This week a couple of articles have spurred readers into responses. The first was the article with John Curran explaining the workings of a pilot scheme designed to tackle the euthanasia of greyhounds for ‘economic reasons’. Garry Phillips has a view.

We also had an article from Gary Noble in which he highlighted the vulnerability of the industry due to its almost total reliance on the betting industry’s business model. Pete Conway responds

Lastly, we have a lovely piece from the recently retired Diana Illingworth.

It has always been my ambition to make the Star site available to our readers for thought provoking insight. As it often says on the tin ‘the following does not necessarily represent the thoughts of the management. Though sometimes it might’

Ed

KINSLEY STUDY CONCLUDES ‘ECONOMIC EUTHANASIA’ IS UNNECESSARY

I read with great interest your article from Kinsley and my commendation to John Curran and Kinsley for this well thought out and statistical article which in my view would be nearer to reality than the breakdown of the published euthanasia figures from the GBGB for 2017.

That is not to say the figures have been published to mislead by the GBGB but to say that the figures have been reported to them are extremely misleading and open to excuse making. The way the figures are compiled allows this to happen.

Since the appointment of Mark Bird at the GBGB, issues that once were swept under the carpet or plainly ignored are now being faced and addressed along with some initiatives that are most welcome.

But more work on euthanasia has still some way to go and is being addressed by Kinsley with this very useful pilot. If one’s own stance is to only put to sleep the animals for genuine medical reasons then the following figures are disgraceful. This being my view. 2017 euthanasia figures. I have omitted some obvious explained figures from the list.

Treatment costs/ poor prognosis. 333

These titles are poles apart and should not be together. One is in humane the other is humane.

No homes found. 22

This would only be acceptable from the Greyhound Trust or similar otherwise ‘what’.

Designated unsuitable for rehoming. 270

Again this could only be accepted if done through the GT or similar. Humane grounds trackside. 257

This could be an excuse otherwise classed as treatment costs.

Total 882.

If we are to accept Kinsley’s pilot then 15% of this total are unavoidable which means 664 are avoidable. Again this figure as a sport is absolutely disgraceful no matter how it is flowered up or what excuses are used.

Last Saturday night we went along to particular track for an evening of racing and while going through the gates the usual mob of anti’s were outside all three of them with the usual placards ‘dogs die here’.

My thoughts while shaking my head was ‘poor deluded sods what do they know’ or words to that effect.

Well I’ll tell you what they know and I simply cannot believe I am saying this. But during the night in a packed Stadium we were having a good time when a couple of our trainers came to join us, the look on their faces obviously said they were upset as they just witnessed a perfectly healthy dog being walked into the vets office and then carried out in a bag.

Fact – and just in case I am not making myself clear I repeat fact.

Now I am not going to continue with this as words, thoughts or any action cannot even begin to explain the fury experienced from this.

So a few discrete enquiries later during this past week and the conclusion being that this situation was an rarity was found to be far from the case as the particular trainer in question was a ‘serial offender’ (offender in my opinion) with a large amount of dogs in racing at this track.

How in hell are we to put this situation to bed with the antis when in cases like this prove they are right?

Kinsley have started to address the situation and I suggest the extension of the pilot would be very easy and effective to administer the following;

– All greyhounds registered with the GBGB carry a fee of £100-£150 which is placed in a secure account ready to be claimed through the tracks who insist on a no tolerance basis on economic or any other excuse for not keeping the hounds alive and to be used for medical needs.

This can also be further rolled out to help charities. The compilation of the GBGB figures has to be changed to reflect the true nature of euthanasia. These figures need then to be broken down further reflecting the individual tracks statistics and should then be broken further the trainers own statistics but this would I fear be a step to far but necessary.

Thank you John Curran and Kinsley

Garry Phillips

Racing Into the 21st Century

The business positives of greyhound racing are so well evolved that we miss them unless we trip over them. We are a unique sport insofar as we’ve not wanted to make a move away from the roots of the sport, aside from ones that enables bookies funding to improve.

Let’s take an overview: We operate from expensive stadia, usually near population areas, on very well maintained tracks, paying professional staff, media, race management, vets, trainers, offering prize money and providing good welfare for the dogs. That’s in addition to rates and overheads, maintenance and fees for the stadium. All that adds up to a few quid – estimates seem to vary between four and six grand per meeting.

Now on average there’s probably 72 dogs out every meeting. If those overheads were to be split between the dog owners, they’d all be paying around seventy pounds per race for their dogs. In fact they don’t pay.

Most sports need sponsorship. We’re talking serious sponsorship. Golf and tennis clubs charge an arm and a leg to hundreds of members, athletics stadiums need huge support for their overheads, and are a constant financial nightmare aside from the support they now get from lottery and Sport Councils. Same with swimming pools. All these places either charge an awful lot of cash to play, or get huge sponsor deals and government backing. Greyhound racing doesn’t engage in this traditional form of finance and funding.

