Peter Harnden
“Trainers should stick to what they know and not interfere with track preparation. Most know little about preparing a safe running surface, or even what one looks like. Providing that the track staff are good, leave it to them to get it right.”
Peter Harnden’s experience with track preparation is not on par with his peers. As a lad, he was frequently required to help his father Don prepare the circuit at independent track Long Eaton. He doesn’t want to undermine trainer’s opinions, but reckons it is often a case of ‘the loudest, not the most knowledgable’ being heard.
He said: “There are a lot of misconceptions about track preparation and we had a great example of it at Towcester on Monday. I arrived at the track and was told that they were thinking of abandoning the meeting. Several trainers were kicking off that it wasn’t safe.
“I walked on it and thought, ‘it is quite dry, but safe’. The same trainers were insisting that it needed to be watered, and that would have been a disaster. I went to find Kevin Boothby and he was of the identical opinion as me. You put water on that track with temperatures falling, and you are in big trouble.
“The meeting was run, it was slow, but not seriously slow (-80), and completely safe. I don’t think there was an injury all night. I wouldn’t expect one. When I was at Nottingham, I would always get less injuries at this time of year. I think people get confused about slow tracks. You still have to prepare it and plate it just the same. You don’t want it fluffy and soft on the top surface.”
Harnden feels that the industry has to hold its nerve and not overreact to the current cold snap. (Oxford RM Simon Pearson, who lives close to the stadium reported a figure of -11 on his car thermometer on Thursday morning).
Harnden said: “These are exceptionally cold conditions for the time of the year. But trust me, salt is not the answer. Yes, you might stage a few more meetings when it is freezing, but the tracks will be completely fucked when the thaw sets in. They turn to mush.”
He also has some interesting views on track staff.
He said: “You have to trust the good ones and although many trainers lack the knowledge, some of the older ones would have the expertise to know what is needed. In Ireland, many of the best track staff are experienced greyhound men.”
Harnden is also wading into the current debate about seeding and believes that racing offices need to be stronger when dealing with tactical seeding in opens.
He said: “I saw a situation last week when a well known trainer had a dog seeded as rails where every one of its trials had said ‘middle’ on it. He drew trap one and actually ran the race, but mainly because of how the draw had worked out with him guaranteed to get a clear run, which he did. I know because I backed him.
“I have heard people saying, ‘GBGB needs to create a new seeding’. No, if trainers are prepared to abuse the system as it is, they will also do it, with any rule change. Instead of saying they have an ‘R’ seed, they will simply say they have an ‘RR’ seed.
“The rules are in place and they have worked for years because racing offices were prepared to challenge trainers and say, ‘That dog is a middle. If you don’t accept that, I’m not accepting the entry’. Providing they are fair and consistent, the system works for everyone.
“What is actually happening is that racing offices are either too lazy or understaffed to do their job properly and trainers are taking advantage. In a situation where a dog with ‘middle’ comments is seeded as rails, it should be GBGB who are taking the racing manager to task.”
