My father first had greyhounds trained by Wembley based Jimmy Rimmer back in the 1960’s. Early memories are of walking the dogs right by the iconic Twin Towers, where the handlers were stationed.
As a youngster there had been many racing visits and was I initially fairly nonplussed to be fair – that was until we went to Slough when I was 18.
That night a greyhound called Modest Mark won, carrying £1 of my hard earned, which was only £13 a week at the time! And so it began, a love affair with the greyhounds, the sport, the thrill, that excitement people reading this will know only too well. It really doesn’t need explaining.
Those were halcyon days for the sport compared to now, buzzing crowds, big turnover at the track and plenty of outside sponsorship. Royalty embraced charity nights, the wonderful ‘Stow was a celebrity hot spot, there was a vibrance to the sport.
My ownership saw my first greyhound, Wentworth Legend, with John Cox, reach the finals of The Puppy Derby & Romford Xmas Puppy Cup unbeaten and I went on to have greyhounds with trainering greats such as Ted Dickson, John Coleman, Geoff Demulder and Terry Dartnall. The top dogs were like superstars and if you wanted to watch them you had to go to the track. I clocked up so many miles in my little mini, none more than travelling to see the greatest crowd pleaser of all time, Scurlogue Champ.
The roar that used to greet him, 25 lengths adrift, as he made that first gain on the dog in fifth place and continued up to and well after the winning line. Deafening! It literally was an indescribable feeling to watch him cut through the field. We ALL felt like we owned him. He was the ultimate showman, a freak – and in the same era as the thoroughbred Ballyregan Bob. Unfortunately, I was of that age that didn’t appreciate just what a star George Curtis’ charge was. To me, he was Champs rival, so I didn’t really engage with Bobs unbelievable record.
I often think back to those days and wonder – where is everyone now? There were plenty my age & younger, have they just lost interest for good, moved onto other things or undergoing a sabbatical? The loss of Sky as a platform for the sport has been a massive blow, though RPGTV has been a much better tonic than many would credit. What has changed most in my time is the control of the industry, where most events are now sponsored by the bookmakers. As an industry we should be grateful for this support but my personal concerns are that this is not a sustainable model for the sport – at all.
Whilst welfare is rightly the top priority and vast improvements have taken place in this area, the owner & his voice, as well as prize money, has been left well behind. I feel it must be addressed with some vigour, over the next two years. More people need to be enticed into the sport, through new incentives, packages and fresh marketing. This looks to already be well underway at Romford & Sheffield, perhaps benefiting from bigger local populations but the industry could benefit from a united campaign.
My involvement as an owner now is through running a syndicate, which came about through a number of friends, many fellow Brentford fans. Most members are new to the sport and we currently have three greyhounds in racing, all superbly looked after by Matt Dartnall at Stanwell Moor. Both Matt & Terry Dartnall have been wonderful ambassadors for greyhound racing to our new owners with the Sunday morning kennel visits.
Informative, spotlessly clean kennels, friendly staff and all clearly proud and caring of their charges. We also have a private facebook syndicate page & whatsapp groups which I update daily and allows us platforms of communication and interaction. It takes up a little time, yet I thoroughly enjoy doing it and answering any questions.
Time involved on a mutual passion is never wasted! People have formed new friendships throughout the membership and we have enjoyed so much fun & banter through our groups. The first greyhound we purchased and named Jota El Rey, saw over 100 people involved and he is now very happily retired and lives a life of luxury down in Newbury, with a couple who feel so grateful he is in their lives. We are regularly updated with photos of his amusing antics!
There are many well run syndicates in the UK, mainly put together through friends and acquaintances, which encourages more people to take an interest in the sport and experience ownership, often for the first time. It’s clearly the most cost-effective way for owners to be involved, sharing the purchase monies & kennel fees with other syndicate members. The benefits to the sport speak for themselves – the more owners, the more likely visits are to the stadia, resulting in a higher spend, the more betting turnover online and, most important of all (for me) the more likely the greyhound will be retired as a pet after racing, through a syndicate member.
For the sport to thrive again it simply has to start appealing to a younger demographic. Saturday nights sees tracks packed, restaurants fully booked, greyhound racing remains a wonderful nights’ entertainment for everyone. Now we need to convert more to ownership and what better than well run syndicates or racing clubs?
It was said that highly respected entrepreneur and marketing expert, Paul Ephremsen, (the first owners representative) was very keen to build on the syndicates model. At the time he left his position, to spend more time on business interests, there was mention of a project set up to promote the concept.
Greyhound racing needs to start reaching out to a wider audience and as we’ve found from a few friends supporting the same football club, there can be so much fun to be had as part of a group, for such a minimal cost – normally less than a pint of beer each week! Imagine if businesses got involved and purchased a ‘company greyhound’, for the staff to enjoy, sports clubs, football fans, cricket clubs, public house regulars?
Modern technology and social media grants us the opportunity to expand information. The possibilities are endless and the best salespersons for this are those of us already involved. I’ve owned dogs individually, with friends and now via a syndicate. In my experience, the collective involvement has been the greatest thrill of all.
Towcester returning is a massive tonic and the new track looks to be quite a gallop! It will be a stiff 500 metres and is going to attract all the top trainers and greyhounds.
There is so much to love about the place and with greyhound men Kevin Boothby & the very likeable Andy Lisemore involved we can hopefully look to a bright future at what is likely to become the established flagship for the sport.
The two Greyhound Derby nights held there were simply wonderful and showed what can be done. It would be no surprise to see Towcester hosting future Derby Nights and I truly hope everyone supports the venue as much as possible.
Greyhound racing is likely to be one of the first activities to return, I would expect behind closed doors for a while, yet hopefully a return to normal service won’t be too far away.
These are unprecedented times for us all right now so please stay safe until we can meet again at a track to enjoy our wonderful sport once more.
