Dads can be very wise. Mine certainly has his moments.
A few months ago, my dad Ced, who is former director of the British Greyhound Racing Federation and joint promoter at Cambridge, used the ‘C’ word to describe the single biggest issue in the greyhound industry.
It was his ‘Stephen Hawking moment’. A unifying theory of everything that explained so many of the best and worst aspects of the greyhound industry.
“You know the biggest problem with greyhound racing is that there are a lot less people who CARE than there were years ago.”
He wasn’t talking about the huge decline in track attendances, or betting, in the four decades since he first took me racing.
I instantly knew what he meant, and if you ‘care’, you will recognise yourself.
You ‘care’ if you can remember who trained Mutts Silver … or if you could name three of the top ten sires … or if you could name four likely runners in the Golden Jacket … or if you get angry with parasitic Betfair feeding off the greyhound industry.
The more I thought about ‘C’ theory, the more boxes it ticked as to my personal opinions and frustrations.
Even if we disagree, I naturally feel a great empathy with someone who cares as passionately about the industry (in a good way) as I do.
Traditionally we tend to think about the trainers, kennelstaff and owners as being the group who care the most. But that sells a lot of people short.
One of the big issues that I have with greyhound folklore, mindlessly and casually repeated in track bars, canteens and on toxic forums, is the idea that unless you are in the owner/trainer/kennelhand group, you don’t care.
All promoters are callous bastards. The GBGB is useless. General managers aren’t interested and racing managers don’t give a damn.
I can certainly find examples to back up those theories, but only an idiot would accept them universally.
Track promoters! You wouldn’t get a more passionate greyhound fan, man and boy, than Kinsley’s ‘King’ Curran, or Kev ‘Savana’ Boothby, the biggest owner and promoter at Henlow, or Simon Franklin, equally as committed to greyhound racing as his granddad who built Yarmouth Stadium. What about Pelaw, or Doncaster, owned by greyhound enthusiasts? The list goes on.
The charge that the GBGB is useless is not fair either. They certainly aren’t friends of Greyhound Star, but they do a difficult job, with very little money and here too you can find greyhound passion among many of the staff.
General managers take more stick than most, but I think they are among the most unfairly maligned group of all. They are the ones left to run under-funded businesses with dozens of livelihoods resting on them making, often difficult, choices. I can think of at least eight GMs or Heads of Stadia, who love dog racing and contribute massively to the industry.
Racing managers? They are a mixed group between those who clearly dislike their jobs (or at least what they have become) and others who are as interested and committed as any owner or trainer.
But what of the flip side? Do ALL trainers really care?
I know of three who do. The Star’s three columnists, Mark Wallis, Graham Holland and Pat Rosney, are among the most successful in their profession but contribute to the site, for no financial gain, because they care passionately about the greyhound industry.
Some trainers care in a purely selfish way about their dogs and their kennel and nobody else’s.
Some people claim to care about the industry and justify their passion as a way for attacking other people. We are back to the toxic forums and idiots who snarl ‘greyhound racing is going down the toilet, X is to blame and the industry is corrupt.’
It might be. But he isn’t and it isn’t.
Your problem mate – is that you listen to people who have their own chequered histories. Just because they would be corrupt in that position, doesn’t mean anyone else is.
The worst group of all though, far more insipid than the internet trolls, are those who play the ‘caring’ welfare card for other purposes, selfish or financial.
I am really thinking of those who try to raise money by making false claims about the greyhound industry. Proving they are merely misguided, rather than cynically corrupt, is just about impossible.
The lowest of the low?
Probably a trainer who repeatedly tries to land a contract at a track, and when he is turned down, makes a complaint that one of the existing trainers is putting his dogs to sleep rather than re-homing them.
Now that’s pond life!
The Star has been on-line for one year (+ days) and it has been a massive learning curve.
For the first 11 months, we were significantly hamstrung by running the newspaper in tandem. But things have really kicked on in recent weeks.
The biggest blow of the year, by far, was the decision taken by the directors of the GBGB, late last year, to end any support for the Star.
Thankfully, several of the tracks have since offered to increase their backing, though others have refused. Usually, those who haven’t contributed a bean in our previous 33 years of trading! They are even given a five figure grant for promotion by GBGB, but won’t put any of it our way!!!!
While we still continue to operate a complete service, we have limited resources, and our focus will be on those tracks who believe in a free independent news service, operating to the benefit of their owners and trainers – and are prepared to support it.
A massive thanks to all of them. Without them – there would be no Greyhound Star.
As for the others – think Betfair!
But onwards and upwards! In the last month, we have signed deals with a range of advertisers who have seen the direction we are going and want to be on-board.
We are currently in discussion with two betting companies and a potential media outlet.
Regular readers will have noticed that we are gradually implementing some of the popular features from the newspaper, whilst still maintaining a daily news feed.
So, going forward, expect ‘Remember When’ every Wednesday, a weekly Editors Chair and Breeding Column, the Vets Clinic etc etc plus new features including Irish Performance of the Week, sponsored by Odds-On. Look out too for a special feature ‘My 10 best, and 5 worst, moments in greyhound racing’.
We are here, and keep going, because, like you, WE CARE!
A belated congratulations to my very good mate, and GWA drinking partner, Steve Nash on his Services to the Greyhound Industry award. I can’t think of anyone who personally knows more people in this industry than Steve; and he is a consultant to NASA on long distance travel.
Well done Nasher – and don’t worry, that court case has been resolved.
