Promoter Kevin Boothby was left frustrated but undeterred when GBGB Senior Steward Paul Illingworth was unable to grant Towcester its licence to operate following a video call today.
Boothby said: “He had no choice. The fence was back up at the first bend, and we had done a whole list of smaller jobs, like connecting the phones in the stewards box and vets room. The last two jobs were supposed to be really straightforward, reconnecting the power to the starting traps and photo finish. The work of minutes.
“Unfortunately when Dave (Boothby – brother), went to connect them, he found that the main wiring was damaged, so he has had to replace the lot. That has taken him until 4pm today, but it should now be ready for Paul’s visit on Tuesday morning.”
Like the rest of the industry, Boothby is hoping that Government will not scupper his plans later tonight by closing down racing. But he has no regrets over his other track, Henlow, remaining open for racing behind closed doors.
He said: “We have been entirely professional and sensible. We don’t let the trainers congregate in the paddock. They can grab a coffee but they have to drink it in their vans, not in the canteen. Fortunately we have quite a young set of trainers, certainly compared to a lot of other tracks. But our two most senior handlers, Max Alden and Reggie Alder are self isolating.
“We do all this, and I drove past Aldi on the way to the track and there must have been a queue of 300 people outside, all shoulder to shoulder.”
