The GBGB should license their 100th owner trainer this week. Between their Feb 24-March 24 Calendars, 96 new handlers have been registered.
As might have been ancticipated, there is a huge northern bias. 25 of the total are based in Scotland, even though there is only one track ‘under rules’ north of the border, Shawfield. A further 29 applicants are based in the north of England, and a decent percentage of them are destined to race in the North East where Pelaw Grange, like Shawfield, have really embraced the new scheme.
There are decent numbers in the Midlands/Central region (21) with 13 in the East. The South of England fares badly – no coincidence given the scarcity of tracks, and there is just one new handler from Wales.
