Ian Smyth, the head of racing for the four Ladbrokes Coral tracks has issued the following statement in support of the GBGB initiative to suspend open racing.
He says: “We have cancelled the majority of this weeks planned open-race programme, regrettably this includes the heats of the Regency at Hove and Rosebowl at Crayford.
“We have left any scheduled finals, including the Monmore Puppy Derby in our programme but at that stage we will withdraw all other planned open races and competitions until further notice as recommended by the GBGB.
“These are difficult times and while the steps we are taking may feel extreme I believe we must do whatever we can to avoid the challenges that we would be faced with if trainers were not able to race their greyhounds due to track closures. We will of course continue to monitor what is a fast moving situation daily and make further changes as advised by both the daily Government briefings and our regulators.”
