Towcester racing manager Chris Page believes the national shortage of wide runners was the biggest surprise in his six years away from the grader’s chair.

The former Walthamstow RM said: “Of all the changes that occurred between 2008 and joining Towcester last year, the shortage of wide runners has really surprised me the most. Even as early as our first trial session I couldn’t believe how tightly dogs were running to the bend. It can make grading very challenging because some railers inevitably end up in five and six. Fortunately, the size of the Towcester circuit means the problem is nowhere near as acute here as it is elsewhere.

“I have no idea as to why it has happened, is it something to do with pups being more intensively schooled. To memory, there were a lot more totally green pups trialled at the Stow, and they were liable to run anywhere.”

The overall runner shortage is also a new experience to Page who was used to a graded strength approaching 500 runners for five meetings a week at the Stow.

He said: “We have 210 dogs available and ideally we would like 250 but it is the schedule that is the most difficult to manage. For example we have 15 runners who haven’t got on the card this weekend. Hopefully some will come in as replacements but for the rest, it is another week without a race. At the Stow, any dog that didn’t get a race on a Saturday would automatically be graded the following Tuesday.

“Opens are a problem too. We have the first and second in last year’s Trainers Championship attached to the track and they clearly frighten other kennels away for the opens. At the Stow, we had at least six or seven strong open race kennels all contributing runners.

“The balance of power also appear to have shifted. I think trainers were taken advantage of in the past but these days they have a lot more clout because they know that in many cases, the tracks can’t afford to lose them.

* Towcester will be staging two additional events to run alongside the Towcester Bet Maiden in October. The 18-runner maiden events will be staged over 260 and 655 metres to coincide with the semis and final of the £3,000 competition.

** Sunday’s 12-race afternoon card will include an, as yet unscheduled, Afghan race.