1. Membership
1.1. Membership of DRC is open to all adults aged 18 or over.
1.2. Application for membership may be made via the on-line application form, on the DRC website, or by completing a paper application form. Applications must be accompanied by payment of the current subscription fee and all applicants agree to be bound by Destiny Racing clubs terms and conditions.
1.3. The membership fee must be paid in advance and membership is not valid until either:
a) full payment is received, or
b) the first payment is received, if paying in stages
and the application accepted. When paying by option (b), any payment that is more than seven days overdue will result in the membership being placed on hold, and if payment is not received after 30 days of it being due then the membership will be terminated, and payments already made will not be refunded.
1.4. Within 21 days of receipt of the application by DRC, applicants will be notified of their acceptance or refusal. On acceptance, a ‘Welcome Pack’ will be sent out with the acceptance letter containing information necessary for full activation of the membership benefits.
1.5. Membership is effective for a full period of 12 months from the date that the Member’s application is accepted by DRC. Members electing to pay in stages agree to a full 12 months membership and must pay in full even if hey wish to cancel the agreement.
1.6. A Member may resign, withdraw from or cancel their membership of DRC at any time but no refund or repayment of membership fees shall be made. Members electing to pay in stages are still liable for the full 12 months payments. All such notices must be made in writing to DRC.
1.7. If at any time a Member wishes not to renew his/her subscription then he/she must inform DRC in writing and return his/her current membership card no later than seven days before the renewal date. In the absence of any such cancellation Membership will be automatically renewed at the annual renewal date. A renewal notice will be sent out one month before the Membership expires.
1.8. Upon completion of the first twelve months’ membership period, any Member who decides to renew will be entitled to a loyalty discount from the full cost of membership at the discretion of DRC.
1.9. The membership fee is not subject to any additional requests for payment in relation to the keeping, training and racing of the racehorses.
1.10. Membership is primarily a recreational / entertainment activity. It is not intended as an investment opportunity.
1.11. Membership is for personal use only and cannot be utilised for any commercial purpose.
1.12. The membership fee may be altered from time to time for any reason, e.g. the purposes of marketing, or may be discounted for promotions or special offers as decided by DRC.
1.13. DRC reserve the right to terminate an individual’s Membership at any time due to breaches of these terms and conditions or if it deems it in the best interests of DRC or its Members, and no repayment of membership fees shall be made.
2. Benefits of Membership
2.1. In return for the Member’s subscription, DRC Ltd confers on the Member (for the duration of his/her membership) certain benefits associated with the Company’s ownership of the horses. Full details of the current benefits offered are detailed on DRC’s website and in the Members’ Handbook.
2.2. Upon successful application, Members will be provided with login details to the Members’ area on the DRC website. These login details are strictly for the use of the Member only and must not be passed to any other person.
2.3. Members may participate in the various auctions and draws that DRC will hold to become an ‘Owner for a Day’ for one of its horses. Full details of these can be found on the website and in the Members’ Handbook.
2.4. Hospitality events, linked to a race meeting or stable visit, normally involve a two or three course lunch and facilities. These are normally offered at a cost and are entirely optional.
2.5. Stable visits and trips to stud farms, when they occur, will be organised by DRC and at no time must a Member visit a Trainer’s yards without written permission from DRC management.
2.6. Many racecourses offer DRC Members discounts and, when offered, are published. These discounts cannot be usedin conjunction with any other offer.
2.7. When DRC has a runner, a telephone information line will endeavour to keep Members up-to-date with information regarding the form of the horse. This information, including that accessed through the website, must not be conveyed by Members to other people.
2.8. DRC will operate a premium rate telephone line to provide racing tips to Members. Such information is purely the opinion of DRC and should not be taken as a guarantee of winning or success. The revenue generated by the tipping line, less the costs incurred in operating it, will be retained by DRC Ltd. All calls will be charged at 75 pence per call (with BT – other networks may vary. Standard network charges apply).
2.9. Any vouchers given to members by DRC are non-transferable and can be redeemed against the following year’s membership renewal, against club merchandise or against monies bid to be an ‘Owner for a Day’.
