Monmore Praise
In the past, Monmore Green has taken lots of flak regarding its running service. But recently I believe, as an owner, who puts has always put welfare first, it has improved dramatically. Even when the weather has been so so bad its maintained a brilliant surface.
Also, when many tracks are claimed to be over racing their dogs due to shortages, Monmore has reversed that fourfold as they have a fantastic grading strength .
I just wanted to write to you as I know you look for the positives in our sport and always have a fair stance on any issues. In my opinion, the improvements make Monmore the number one track in the country. Well done to everyone involved.
One very happy owner indeed
Kevin Perisi
Two readers respond to Mark Pierrepont re his letter on middle seeds
It would be nice to see racing management put greyhounds in the right traps in the first place. We owned an open racer and because she ran off at the second bend in a sprint, she was earmarked as a Wide.
So in graded races she ran T4,5,6 BUT in open races she ran T1,2,3. her name was Cuil Marian. If you go on the greyhound data web site there are numerous dogs up for sale where the racing office are placing graded greyhounds in the wrong traps.
Where is greyhound welfare in that respect. Ask yourself why the number of owners in the sport is on the decline. We are just fed up of picking up vets bills from injuries that could quite easily have been reduced by being placed in the correct traps in the first place.
As for a new seeding system, I don’t think it would work because a lot of the tracks today have a bias in favour of railers. Nobody wants to own a wide runner anymore because of this.
Therefore as is happening now, in some cases in open races, you end up with four railers and two middle runners. There is no easy answer other than using the Irish way and draw all 6 dogs out of a hat irrespective of being a rails middle or wide runner if any. But then you have the question over greyhound welfare.
We all have greyhound welfare foremost in our thoughts so why don’t we just race 5 greyhound in a race keeping trap 3 or 4 vacant. But then I don’t think that would go down well with the bookmakers.
Peter Roe
In reply to Mark Pierrepont would it be a idea if all greyhounds running at a track for the first time should have to have a solo from trap three then the racing manager could decide the seeding.
Peter Mingay
