WEDNESDAY ROUND UP

Yarmouth have just two Saturday racenights racing left – though promoter Simon Franklin is hoping they can be revived in early 2024.

The Saturday evening fixture, which has been carried as a ‘digital’ service by the betting industry, is one of the casualties of the new broadcasting schedule. Instead, the Caister track will acquire a ‘full slot’ which will be transmitted to the betting shops on Sunday lunchtime, alongside its regular Mondays and Wednesdays.

Simon said: “Our last Saturday meeting of the year will be on the 23rd. There is a stock car meeting scheduled for the 30th.

“It is disappointing to lose the Saturdays, because we can justify running them with the support of the digital meetings. On the flip side, it is good to get a full third meeting.

“We will play it by ear for the Sundays, but we will offer free admission and some ‘two for one’ restaurant deals and see how popular they are.

“Of course, once we get into January, things are dead on a Saturday anyway. But provided we have enough dogs, I would like to bring Saturdays back, probably around Easter time; possibly ten race cards.

“I don’t expect them to be profitable, but the owners and trainers like them, and we could then run them throughout the summer as the summer season kicks in with bigger crowds. Although business drops off in October and November, the Christmas trade in December is good.

“You can’t mess trainers around if they have dogs on the strength so it would mean that the Saturdays would stay thoughout October and November, through to the end of the year.

“Everything is about the number of dogs we have available. At last count it was around 280, which is more than enough for three meetings, albeit with the odds shortage in certain grades of certain seeds.

“If we can increase that slightly, the Saturdays should be achievable.”

There was just half a length between the ‘KSS cousins’ as King Capaldi and Queen Joni dominated the BGBF British Bred Derby semi finals at Sheffield on Tuesday night.

Semi final winners Rab McNair and John Mullins have enjoyed a friendly rivalry over many years Photo: © Steve Nash

Queen Joni continued her progress following a lay-off finding a (calculated) 11 spots in the first semi final. King Capladi made it 12 wins from 15 outings in the second and fastest semi.

John Mullins’ Signet Goofy was equally emphatic in the last qualifier.

The final draw though has produced a nightmare scenario for Liz McNair with King Capaldi – one of the tightest railers on the open race circuit drawn – in fou, with Joni, who clocked an identical sectional, drawn on his immediate inside.

Next week’s decider will also (probably) provide a final opportunity for a win in this event for the incredible Magical Bale/Forest Natalee litter.

Back in 2021, Goofy’s littermates Signet Otis and Sleek By Design finished second and third to the Janssens/Firmager superstar Fabulous Azurra.

Then a year ago, Signet’s Goofy, Otis and Denver finished fourth, fifth and sixth, with the latter suffering a career defining injury, once again behind the brilliant Azurra.