The new, and seemingly definitive, SIS schedule for 2018 has been released as the landscape for greyhound racing in the next twelve months becomes a little clearer.
Interestingly, the new reduced schedule of 39 meetings, does include Doncaster but nobody for the ‘TBC’ slots for presumed ARC deserters. It leaves us with a hefty weekly schedule for the eight venues: Meetings: 6-Romford, Monmore, 5-Central Park, Crayford, Hove, 4-Doncaster, Harlow, Henlow.
The revised schedule certainly looks more balanced than its predecessor with the four bookmaker owned tracks getting seven evening meetings between them, all with a Saturday except for Crayford who will race without betting shop coverage. The most contentious change announced in the last few days seems to have been Hove’s dropping their popular Sunday mornings to be replaced by a Tuesday afternoon. As one letter to the editor put it today “Yesterday 400 people attended the track with 230 in the restaurant. How many people will attend on an afternoon in January – 10 20 or as many as 30 ??”
However, as one industry source put it ‘this might be a case where the local owners and trainers have different views.”
There is of course still no news on either the SKY meetings or RPGTV. I would be cautiously optimistic about the former – there is plenty of activity behind the scenes – and reasonably confident about the latter. Tracks will need to race in the evenings the sake of their owners, and they will need to race midweek for the sake of rotating their kennel strength. Why not continue to have it subsidised by RPGTV?
It is also strongly rumoured that ARC have put together a complete package for a full RPGTV service, with or without any other options on the table.
