Monmore have made a major play for the Saturday open race scene with a significant three month winter festival writes Floyd Amphlett.
Starting in December, the track have scheduled seven open races over assorted distances, including puppy and maidens, every second Saturday night. Each race will be worth £500 to the winner, £100 for seconds and £60 for others.
Before then, there will be a series of 18-runner stakes, each worth £500 to the winner, and staged Saturday/Saturday.
Racing manager Tony Williamson said: “We need the open racers because it takes the strain off the graded strength, and also because they are popular.
“We lost four trainers but gained Ben McBride, Emma Richards and Kevin Hutton who bring about 75 runners between them.
“But this year we are running six times a week, which is 84 races, compared to 70 races a year ago. We need 504 dogs and our kennel strength is 520, but life is never that simple.
“For example, on average three dogs per trainer, and we have 18 trainers, might come off the strength for just a week. That might be because they are pups, who can’t be raced more than once a week, or older dogs, who can only race every week to ten days.
“Then there are little niggles, bits of sickness, dogs being bitten, and you can see how the open races help.
“Then there are the less common reasons. We have just been through the Diwali Festival and we have Bonfire Night coming up. So we warn trainers to ensure that nervous dogs aren’t graded on nights when there may be firework displays in the surrounding estates.
“Although we could do with a few more dogs, the quality has never been higher. If there had been a BAGS/SIS Track Championship now, I think we would have been able to field a very strong team.”
Monmore recently staged their first graded marathon in almost two years. The five runner event was won by Paul Sallis’ 4-1 shot Cooladerry Vixen from 5-4f Supreme Shiraz with the first three home separated by two and a quarter lengths.
Williamson said: “I would like to run more but we would need to find some more runners. The first three would be okay, but the fourth dog home was beaten five lengths with a similar distance to the fifth.
“We advise trainers that we want to run them and ask them to make suitable runners available.
“Unfortunately, the staying strength is only between 80-90 dogs. I wish it was higher.”
Chris Allsopp’s Go Joe Go was the Dog of the Month for September when unbeaten in all three races (D5, A9, A7). Bitch of the Month was Craig Marston’s Bit View Megan with four wins from five outings.
In terms of longevity, there is nothing to match Kim Billingham’s East Bound (Head Bound-No Joke Sherry, Jul 13) who recently went to traps for his 127th race.
Monmore are to celebrate their 90th Birthday on November 1 with a 1920’s themed evening. Customers are being encouraged to wear their best 1920’s outfit with a prize for the best dressed – by order of the Peaky Blinders!
Customers can also pre book to enjoy a 3-course meal in the restaurant for the special price of £19.28 or enjoy the Party Pack package for just £9.00.
General admission and a racecard will be 10p each on the evening – the 1928 equivalent of the current admission price of £6.
The record breaking local homefinders will be present on the evening and there will also be a grand raffle with funds going to the Poppy Appeal.
The first Monmore meeting actually took place in January 1928 with events recorded by The Express And Star. It reported a crowd of 10,000 for the meetings staged by the Midlands Greyhound Racing Company. The first race, the Shirley Stakes, for unraced runners, was won by Arrow Tranby in 32.06 for the 500 yards. The winner collected £10 (equivalent to £597) and the runner-up £5. There were two hurdle events on the seven race card, and even then the hurdlers reputation was tarnished with correspondent referring to them as ‘the leppars’. Nevertheless the Hall Green runner Shawn Buidhe was a particularly popular winner. There were two shocks on the night. The first was the defeat of open race star Canadian Girl. Then the last race was made void following the exploits of a ‘quarrelsome dog’.
