Saturday’s Star Sports Derby meeting marked a very significant day for Towcester racecourse writes Floyd Amphlett.
It was more than five years ago that they set out with a vision to introduce their own brand of greyhound racing.
A unique racing circuit, a different spectator viewing model, in-house TV, excellent amenities and a vision to excel. . .
The new upstarts were guaranteed to put other tracks’ noses out of joint. They would need to be put in their place by a domineering bookmaking industry, and made to deliver on their promises by the cynical industry grass roots.
On Saturday night – they delivered – and some. It was a truly memorable first Towcester Derby.
Total attendance was just short of 5,500. It all went virtually without a hitch. Derby night racegoers who had grown used to South London traffic and enduring a Wimbledon grandstand that was unable to cope with 1,500 spectators in even relative levels of comfort, didn’t know what had pleasantly hit them.
Excellent facilities, entertainment, and good quality food was supported by ample parking, and for anyone who chose to take up the offer, free coach travel to Northampton and Milton Keynes.
Towcester CEO Kevin Ackerman describes the staging of the first Greyhound Derby as “an incredibly positive experience”
He said: “The whole event has been fantastic, starting with the early rounds and leading up to Saturday night. I can now truly say that ‘I get’ the Derby.
“You could feel the atmosphere from the very first race. I have experienced many things in sport but the passion behind the roar for the Derby was something quite unique.
“But it wasn’t just about final night. Truthfully, throughout the competition, I have been approached by so many people who have been so kind in complimenting us on what we are trying to achieve. In many cases, they were people who had only recently returned to the greyhound industry. That positivity has just kept growing from owners, trainers and spectators alike.
“We have always believed in greyhound racing as a fantastic product and knew that we could showcase the sport it in the right manner. But in the early days the attitude against us came as quite a shock.
“Maybe we were being a bit naïve in expecting people to support us from the outset, but instead there was quite a bit of antipathy. We couldn’t understand why. In hindsight, maybe we had to achieve something significant first.
“For that reason, staging the Derby gave us that opportunity and I think we have turned the corner. Many individuals and organisations with whom we have struggled, I believe are now taking a fresh, opened minded look at us.
“We are committed to working with the greyhound and betting industries going forward and hopefully the undoubted success of the Star Sports English Derby will be a catalyst in taking Towcester and the whole greyhound industry forward.
“We are in this for all the right reasons.”
