Monmore have announced the return of the Lawrence Jones Memorial Festival in memory of the popular former trainer, ‘Lol’.
It will take place on Saturday September 9 when there will be 10 open races, from sprint through to a marathon, each worth £1,000 to the winner.
Racing Manager Tony Williamson said: “Our thanks to Chris and his mum Linda in memory of Lol. They are also sponsoring three graded sweepstakes worth £500 to the winners with the finals taking place on the same night.”
The RM was delighted with Thursday’s greyhound sale which was the first staged by ‘Greyhoundtrader’.
It is an open secret that a former Entain Head of Stadia ‘could see no value’ to the stadium in staging such an event. However, the appointment of Leo Walker saw a reversal of that decision.
Williamson said: “It was a great sale, very well organised and everything went smoothly. There was a lot of extra work involved, everything from paddock staff to the making of the bacon rolls, but everybody pitched in.
“The quality of the dogs was excellent with some very decent times for dogs having their first look at the track. We have benefitted by 22 new dogs staying at Monmore including quite a number of wide runners.”
(Full sales details in separate story)
Work is due to start on replacing the inside fence of the racing circuit, a process that will take place on four consecutive Sundays.
That follows the upgrade to the lighting system which took place earlier in the year. The next big project is the new veterinary surgery.
Tony said: “The inside fence isn’t a massive overhaul, it will just look cleaner with additional gates to make access easier. The surgery is a separate building, a type of portacabin unit, attached to the current vet’s room.
“It will be fully equipped including x-ray machines and other essential items. The electricians are in at the moment and the whole thing should be ready for the autumn.”
