Considering walking away

I first went racing at Swindon, decades ago.  There were trials going on when we arrived and I heard it before I saw it.  The sound of the hare going round and the sound of the dogs’ feet on the sand.  From that first moment I was smitten, utterly captivated by the sight and sound of the dogs doing what they were being driven to do.  Of course they were being driven by forces beyond our ken, forces that are hard wired into them by genetics and breeding.

I loved a night at the dogs but I wasn’t uncritical.  There were times when I wondered about welfare, what happened to the dogs when they retired and so on and I wondered why, with a track on my doorstep, I didn’t see any greyhounds out for walks.  But that was then, it’s very different now.

Fast forward quite a few years and I moved to Gosport when I agreed to marry the man that would become my second husband.  I was absolutely delighted to see that Portsmouth had a greyhound stadium.  Now for anyone who never went to Portsmouth, if I were to say that it was a bit rough and ready I would be understating it quite a lot.  But what the hell. I loved it there.  My husband and his daughter also fell in love with racing so going to for a night out there was the obvious way to spend a Saturday evening.  Being at that small, scruffy but intimate track, leaning on the rails and watching the dogs go round, sand flying behind them was magical.

Before too long I’d managed to persuade my husband to agree to us adopting a retired greyhound.  The wonderful trainer Liz Redpath ran the local RGT and almost before I could say ‘Let’s buy a racing greyhound’ we had bought our first racing greyhound, then we bought another one.  Going to the dogs on a Saturday night and watching our very own dogs on the track was beyond anything I could have dreamed of when I first walked into Swindon stadium all those years before.  I felt as if I had a stake in the kennel, a stake in the stadium and a stake in the racing industry.

Since then we’ve moved on to buying more greyhounds and even breeding a couple of litters.

I’ve also been very active in welfare and rehoming but I won’t go into that because that’s not really the point of this letter.  The point of this letter is that I no longer feel as if I have a stake in racing.  I feel like one of the hapless people who the big money men want to provide ‘the product’ from which they make money.  I’ve never heard the firm that shall remain nameless say anything about welfare, about any interest in how the dogs live, or display even the slightest understanding of just what goes into breeding, rearing and training the greyhounds.  I’ve never heard anyone say that they will invest in the future, just more pressure to produce BAGS dogs.  There seems to be no empathy with owners or trainers, no care for humans or dogs, nothing.

The company that shall remain nameless seems hell bent on gaining a strangle hold on greyhound racing in the UK and where does that leave people like me?  At the moment it feels like I’m left with memories and sod all hope for the future.

I love greyhounds, I love a night at the dogs but I have doubts over whether it will include me as a racing greyhound owner, and to say that breaks my heart.  But I cannot buy dogs to be used the way the company that shall remain nameless seems to want to use them.

I am prepared to bid racing a fond, tearful farewell when everything falls to that company.

Jayne Conway

Feeling let down

Can I ask via your publication why are ARC as silent as the proverbial grave when it comes to the subject of the return of customers or even owners to their tracks?
During the last year plus since the crisis began I have not been allowed to set foot into Perry Barr, even in the brief spells where other tracks took advantage of some customers returning even if only to sit inside as diners there was not a peep from Perry Barr.
My situation? The first track I ever went to as a lad was the “old Perry Barr” back in either 1963 or 1964, I have now been an owner of greyhound for coming up to 30 years.
Upon taking over Perry Barr practically the first thing that Perry Barr did was to reduce graded prize money, disgraceful (and I believe that this was pre COVID 19).
ARC expect “patience and understanding” from owners and customers yet give zero in return.
I have been with the same trainer for 20 years, the man in question being the totally underrated and reliable Gerry Ballentine who is ably assisted by loyal long term staff, to be honest if this wasn’t the case I’d have transferred my allegiance to Monmore for better prize money and a 25 minute drive as opposed to the 1 hour to Perry Barr.
Some people think I’m mad not to do so, but trust , ability and loyalty I believe are priceless commodities in the owner/trainer relationship.
So, come on ARC no fob offs no platitudes an up to the minute and accurate statement of exactly what’s going on please.
I feel like the proverbial mushroom, but at least they are fed you know what instead of a big fat nothing.
Paul Gebhard

