Poole racegoers will be able to watch the first handicap races seen at the stadium in more than 25 years during Tuesday’s evening meeting.
GM Shaun-Spencer Perkins said: ” After a series of tests we are now good to go and looking forward to a great night of racing. Ian Silience Racing was very happy with last Tuesday’s live trials. I guess, as with anything new, there is always a sense of trepidation and despite just a few naysayers the trials went extremely well.
“We’re confident our punters will be able to enjoy a great spectacle next Tuesday as we hold the first handicap race for many a year. Perhaps your readers could remember the last handicap at Poole. You have to go back a few years. Certainly not since Stadiauk came in. The ground staff have done an excellent job preparing for the launch and working with BIAS Technology our electrical installations team.”
Racing manager Ian Sillence said: “I was a bit sceptical but the trials went well and I am quite looking forward to the handicaps, it is a bit of variety on the card.
“We haven’t particularly introduced them due to a shortage of dogs. We have around 270-280 on the strength which is more than enough in the summer. It can get a bit tighter in the winter when we have two meetings on the same day and several trainers can’t do both. So they might come in handy then.”
Machine Gun (Lenson Bolt-Langan Kindling, Aug 15) is the track’s in-form hound in recent weeks. The Alma Keppie trained black pup was beaten in his first four A4 races at the track before rattling off an 80-1 four timer A4-A3-A2-A1.
After being bloodied and bruised on the attendance front by the recent Joshua/Klitchschko fight, the track have decided to screen the Brook/Spence bout live at the same time as their Saturday evening meeting of 12 races.