So the evolution of greyhound racing from a business sense has relied increasingly on the betting industry in one form or another. We know the business model – get a good streaming contract, make a profit per meeting, and nothing else matters from a balance sheet perspective. It works, so why are we bothered about late shifts, early shifts or whatever as long as we can race at prices we can afford? Obviously the owners want better, but we’ll suffer…..

Now here’s the big development that we must surely be aware of: Live audiences count for nothing towards today’s balance sheets. Much as I personally regret and resent this, its a fact. But listen up Mr. Bookmaker, what would you say if we as an industry can give you a return on very marginally increased investment? The fact is that all the major successful sports prove conclusively that live audiences generate media audiences which generate revenue. The theory goes like this: If we can encourage live racing popularity such as football, athletics, tennis and golf etc. do, then it is reasonable to suggest that within a few years the betting market will reach heights that will dwarf the current market. Business expansion is not only feasible, but achievable through encouraging live audiences, who will then crave watching streamed racing.

The logical step is to ask how. Allow me to begin with an obvious weakness – at the moment the meetings give approximately 8 minutes of action per hour. This is the introduction of the dogs and the races themselves. If we want to encourage increased attendances then we have to give more. Before looking at going to the entertainment lengths of American football, wrestling or whatever, lets start by stating that an MC and a microphone, wandering around, talking to trainers, owners and featuring the dogs themselves will bring crowds, and also establish the dogs as the stars. We need charisma, we need stars, we need supporters, and we need positive PR. In the person with the microphone (and decent PA system!), we can make a start. We also need kids activities, whether its in the form of memorabilia shopping or just rides, play area, it doesn’t matter. The between race shows can evolve from there as the model is proven.

For sure racing is never going back to the good ole days, but for certain its far from dying. Times are different, and we can indeed rise up the leagues again and become a truly major sport simply by embracing the needs of a 21st century enthusiast. I suggest to you that the vision and small investment, training and action is what we need now. In that way we will do extremely well against all other forms of entertainment, because there is no finer sight than our athletes pinging the lids and running as nature intended.

Pete Conway

THE REAL MEANING OF RETIREMENT

Barely a week in to my much anticipated retirement as Stadium Operations Manager at the Ladbrokes Coral owned Crayford Stadium, I found myself agreeing to take two greyhounds from the track in Kent all the way to Edinburgh for rehoming. This was not something I had ever done before and so along with my husband Richard (who also happens to be the Chairman of the FOCRG*) we planned the journey with trepidation.

The hounds, from trainer Mark Fenwick’s kennels, named NEWLAWN COLIN and, rather aptly, PENSION POWER, set off wearing nice new coats, leads and muzzles. The first leg of our journey from the track to Ebbsfleet Station by car was uneventful and the two dogs were excited to find some grass as we headed off to the platform for the train to St Pancras.

As this was rush hour I was concerned how the dogs would react to the hustle and bustle, but I needn’t have worried as they hopped on to the train like a couple of pros and certainly brought a smile to those commuters who managed to look up from their gadgets and phone screens.

Changing on to the train at Kings Cross was another opportunity for POWER and PENSION to lap up the attention and anyone who brushed past found a wandering nose which they found hard to resist and succumbed to stopping and petting them. Once on the train, and the issue of seating was resolved by the very helpful train manager, (well we were travelling first class) we settled down for the journey ahead.

The train staff were very patient and understanding despite having to step over either one or both hounds whilst trying to serve food and drink our neighbouring passengers. Not one roll of the eyes or muted tut as they fruitlessly tried to manoeuvre the snacks trolley around a very stubborn POWER who refused to move away from the aisle!

The dog loving weekend revellers who joined the train at Doncaster, were an absolute blessing and made friends with our travelling companions. Despite owning dogs themselves they asked lots of questions and were astounded when they discovered that POWER and COLIN were not pets – yet but were on their way to their forever homes in Scotland. They were amazed at how well the dogs behaved particularly as the group became louder and merrier and in fact, the louder and merrier they became, the hounds became more adventurous and demanded more petting and attention!

Once we arrived in Edinburgh they were handed over and without even looking back they trotted off to their new life whilst I wiped a tear from my eye. I’d only met them that morning but the amount of trust and loyalty they gave to two strangers was testament to the temperament of this majestic breed.

Since my day out with POWER and COLIN I’ve had time to reflect on the meaning of retirement. For them it means lazy days, short walks, a comfy sofa and best of all a loving forever home.

For me, on the other hand, it means new challenges, catching up on everything I’d let slide because I was too busy at work, plus forging new friendships and hobbies. Far from it being an easy life, already there aren’t enough days in the week and I’ve been packing in as much as I can into each day. What a contrast!!!

* The Friends of Retired Greyhounds (FOCRG) have been homing Crayford’s ex-racers since 1974. During this time, they have homed hundreds of hounds, giving them that forever home once they have finished racing at the track. They are a registered charity for raising awareness and helping to fund the retirement process with the help and support of the track. This year, to date, they have homed 140 greyhounds. If you wish to know more visit www.focrg.com

Diana Illingworth