VALLEY – READY TO GO!

Greyhounds will be racing around Valley Greyhound Stadium within the next month. That is the view of Malcolm Tams, who has been running the Ystrad Mynach venue in South Wales as a flapping track for the last 15 years.

It has been a long frustrating journey for Tams and Harlow promoter Dave Barclay who were rewarded when receiving the final planning notification this morning.

The plans to extend the former athletic ground and include new facilites such as a vet’s room, judge’s box, air conditioned kennels and improved spectator facilities were passed by Caerphilly councillors in early July.

The last remaining application, to build an on-site trainers’ kennel, was finally given the go-ahead following a query over flooding. It will be operated by Lee Williams and Robert Short, who will each have room for 60 greyhounds.

It has cost in the region of a million pounds to enable Valley to become the first Welsh track “under rules” since Cardiff Arms Park, which closed for greyhound racing in 1977.

On the track, the new hare and inside rails have been fitted along with £30K worth of starting traps, manaufactured by Gavin Smith.

All necessary staff appointments have been made and the racing manager will be Dave Cartright.

GBGB’s Duncan Gibson and Mark Peacock have already visited the site and it is hoped that the approval to begin trialling with arrive by tomorrow, August 1.

Tams said: “I know Mark was particularly impressed with the running surface and type of sand that we have laid. There were a couple of minor issues. The main one was that they wanted an emptying area of the paddock for the dogs, but everything else was fine. That last work has now been done, so we are just waiting to hear confirmation that we have our licence.”

Tams and Barclay are planning to begin racing on Saturday nights, with ‘almost immediate’ effect.

Valley will be racing over 260m, 460m and 645m. The sprint clock is 16.06 and the four bend record was broken on Saturday for the track’s last flapping meetings by Gunsmoke in the final of the Welsh Derby. He recorded 28.48.

Any of the locally trained greyhounds, not previously registered with GBGB, will be ineligible to trial prior to being processed, though many are likely to be hounds with previous GBGB form.

Various options are open to greyhounds in different stages of the system. Open racing could commence almost immediately, along with inter-tracks. Graded runners could be ready to go within a fortnight after a couple of trials.

The battle with animal welfarists who clearly saw Valley as an easy domino to topple on their way to banning greyhound racing nationally, followed in turn by other animal participant sports, is far from over.

Bizarrely, one of the welfare groups , Hope Greyhound Rescue even took an on-line swipe at Caerfilly Council stating that planning approval “was made by officers rather than planning experts” (Doh!)

The Senedd are still considering their options – and are due to hear a debate following a 10,000 signature debate in favour of greyhound racing. Should they decide negatively, they are certain to be faced with a multi million pound claim for closing an amenity has been racing since 1977.

Malcolm Tams said: “We’ve got used to the lies. We are waiting to hear how many hundreds of greyhounds Hope Rescue will claim have been abandoned. Most will continue to run here anyway and we only had 40 local dogs to begin with.

“These people make a big show about ‘welfare’ yet we are going down that route by joining an organisation, the GBGB, which is entirely focused on welfare. And apart from working within GBGB rules, the stadium is also looking to buy its own re-homing kennel.

“As for the idea that there is no interest in greyhound racing in Wales. . .there were 250 people here on Saturday and the atmosphere was fantastic.

“I can’t wait for our first meeting.”