Greyhound enthusiast Ben Keith has admitted that his Star Sports organisation is one of those who has expressed an interest in acquiring Towcester from administrators KPMG.
The owner of the Derby sponsors said: “Star Sports have made an offer to take Towcester over. But we don’t expect it to get accepted as there as some major grown-ups further ahead of us in the queue. However, this is, realistically, great news for Greyhound Racing.
Referring to an article in today’s Racing Post, in which GBGB state that the Greyhound Derby will be ‘going out to tender’, Keith suggests that the move will be unhelpful to the administrator’s representative.
“Today’s article did not help him. He is selling Towcester as a whole, AT THE MOMENT. But . . . , if ‘we’ are not helpful and realistic, we can turn round, and he will have turned into a nasty rottweiler who asset-strips things.
“It is vital everybody ends the dramatising and let’s the sale-process end in the correct manner. Such corporate processes always take longer than expected and will also probably be delayed whilst they haggle the price up. This is all in the script and if it doesn’t happen it’s probably a bad thing.”
However, GBGB boss Mark Bird has defended his organisation’s position, bearing in mind that they do not hold rights to ‘the Derby’.
He said: “It is pertinent that the only race that we hold the rights to is the Television Trophy. We cannot force the owners of the Greyhound Derby, or any other event, to give up those rights.
“However, at a board meeting yesterday, it was acknowledged that problems exist relating to sponsorship and control of the major events.
“We have therefore decided to convene a symposium at the end of the year so that industry stakeholders can debate the best way forward. It is important that we seek a solution as to what is best for the industry as a whole.”
