Owners' Guide
THE POINT TO POINT AUTHORITY LIMITED
OWNERS GUIDELINES FOR THE NEW POINT TO POINT HORSE SPONSORSHIP SCHEME
Firstly, please understand that the Point to Point Scheme has no connection whatsoever to the existing BHA Owners Sponsorship scheme. Therefore, if your horse runs in a Hunter Chase it will fall under the Rules set out in the BHA Owners Sponsorship Scheme, NOT this Point to Point Authority (PPA) Scheme. The Point to Point scheme does NOT have anything to do with VAT and therefore it does NOT allow Owners to reclaim any VAT in relation to training fees.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Each horse running in Point to Points can be sponsored by a business who will give the owner of the horse (as stipulated on the Hunters Certificate) £450. In return for this sponsorship payment the business name may be displayed in the racecard (alongside the horse’s name) and also on any rug worn by the horse at any time at a meeting (as defined in Appendix L of the BHA’s Regulations for Point to Point Steeple Chases). N.B. Owners sponsorship of this type is entirely OPTIONAL. There is a PPA registration fee of £45 for each sponsored horse.
WHAT DO I DO?
•Find yourself a business to sponsor your horse for the coming season – it will cost them £450 per horse and each horse can only be sponsored once. Ideally you should not be a Director of the business.
•The Sponsorship period commences 1st November to 30th June in any one season.
•Any one business can sponsor up to 5 horses (would need to be a sizeable business to justify 5).
•Ask for a cheque payable to you, the Owner, in the sum of £450 per horse. Use this money towards the training, entering and running of your horse (and ensure you can provide documentary evidence of this should you be required to do so). Please note, the sponsorship payment will not be valid or recognised unless and until you register your Hunters Certificate at Weatherbys. Do NOT send the cheque for £450 to Weatherbys – the relevant fees for registration are set out on the Hunters Certificate.
•When you fill out the owners and trainers details to send in your Hunters Certificate to Weatherbys, complete the new boxes entitled “Horse Sponsor” – maximum of 45 characters. Ensure this is the correct name and in the style your business sponsor is happy with. Please write clearly and legibly.
•Add a £45 registration fee to the cost of the Hunters Certificate by ticking the appropriate box. (If you do not manage to find a sponsor before the Hunters Certificate is registered you will still be able to take advantage of the Scheme but the registration fee will be £50 if registered after the Hunters Certificate).
•Ensure you keep a copy of the Hunters Certificate to give to your business sponsor together with the confirmation of registration letter (sent to you by Weatherbys) as the business sponsor may require this for their Accounting purposes.
•Entirely at the option of the horse’s sponsor you may display the business name on the paddock sheet and any other rug worn by the horse at the races (see Appendix L of the BHA’s Regulations for Point to Point Steeple Chases (copy attached) for specific criteria). If you have more than one business sponsoring your horses and intend to use the same paddock sheet we suggest the use of Velcro based logos which can be removed and replaced with others.
•When you enter your horse to run ensure the Horse Sponsor is named correctly and clearly on the entry form (if Weatherbys are taking the entries this will already be recorded and you will be asked verbally for name confirmation). This is important as this information will be reproduced in the racecard – in the unfortunate event that your horse is not able to run during the season for which sponsorship has been paid, we strongly recommend that it is entered at least once and that you give a copy of the racecard to your business sponsor. This ensures there is proof and evidence of genuine intent to promote their name.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS?
17.What if I sell my horse during the season?
1.Unfortunately the payment already made is not transferable. However the new Owner does have the option to obtain a new sponsor for the remainder of the season (late registration fee of £50 will apply). It is vital that the new owner(s) inform Weatherbys to ensure existing sponsorship details are amended/removed as necessary.
17.What information should I tell my business sponsor to keep?
1.Copy of Hunters Certificate and Weatherbys letter confirming registration; copy of an entry form (showing their business name as the horses sponsor); copy of at least one racecard so the business can prove to their Accountants (and HMR&C) the genuine intent and actions to promote their business name.
17.How should I “sell” the scheme to a business – it being a legitimate tax deductible business expense?
1.Point out that the purpose of the scheme is to promote the business name. Every time your horse is entered and runs in a Point to Point race the business name is being exposed (a) in the racecard and (b) (optionally) on the paddock rug both before and after the race. Average numbers of people attending a point to point are 3,000 over the season. Depending on how many times the horse runs this represents very justifiable exposure for the amount involved. We repeat that, ideally, the owner should not be a Director.
Q. Who CANNOT sponsor? (We must ensure we do not conflict with our own National Sponsors)
A. All vehicle manufacturers, all horse feed and horse supplement manufacturers. To ensure compliance with the OFCOM Code of Advertising Standards the following are INELIGIBLE: All tobacco products; Breath testing devices or others which mask the effects of alcohol; The occult; Private Investigation Agencies; Commercial services offering advice on personal or consumer problems; Guns and Gun Clubs; Pornography; Betting and gaming organisations (to include, for the avoidance of doubt, betting exchanges).
APPENDIX L
RUGS AND SHEETS:
• For all rugs and sheets, a patch of any shape, in area no greater than 32 square inches (206 square cm) must only appear on the corners of the sheet or rug nearest to the hindquarter of the horse, on both the near and off side of the horse.
Ideally, patches to be fixed with Velcro or other such removable fixing method to enable ease of removal; alternatively, the patches may be permanently fixed but, in such an instance, an alternative un-branded rug/sheet must be available at the racecourse in the event of any non-compliance with this Code.
Should an un-branded item not be available, branding may, at the discretion of a Point to Point steward, be covered over or removed in order to comply with this Code.
All of these areas are to be calculated by measuring around the outline of the words or logo(s) and will include the space between words if more than one is carried or between words and logo if both are carried. Any lines or box surrounding the words or logo(s) will be considered as part of the maximum area.
