in my in-house on-line newsletter to my 250 clients. Point of showing this is to illustrate what kind of promotion is needed to keep owners' interest up in racing during hard times.

TEAM VALOR REINSTITUTES ANNUAL CONTEST AMONG EXISTING CLIENTS,
WINNER TO CORRECTLY PREDICT NUMBER OF TEAM VALOR WINS IN 2009,
FIRST PRIZE IS 5-PERCENT OWNERSHIP OF ANY HORSE SYNDICATED IN 2010

Let’s face it—times suck. Everybody could use a little pick me up right about now. So to facilitate a cheerier mood during the next racing season, Team Valor International will reinstitute a little contest we will call “Follow the Valor.”

Admittedly, it sounded a tad better when Barry Irwin first dreamed up the contest while running the predecessor of Team Valor that was named Clover Racing Stables. So the contest’s original name of “Follow the Clover” had a better ring to it. But the thrust remains the same.

Here’s how it works: any existing client as of the end of January 2009 is eligible to enter the contest. Participants simply send an e-mail to Amy Collingsworth at teamvalor2@aol.com stating the number of winning races Team Valor International will amass during the 20009 racing season. Also state the total amount of stable earnings for next season, because if there are any ties, earnings will be used to determine the winner. Ties have occurred, so try to be mindful of this. One year, one of those trying for first had a figure of about $7.9 million, which is more than twice than the stable’s record!

Note of caution: since this contest is strictly limited to Team Valor racing partners, Team Valor solely reserves the right to interpret the rules for the winning client. If nobody accurately predicts the number of wins, Team Valor in its own discretion will determine the winner using what ever methods it considers to be fair. First prize is a 5-percent interest in any horse syndicated in 2010 for a cost of $1 million or less.

Barry Irwin said “We are doing this to generate some enthusiasm at a time when it is needed. But there is downside to this from an historical perspective for Team Valor, because invariably once a partner wins and receives a horse for free, the check-writing hand of that worthy suffers a paralysis that renders them unable to bring themselves to buy another one in the future. So we are not only giving up a 5-percent interest in a horse, we are most likely going to lose a good client in the process. Although it is not mandatory, complete, up-to-date medical insurance is advised for all participants in the contest”

For the mathematically challenged among us, this is potentially worth 500,000 rand to the winner. As us retarded Yanks would say, "Not too shabby!"

Waking up now or just getting in Cat?6:41 am 1st post,an impressive start to the year either way!

If by snake oil salesman you mean good promoter, I will accept this as a compliment, because horses and racing do not sell themselves, as you may have noticed. My advertising budget is less than 5 percent of my competition and has been for a dozen years at least. Rather than spend $50,000 on adverts, I'd rather invest it in my own client base. If that qualifies me as a snake oil salesman, then perhaps that time worn cliche is due for an upgrading in the dictionary. RAOTFLASMS (roll around on the floor laughing and splitting my sides).

Thanks Cat.