Poole boss Shaun Spencer-Perkins reports that his track as having a successful year, but like many others, it would benefit from having more greyhounds.
He said: “Our figures are up on last year which is very pleasing. Our kennel strength isn’t too bad either. The last time I checked, it was around 300, but like all tracks, we would love more dogs and that isn’t easy to resolve given our comparative isolation.”
Stadia UK boss Bill Glass recently suggested that Poole might be the only UK track who could justify putting on an extra midweek night’s racing in the summer, without relying on funding for BAGS or RPGTV.
(The track raced on a Thursday night for many years but switched their schedule when the local authority decided to stage a major fireworks display on the neighbouring quay.)
Spencer-Perkins said: “Bill and I spoke about it, but I do have some reservations; not that it wouldn’t be profitable, but whether it would dilute the other evenings. We already concentrate our corporate business on Tuesdays (BAGS) and the bookings for those are quite strong.
“Given our existing commitments, and the finite number of dogs it won’t be happening anyway. If there were more runners available, they would certainly enhance our existing meetings. It would definitely be beneficial to stage 14 races on a Saturday, and I would even consider adding some to the Tuesday card.
“The other area for growth is the Saturday afternoon BEGS cards. We held them between November and March last year and the numbers grew throughout that period; we were getting coachloads in. Hopefully we will be able to build on that later this year.”
*Poole are currently looking for track staff. For further details, contact the stadium on 01202 677449