3. ‘Owner for a Day’
3.1. Members may participate in the various auctions and draws that DRC will hold to become an ‘Owner for a Day’ for one of its horses (full details can be found on the website and in the Members’ handbook). Being in the winning group for one of these auctions permits the Member to be one of DRC’s representatives at the race meeting and participate in owner activities for the relevant horse, including receiving a share of any prize money.
3.1.1. Please note that only current members of DRC are permitted to enter the draws and auctions to become ‘Owner for a Day’. Bidding will not be accepted from anyone whose membership has expired or is no longer valid.
3.2. The number of ‘Owners for a Day’ for any one horse could vary. DRC reserve the right to alter this number from time to time.
3.3. An ‘Owner for a Day’ is permitted to invite one guest only (age restrictions may apply and are subject to course rules) to accompany them but this guest must be a member of DRC.
3.4. ‘Owners of a Day’ must bring their membership cards and one other valid form of ID (e.g. photo driving licence, utility bill, etc.) with them on the day of the race.
3.5. Being an ‘Owner for a Day’ does not entitle the Member to any actual ownership rights over the horse (see section 5 below).
3.6. In order to permit as many Members as possible to benefit from this, DRC reserve the right to place an upper limit to the number of times in a year that any one Member can be an ‘Owner for a Day’.
3.7. The sum distributed to ‘Owners for a Day’ per specific race is determined by the relative net total paid to DRC by Weatherbys and after deductions for such expenses as entry fees, jockey fees, any VAT or other taxes, etc. DRC may deduct a 10% administration charge. See also points 3.12 and 3.13 below. The only additional deductions from race prize money are trophies and costs relating to a race outside of the United Kingdom or any race where an entry supplement is paid.
3.8. In the case of a ‘Double’, when bonus prize money is available for a horse winning two specific races, such bonus money, less any relevant deductions, will go to DRC..
3.9. Any prize monies will be distributed to relevant ‘Owners for a Day' at the end of their memebrship term.
3.10. Any trophies that are awarded for a race will be received and retained by DRC and deducted from the prize money. When a trophy is awarded the relevant ‘Owners for a Day’ may request a replica for themselves which will be charged for separately.
3.11. Prize money won by one of the horses owned by DRC at any meeting will be distributed equally amongst the appropriate ‘Owners for a Day’. Thus at races where there:
a) is one ‘Owner for a Day’ he/she will receive 100% of the net available winnings;
b) are two ‘Owners for a Day’, each will receive 50% of the net available winnings;
c) are three ‘Owners for a Day’, each will receive 33⅓% of the net available winnings.
3.12. No prize money will be available to ‘Owners for a Day’ in ‘Selling’ or possibly claimimg Races.
3.13. Any monies paid out by DRC in order to retain a horse that has run in a ‘Claimer’ Race will be deducted from any winnings before payment is made to ‘Owners for a Day’.
3.14. If a Member wishes to cancel a bid after successfully bidding, then the monies bid and that share of the prize money will be retained by DRC Ltd as no cancellations are accepted.
3.15. In the event that a member successfully bids on two horses running at two different events on the same day for which attendance at both would not be possible, the Member will be permitted to select that race that he/she wishes to attend.
3.16. In the event of any dispute arising as to the outcome of any bid or draw the decision of the management shall be final and binding.
3.17. Members attending meetings as ‘Owners for a Day’ agree to participate in any publicity that DRC might wish to organise for that particular event, including film, photography, interview or other.
3.18. If a horse does not run (see point 6.1 below) after it has been entered or declared for a race:
3.18.1. All related telephone and SMS charges that Members may have incurred are non-refundable.
3.18.2. A Member who has been informed that he/she has won the bidding on that horse to become ‘Owner for a Day’, then:
3.18.2.1. the bid money will either not be collected or , if already paid, will be refunded in full, and
3.18.2.2. the Member will be offered one free ticket to that race meeting as a gesture of goodwill, and
3.18.2.3. the Member will be offered the opportunity to be ‘Owner for a Day’ the next time that the same horse runs. In the event that the horse never runs again for the club, the member will be offered a £20 voucher to spend on club merchandise.
3.18.3. At no time can DRC be held liable for any expenses incurred by Members in this situation.
3.19. Every effort will be made by DRC to ensure that the relevant Trainer, or a representative of the yard, attends DRC runners at meetings. However this will not always be possible.
