As promised, Leo Walker, Entain’s Head of Greyhound Product and Trading Insight, has delivered his second Inside Track briefing to stadium employees and trainers. Like the first, it addresses the positives and negatives with equal clarity – writes Floyd Amphlett.
The repercussions of the commercial agreement with ARC, who will broadcast all Entain meetings from January 2024, are gradually crystalising and Walker accepts that some will be unpopular.
Stadium staff and trainers at Crayford and Hove are generally less than thrilled at the new Sunday fixtures (though it is easy to imagine a Hove Sunday lunch and race meeting being quite popular with regulars). Crayford, having already lost their Saturday night ‘shop service’ are now losing their Saturday night RPGTV fixtures. They will be rotated between the other Entain venues, all off which race on Saturday evenings.
Although Walker insists that the ‘door is open’ for Crayford to return, it seems am unlikely scenario. Last Saturday evening featured eight races with 17 empty traps. Clearly unsustainable, a situation which may deteriorate further given rumours circulating about potential trainer movement.
Nor does Walker duck the ongoing issue over greyhound rehoming. Some early discussions have taken place with Greyhound Trust, with the possibility of a potential deal, though he is also actively exploring other options and opportunities.
In the first Inside Track, Walker revealed that Entain would be adding £200 to every greyhound’s retirement bond – bringing the total figure to £600 – and that has now been extended until the end of the year.
That first briefer was primarily focussed on improved trainer benefits. This time around, it is more owner led with an announcement that from Friday (September 1), graded prize money will increase by an average of 8%. It will vary between 4% and 13% across the grades but will average out at roughly an additional £5 per runner.
In terms of the tracks themselves, the Monmore veterinary facility will imminently go live with its first Veterinary Clinic. Despite unexpected delays in scheduling, a date for the Romford circuit resurfacing is expected shortly while there has been significant stadium ‘sprucing up’ at Crayford.
Walker has also confirmed that following a hugely successful GreyhoundTrader sale at Monmore, Crayford will host a sale on October 9 with Hove lined up for November 6. A Romford event is pencilled in for early 2024.
While not all the news will be welcomed, many of the issues concerned, notably the runner shortage, the 2024 rescheduling, and the re-homing backlog are industry wide and seemingly unavoidable. But great credit to Leo Walker for his clarity and honesty in his communication with Entain’s stakeholders.