Owners rant

(The Star was copied into the following email from owner Matt Walker to Perry Barr Racing Manager Martin Seal)
Thank you for your prompt response.
I don’t want to shoot the messenger as it’s probably not your decision as Racing Manager as to the opening up to owners on Thursday, but I think this is extremely disappointing and a real kick in the teeth to greyhound owners that Perry Barr/ARC are unwilling to do so.
A large number of greyhound tracks and all horse racing tracks have opened up to welcome owners back in. I’m sure some of these are struggling to make it viable financially, but can see that they need to show their appreciation for the support and investment owners put in the sport and aren’t taking a short sighted view. I for one was probably spending between £20 and £30k per annum in terms of buying dogs, training fees, company Christmas parties, birthday parties etc at tracks. Not only was this money going into the sport, but I was introducing scores of people a year to greyhound racing that might want to return if they had a good night.
Having sold 2 greyhounds a few months ago I would always have replaced them with new puppies in the past, however due to the way greyhound owners are treated these days I spent the money elsewhere and purchased shares in horses. I’m now down to 2 greyhounds for the first time in a number of years.
When spending lots of money on the purchase and training fees for dogs every owners dream is to get a Cat 1 finalist. When you finally achieve this and are deprived the chance to watch it, because the track can’t be bothered to give the owners this opportunity is somewhat galling.
To allow owners to attend on Thursday would entail having someone on the gate for 2-3 hours and cleaning the toilets after. I envisage this would cost no more than £50, please correct me if there would be lots of other costs I’m unaware of. You wouldn’t even need to make the effort of the likes of Towcester and provide a food and drink service.
Can you imagine the joy of finally getting a greyhound in a Cat 1 final, having owned many dogs over 25 years only to be told you can’t go to watch it. Not because the Government won’t allow it, but because the track can;t be bothered to put themselves out a little and show a bit of appreciation to the people that plough their hard earned money into the industry.
I’m sure I’m not alone in looking at alternative ways of spending both mine and my companies money in the future in terms of entertaining and sponsorship, especially when other sports and leisure activities want to treat you like royalty as gratitude, as opposed to taking you for granted like the greyhound industry.
What should have been one of my best ever nights is going to be spent sitting in front of Sky with a can of lager in the hope that the race can be squeezed into their schedule between a couple of horse races from USA.
Once again, sorry to rant at you as I’m sure it’s not your decision and thank you for your quick reply to my initial email.
Matt Walker

Intertrack memories

I smiled at the Slough story about that plaque turning up in South Africa !

My memory deserts me on this, but 1976 was possibly the year that White City were the National Champions, we beat Sheffield home and away in the final.

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, as you will recall, gave the sterling silver Derby trophy he had won with “Camira Flash” in 1968, to the NGRC as a perpetual trophy for the National Inter-Track Championship.

The year following White City’s victory I believe it was Brighton, who were successful.   I may have mentioned this to you before but the biggest mystery is what happened to The Duke of Edinburgh Trophy itself after that.  The Championship ceased sometime around then, being resuscitated as Supertrack several years later. The trophy wasn’t used for that event.

I would love to know where the Duke’s trophy ended up. I made some enquiries a few years back, GBGB included, but all to no avail.

I have still got the 36cm x 28cm colour photograph, taken at Northaw on the Sunday morning following White City’s victory, with the trainers,and I and the sixteen greyhounds that took part throughout the rounds of the competition.   The Trophy is included in the picture. Happy days !

Simon Harris’ recent appreciation of Kings Heath was excellent, well done him. I enjoyed it very much and like Simon I was there at the final meeting too.

Bob Rowe

 

Thanks Bob

I would have been able to confirm that it was 1977 that the picture was taken as I had just started working for Tommy Foster at the time and can remember him taking the dogs for the photograph. That was ‘my boy’ City Salesman on the extreme right of the picture. I paraded him in the St.Leger Final that year. The other two dogs with Tommy were Cash For Des and Hunday Bronze. You were holding Randy Singleton’s very good staying bitch Bedas Flame.

I have found an old story to go with the pic – below

Floyd

1977 White City win the Duke Of Edinburgh National Inter-Track Championship for the third time in seven years. In the final they beat Sheffield, who were at home, by 62 points to 46. The White City team was managed by racing manager Bob Rowe with dogs supplied from the kennels of Randy Singleton, Adam Jackson, Colin West, Tom Foster, Joe Pickering and Dave Kinchett.

“Four Legged lightning”

Wednesday (21st) 6.30pm SKY CHANNEL 328   Terrestial (Channel 81)

I’m not sure if you ever saw this old footage from 1938, but it is an absolute must for anyone wanting a bit of nostalgia. I think the kennels are probably the old Wembley kennels, as I’m sure it was a young Jack Harvey seen in the kitchen (with a fag in his mouth) chopping the meat up. It’s only a 15-minute film, but a wonderful production.

Tony Smith