It will be a case of ‘more of the same, but learning and building’ from the Gone To The Dogs Live team as they present their second broadcast on Friday October 18.
The hosts will be Romford and the feature event will be the Premier Greyhound Racing Champion Stakes Final. The first broadcast featuring the Click East Anglian Derby received exceptional reviews but the team of Hobbs, Jackson, et al will be looking to refine the presentation second time around – writes Star Editor Floyd Amphlett.
The official press release reads . . .
The near four-hour programme, hosted by regular Gone To The Dogs podcast presenter Dani Jackson along with Jonathan Hobbs, plus Joe Conneely, Emily Wallis and Gary Wiltshire in the betting ring and Darrell Williams commentating, follows a successful first venture for the team at Yarmouth for the Click Competitions East Anglian Greyhound Derby Grand Final night, won by Oaks-bound Druids Say Go
Jackson said: “We had a fantastic time and night at Yarmouth. The atmosphere trackside really came across and we promise the same at Romford on one of their biggest race nights of the year for the Premier Greyhound Racing Champion Stakes Final.”
Hobbs added: “We really couldn’t have asked for a better start at Yarmouth and it’s been a brilliant base to build from and we’re all looking forward to preparing for this show, learning from the experience of our first show, and improving on that where we can.”
Next month’s Gone To The Dogs – Live! from Romford will again be broadcast on GTTD’s own YouTube channel – with efforts to reduce latency top of the agenda.
“We’re working with an excellent team behind the scenes who are determined to reduce the delay time for pictures. Most people will enjoy watching the show ‘as live’ but our viewers on the night will be made aware of the delay – and advised to place their bets, should they be inclined to, before the scheduled race time. This is something we have gleaned from bookmakers and are happy to stress.”
Hobbs, who worked for many years on the Sky Sports greyhound racing shows with Darrell Williams and Gary Wiltshire, and more recently RPGTV and GTV, alongside colleagues Dani Jackson, Joe Conneely and Emily Wallis, also revealed the show could be broadcast through other channels, in addition to YouTube.
“We want Gone To The Dogs – Live! to reach as many people as possible and discussions are ongoing on this. In the meantime, our producer and director Dermot Cumiskey is busy framing up a near four-hour programme to showcase the very best of greyhound racing at Romford, one of the busiest and best tracks in the UK – run by the wonderfully enthusiastic Karen McMillan, who is always thinking outside the box.
“Just look at the successful match races at Romford, which is something we are definitely hoping can be repeated on Premier Greyhound Racing Champion Stakes Final night – and thanks must go to Entain and Premier Greyhound Racing for their support with this exciting project.”
For her part, McMillan said: “It’s great to welcome the Gone To The Dogs – Live! team. I saw at first hand at Yarmouth what they achieved – and how positive this venture is for greyhound racing. We fully support it and look forward to another big night here.
“Of course, we’ve been hectic preparing for this week’s Coral Romford Puppy Cup Final – a 12-race card which includes another match race. This has been backed by our new partners GB Skip Hire who I’m sure would be happy to be involved should there be the possibility of a match race on Premier Greyhound Racing Champion Stakes Final night.
“In the meantime we will enjoy another busy week here and look forward to building up to October 18, a night which we intend to highlight the very best of the sport, and what a great night out greyhound racing is – especially here at Romford Stadium!”
