Towcester are to introduce a series of monthly open race competitions, identical to the on-going PCS Legal Puppy Oaks, from June to November, excluding August.
The events will be staged over a variety of distances to a ’24 runner’ format on three consecutive Saturdays.
The winner’s of each event, sponsored by Totepool, will collect £3,500.
Racing manager Chris Page said: “The only month that we aren’t staging one is August, when we have the Lowther Stakes and the TV Trophy.
“In addition to the prize money, connections of the finalists will be offered a complimentary table in the restaurant, either for two people, if it is just the owner and guest, or for four if the trainer is joining them.
“It is something I wanted to do at Walthamstow but wasn’t given permission to do it. I think it’s important that we acknowledge the contribution of the owners, and we will start off with the Puppy Oaks Final next week.”
Page is hoping to include a hurdle event among the competitions and has scheduled the track’s first jumps race for June 6.
He said: “It took us a while to get the hurdles from Coventry and then get them adapted as this is a wider track.
“I think it is important that we offer trainers the facility for hurdle racing. We won’t be schooling here, but Jeff Seally has offered to make his schooling track at Bicester available for that purpose.
“At every track there are dogs that the racing manager is keeping a close eye on and hurdle racing is an option in cases where you fear a dog will misbehave.”
Page also reports that a recent change in the starting mechanism will see times running roughly .10 slower than previously.
He said: “The traps had developed a gap at the front so there was a need to power them pneumatically. The difference is most notable in the sectional times.”
With 300 dogs on the kennel strength, Page is satisfied with the training strength of 33.
He said: “Things have settled down now. To begin with, some trainers were getting a lot of winners but their percentages have fallen as others improve.
“While Mark Wallis might have an exceptional win percentage rate with open racers, on the graded strength, he is mid-division, as most of the larger kennels tend to be. Derek Law and Pam Dolby currently have the highest strike rate.
“We have five bands of trainers, based on the number of runners they provide with four in the top group with more than 30 runners: Mark Wallis, Kevin Hutton, Eric Cantillon and Paul Clarke.”
+ Page is not unfamiliar with hurdlers having introduced an ‘open kennel’ system for trainers with graded hurdlers during his time at Walthamstow. Though there is one who he can recall with a smile.
He said: “I can’t remember his name, but he was trained by Graham Sharp. Graham used to tell the story that this dog was so hopeless, that he actually reached three Springbok Finals – but never won a race.”
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