With just nine days to go before Oxford are due their GBGB inspection as a precursor to being granted their licence to race, Kevin Boothby is confident that they will meet the deadline.
He said: “We won’t be ready before then, but we will be throwing everything that it, right up until the Friday. We are fully expecting that there will be issues that GBGB will require to be sorted. But we’ve done this before at Towcester and Suffolk Downs and we think we know what (Senior Steward) Paul Illingworth will be looking for. There is obviously a massive emphasis on the welfare and safety of the dogs and you are never going to get a complaint from me about that. Whatever he finds, we will rectify straight away.”
Work is continuing on the kennels with the doors finally being fitted. Time restraints will probably mean that only 84 of the kennels will be ready on inspection day. The lights and security cameras are due to be connected next week and the vet’s room fitted out. On a Wednesday afternoon visit, the heavily insulated kennels were the coolest place on the entire site, and the air conditioning still isn’t operational.
The traps are in situ, along with the condensors and drier. The hare drive is on-site but still to be fitted along with the connections to the judge’s box, including the electronic timing. The pond has been prepared – the bore hole was installed by GRA (funded by GBGB) – to allow a reservoir for watering.
The signage should all be completed within the next few days with a spectactular ‘Star Sports’ tinted entrance window, due to be completed early in August. There is also a huge presence from feed company GAIN.
Assuming all goes well next Friday – albeit with any last minute snagging – the promoter is hoping to hold the first trial sessions the following Thursday with a second session before the end of the week.
He said: “The plan is for at least two weeks of trials before the first meeting on Friday August 26. I am sure the dogs will run the place well first time but I know that a lot of owners and trainers will want to come and suss the place out. Even though we should be able to put on graded racing for the first couple of weeks, I would like them to be full open race cards.
“I would also like to thank Ben Keith for his support in what we are trying to achieve here. He has been a massive supporters and Towcester, and as the signage shows, he hasn’t been found wanting here. He has been fabulous.
“There is plenty of interest in trainers wanting to join us, though some are contracted elsewhere until December. To be honest, that timing suits us fine. If SIS needed extra meetings before then, we still have plenty of spare capacity at Towcester and Suffolk Downs.”
Kennel doors have been fitted
The paddock
Starting traps ready to be fitted
The liner is due to be fitted to the pond as early as tomorrow
