Mick Smith, whose previous racing office experience includes Catford, Hackney, Wembley, Hull, Nottingham and Wimbledon, is the new Head of Racing at Doncaster.
Mick Smith (we could have run the story without a head shot, but why would a journalist miss the chance to embarrass an old friend with an 18 year old photo? – Ed) pic Steve Nash
The quietly spoken former journalist – he cut his teeth in the offices of Greyhound Express in the mid 1960s – was one of the casualties of the closure of Belle Vue but a call from Doncaster lured him out of a second retirement.
He said: “I had an enjoyable time here, and was well looked after, when I was at Doncaster before. So when Teddy Watson phoned, I couldn’t really say ‘no’. I am here for the four meetings per week, and expect to be grading a few shortly.”
There were plenty of familiar faces already at the track, since supplemented by ex Zoo handler Diane Cross with Julie Bateson the latest arrival.
Mick said: “Diane will be building up to a strength of around 20. I’ve also known Julie as a high quality trainer for many years. Apart from her runners, she also has a litter of pups coming through, which she will be looking to qualify here.
“I checked through the list of runners today and we have 306. Ideally I would like around 330 so there is space for at least one decent sized kennel, but I would be looking for a minimum of ten runners.”
Although he has been off the scene for a few months, Mick recently caught up with another former journalist, well known in greyhound circles.
He said: “It was Adrian Hunt’s 70th birthday on Thursday so we met up for a drink in Reading. He is still in great form and backing a few winners.”
