There is way more racing than five years ago. Or is there? By much? How would the number of open races compare? Up or down? What about open race prize money? Up or down?

Before reading on, you might want to contemplate the answers to those questions.

How much has British greyhound racing changed since 2015? You might be surprised by the answers.

 

The first big question concerns the sheer volume of racing. Most tracks are racing more often, but there are fewer tracks.

In fact, if you span your mind back to 2015, before anyone had even considered the possibility of a ‘media rights’ battle, racegoers still had options to attend Hall Green, Mildenhall, Wimbledon and Towcester.

Between them, and between January 1 and October 31 2015, those four staged 5,375 races (11.4%) from an overall total of 47,115 races.

By Thursday night (Oct 31), the total number of races staged on Britain’s 21 tracks this year will be around 48,700 – an increase of around 3.2%.

 

Maybe not such a shock. But what if you take out all the open races staged at those four venues?

According to our records, by October 31, there will have been 3,888 open races staged this year. The equivalent figure for 2015? 3,887.

In fact the totals have fluctuated throughout the period from as high as 4,041 in 2017 to 3,306 in 2018, at the start of the media rights issue.

 

When it comes to open race prize money, the news isn’t good. But it isn’t that bad either.

During the first ten months of 2015, tracks paid out £1,567,258 in win prize money. The 2019 equivalent is £1,524,283.

That is a decline of £42,975. Adjusted from inflation the decline should probably closer to £46,800.

But there are many mitigating factors. They would include the loss of events like Gymcrack (£8k to winner), the William Hill Grand Prix (£15K) and the reduction of the William Hill Classic (from £40K to £8K).

Last but not least, the English Derby, which was still at Wimbledon, sponsored by William Hill and worth a record £250K.

Although the Nottingham £100K-to-winner 2019 version included a much fairer distribution of prize money, there was still a deficit.

Of the defunct tracks, Towcester alone contributed £91K in open race win prize money in 2015.

The good news is that many tracks, such as Sheffield, Monmore and Romford now have £250 as their standard win prize money, up £50 from 2014.

 

Want to look back even further? Well, these figures might make you think.

Races staged Jan-October

Year             Tracks      Races

2019            21            48,700*

2015            25            47,115

2009            28            56,100**

2000            32            59,000**

 

*Estimate

** Estimate based on 87% of full year total

 

To put further context into it, the record number of races, in the history of UK racing were all recorded in the years 2001-2008 – never less than 71,000 for the full 12 months.

Until then, tracks as been restrained by law in the number of meetings and races they could stage.

The peak was in 2007, when for the full year, the total figure was 75,600.

To simplify the figures yet further, in 2000 each track staged an average of 1,844 races per year. The average in 2019 is 2,319.

In 1961, the year that the betting shops opened there were 64 NGRC tracks staging roughly 53,500 races.