Following the recent cancellation of their Saturday night card, Perry Barr have introduced regular Saturday night opens and kick off with ten this coming weekend. So what is behind the scheme?
Racing manager Martin Seal said: ” For a number of reasons, which included the recent GBGB suspension of trainer Derek Davy, the retirement of trainer Corren Price, a bit of kennel sickness doing the rounds, quite a few bitches having come in season recently, and the attraction of the Greyhound Derby, we were not in a position last week to stage an evening card of adequate quantity and quality for the visiting public. Therefore I took the decision to cancel the evening meeting scheduled for Saturday 25th May.
“It was not a decision we arrived at lightly, as cancellations can often start the rumour mill and a few people can sometimes jump to conclusions regarding both the future of Perry Barr and indeed greyhound racing itself. Events like these can have a knock on effect on other aspects of the industry too, with owners and trainers becoming unsettled.
“As is often the case, these things arrive in twos and threes and with one trainer on holiday and another obliged to take time out to address personal issues this week, our backs were once again well and truly against the wall.
“I had already advertised weekly open races commencing this Saturday evening 1st June for the foreseeable future and with a good response forthcoming this morning, it has enabled us to stage a ten open race meeting.
“Going forward, I would hope that the open races will prove a valuable addition to our schedule, adding to but not at the expense of graded racing, which will remain most important to us”
