Belle Vue trainer Andy Heyes, who was responsible for the 2001 TV Trophy winner Double Take and the 2004 Laurels hero Pack Them In, is turning his back on the sport that he has served since leaving school.
Frustrated by the long hours and meagre returns, he has handed in his notice to Belle Vue, where he has been a contract trainer since 2000 and is moving into nightclub ownership.
He says: “I was taken to Belle Vue as a boy and was fascinated by it. I started off as a kennelhand with Nigel Saunders and joined Michael Bacon at Norman Johnson’s kennel after that.
“I took the decision to branch out on my own and was delighted when I got the chance to join Belle Vue as a contract at the time it was a dream job for me and I have never wanted to go to any other track.
“But the sport is going backwards. There is just no money in it and I believe that the bookmakers should be paying a lot more for what they get out of it.
“I am working all hours with the dogs as I just cannot afford to pay the sort of wages that would attract staff. I have recently lost two people that were working for me because of that, which left me with even more to do.
“There is just not sufficient reward for all the effort that goes into it and I am now looking forward to the new challenge of getting involved in the nightclub business, which is something that I have wanted to try.
“It will leave me with more time to do what I want to do, take some time off, and even have holidays.”