3.20. Members of the management of DRC shall not be permitted to participate in any ‘Owner for a Day’ draw or bid.
4. Bidding
4.1. There are two possible methods by which a Member can become an ‘Owner for a Day’:
4.1.1. Competition Draw. In this method members enter by telephone. When calling, Members choose which horse they would like to be the owner for and answer the associated DRC Question. If correct they will be asked to leave their membership number. The winner/winners will be picked at random from all the correct entries at the end of the competition, at which point DRC will notify the winners. Entries will be charged at £1.00 per call (with BT – other networks may vary. Standard network charges apply).
4.1.2. HighestBid. In this method Members may engage in an auction by bidding any value that they wish. The winner will be that Member who has bid the highest amount. Members can enter this type of auction via online only.
4.2. The selection method for becoming an ‘Owner for a Day’ for a particular horse at a particular meeting will be chosen from the above two options by DRC. The chosen method will be published before bidding can begin.
4.3. Winners will be notified by DRC at the close of bidding.
4.4. It is the responsibility of winning Members to contact DRC before 10:00 a.m. on the day following the closure of bidding to confirm arrangements for the race day.
4.5. The money for winning bids must be received by DRC before the member can take up the offer of ‘Owner for a Day’.
5. Ownership and Management
5.1. Full legal and equitable title to the horses referred to above, and all such other horses acquired by DRC from time to time, and any other assets of the club, including membership lists and information, remains at all times with the company - Destiny Racing Club Ltd.
5.2. Membership of the club – DRC, does not confer upon the member any rights of ownership in respect of the horses or other club or company assets.
5.3. DRC Ltd may buy, sell or lease horses at anytime without consultation with Members.
5.4. Horses may be given breaks from racing for their benefit at anytime.
5.5. Horses may be moved between trainers at anytime.
5.6. All decisions relating to the purchase, training and sale of horses and when and where horses will compete will be at the absolute discretion of DRC Ltd.
5.7. The management of DRC Ltd shall act in the best interests of the club in making such decisions, but their decisions are final.
6. Guarantees and Limitations
6.1. In view of the unpredictable nature of the industry, no specific guarantees can be made in any respect. In particular there is no guarantee that a horse, even though entered for a race, will run, nor of any level of prize money as this depends on the performance of the horses and whether or not they run.
6.2. All decisions relating to the horses, trainers, administration, and general management, shall be vested in the managers of DRC Ltd.
6.3. DRC expresses opinions and cannot be held responsible for results or any betting losses incurred.
6.4. DRC passes on information in good faith relating to its horses but cannot be held responsible if any information is incorrect.
6.5. All rights conferred to the Member by DRC are personal to the Member alone and may not under any circumstances whatsoever be gifted, sold, assigned, leased, form part of a loan, offered or granted as security to any third parties.
6.6. Members have no authority to enter into any contract or agreement on behalf of DRC.
6.7. Becoming a Member of DRC does not mean that the Member becomes a shareholder or partner of DRC or DRC Ltd and the Member will have no legal entitlement to any dividend or other financial return as a result of Membership of DRC.
7. General
7.1. Additional postage costs are applicable to overseas Members.
7.2. All text messages to DRC, whether for bidding purposes or otherwise, will be charged at £1.00 per message (standard network charges apply).
7.3. Copyright of all published material is the property of DRC Ltd. Material submitted by Members (letters to the editor, photographs etc) must be their own work and the full copyright shall pass to DRC Ltd. Photographs are not normally returned.
7.4. From time to time DRC Ltd may wish to vary the Terms and Conditions of Membership. Members agree to accept the changes as they are deemed to be in the best interests of the club. All membership will be subject to the new terms and conditions.
7.5. Members agree to adhere by all rules of racing and racecourses, including dress codes, and shall act in a manner that will not bring the club into disrepute.
7.6. The name “Destiny Racing Club” and the DRC logo are registered trade marks.
7.7. These Terms and Conditions will be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law.
8. Shares
8.1 Any shares sold in any horses by DRC are subject to the shares syndicate agreement available on request. All shares are for a minimum term of 1 year.