It’s racing Jim but not as we know it. . . . and may never know it again.
Tonight marks the end of open racing and the first day since Christmas Day when betting shops will be closed. Just one more bizarre twist to a surreal nightmare. All of which leads to the thought, ‘when I wake up, will everything be back to normal?’
I just can’t see it happening.
For a start, the timelines don’t appear to be on the side of ‘business as usual’. If we really are a month behind Italy in the Coronavirus cycle, and they appear to be acutely struggling still, can anyone see normality returning before July at the earliest?
Now I am not trivialising human suffering in any way, but there are thousands of other websites better qualified to comment on the global and social implications. But even my near half century specialisation is greyh0und racing provides limited assistance in such a unique set of circumstances.
With every development and Government intervention, the landscape changes. The obvious decision to close betting shops – which was only determined a few hours ago as I write this piece – is a bloody great spoke in the greyhound wheel. Until then, we had got away comparatively lightly. Racing was allowed to continue behind closed doors.
The loss of a Friday night crowd would have caused limited pain, mainly to the decently attended Sheffield, Peterborough and Romford. Saturdays were definitely more problematic, but that was it. We long ago lost meaningful midweek crowds.
But with no horse racing, greyhound racing was keeping its head down like a bloke with a garage full of toilet rolls. No, we’ll be fine, thanks.
But the closure of the shops is a potential game changer. As yesterday’s column clearly showed, the UK betting industry – bar Bet365 – has consistently neglected the on-line market. Personally, I was surprised that Betfair wasn’t in a Champions League place. With virtually all their eggs in the retail sector, the traditional bookies have been left vulnerable to lose market share that they may never regain.
It was suggested to me by one industry observer yesterday, that in view of the plummeting share prices, at least one of the major firms could go under. Even if they don’t, better equipped, more forward thinking tech savvy foreign digital bookies will surely soon fill much of the vacuum?
Henlow/Towcester promoter Kevin Boothby is confident that the shockwave is manageable for both the tracks and betting industry. He believes that the recent Coronavirus financial feather bed created by the Government will allow tracks and bookies to buy some time. I hope he is right.
Two further thoughts.
Firstly, the effect that the ‘no open race’ ban will have on the industry. We are less than three weeks from the planned start of the English Derby. Some of the most outstanding greyhounds in Britain are in danger of not getting races.
I don’t know how many times Ice On Fire would be allowed to go to traps at 1-12 in a Newcastle A1 event before the bookies are on the phone to ARC/TRP. 1-20 says not more than one.
Of course, this could play into the hands of the track that isn’t even open yet. Based around the strength of Mark Wallis, Heather Dimmock, Michelle Brown, and now Ernie Gaskin, Towcester would have the facility to put on some very high quality A1 and S1 events.
But what about the other top kennels? Are they destined to lose, possibly the golden months of the careers of, their top open racers. Can GBGB afford to loosen the rule? No solutions here, only questions.
Finally – perhaps another lesson for the bookies. Wartime didn’t stop greyhounds, nor did the Suez Crisis, the Three Day Week, ‘foot and mouth’ . . . . . In fact, as I was reminded the other day, it was the foot and mouth outbreak that led to regular morning racing in the betting shops. Prior to that there was only Hackney on a Saturday.
Weather occasionally defeats us, but seldom for long.
Yes we all know that ‘virtual’ is an option, but it clearly has limited appeal. If it didn’t, live greyhound racing would have been thrown out years ago.
Thus I am reminded of owner Mark Burridge’s witty hashtag, #thegamesgone, to describe the typical dog man’s attitude to the industry. In one form or another, I have been hearing it all my life, but we are still here.
We might not be immune to Coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean it’s fatal.
Delusional Millennial actress Vanessa Hudgens was widely castigated for her ‘get over it’ response to Caronavirus, yet a contributor to the CAGED Facebook page was hoping that everyone in the greyhound industry would catch Coronavirus and die of it.
If the psycho had said the same thing about a religious minority, Special Branch would be all over it.
Picked this one up on Facebook submitted by Padjoe Dorney with a nine and a half year old whose memory clearly goes back at least seven years.
