Pete Harnden, the trainers representative on GBGB, has been checking through the racing results for evidence of over-racing following the launch of the new ARC/SIS schedules three weeks ago.
He said: “I can’t find any evidence of there being a problem at this stage. I think there have been some teething troubles with tracks frantically qualifying dogs.
“Perhaps the best example was Henlow. They had 120 dogs trialling this week and most of them are now ready to race. In fact, Kevin Boothby (promoter) was telling me that from from having a runner shortage, they are now having to turn dogs away.
“It is pretty much as I expected. I was bought up with Henlow-type trainers, grass roots dog men. They have never over raced their dogs. They just don’t do it.
“If you check out the statistics for dogs with the most racing in a year, they have always been from the big professional kennels at BAGS tracks. I will keep monitoring it but I don’t anticipate a problem.”
