Yarmouth promoter Simon Franklin is offering to pay the GBGB retirement bond fee and registration for any new greyhound who qualifies as a wide seed.

He said: “Some races have become virtually impossible to stage due to a shortage of wide runners. I was looking at the A1 runners the other day and there were probably 30-35 rails or middle seeds and probably four or five wides.

“So if Montrose goes open racing, as she has done recently, or John Mullins takes his wide runners for opens elsewhere, he are faced with the prospect of an empty trap and putting a middle seed out in five. It is far from ideal though I don’t think we are the only trap who are suffering with the problem.”

 

The old adage about ‘ill winds’ was certainly relevant at Yarmouth last year with the seaside venue boasting healthy crowds throughout the summer. But it is only during the summer months that when the Saturday evenings actually make a profit.

Simon said: “We hear a lot about how all tracks should be open on a Saturday night. But the big increases in prize money last year have made them loss makers for many tracks.

“Our two weekday meetings are both part of the BAGS service, but Saturday isn’t. We do receive a much smaller payment for the digital and on-line service but we actually only make money on Saturdays between July and October thanks to the holiday makers. Even then they don’t spend like they used to, particularly on the tote which is a fraction of what it used to be.”

 

Lameness, sickness, vehicle breakdowns . . .  all the reasons for non-runners, Yarmouth had a new one on Wednesday.

Simon said: “Maurice Rice had five runners with us and some open racers at Harlow. Unfortunately, he drove to Harlow with the keys for his other van in his pocket.”

Aaaargh!

 

JACKDAW SUMMER (t1) wins heat 10 in the second round of the 2011 English Derby at Wimbledon Pic Steve Nash

Few – if any – Yarmouth hounds received more column inches in the Greyhound Star newspaper than Irene Barnard’s Jackdaw Summer who died this week aged 14.

The Nov ’07 son of Top Honcho and Copycat was truly remarkable. He won opens on eight different tracks, from 462-605m over four and a half years. His final race, his 202nd, was a downgrade to A3.

Simon said: “Irene and her girls thought the world of him. They tried to introduce him to the house when he retired from racing but he missed the kennel. So he was given his own special kennel with its own run where he could do as he pleased. He was a huge favourite with everyone.”