It will be another two weeks before the departure of Tony Taylor and Ray Butler leaves Wimbledon racing manager Gary Matthews biting his nails writes Floyd Amphlett.
The track has a minimal demand of 120 greyhounds for the 20 weekly races. The current strength is around 160. But all that is due to change as Tony Taylor finally switches his team to Hove.
Matthews said: “Tony goes on the 18th, and Ray leaves either a week or two later. Tony currently has 24 runners on the strength and Ray has 16. Potentially that is 40 dogs gone, though hopefully a few of Tony’s runners will remain here with other trainers.”
The long term future of Wimbledon hangs like the Sword of Damacles over the stadium, but Matthews has tackled the ‘jumping ship’ scenario with his trainers.
He said: “I have said, ‘I don’t know whether we will be here in a month, in three months or three years. But whatever happens, the greyhound shortage will still be there and so will the demand for their dogs from other tracks’. Besides, who is to say which of the tracks will survive?”
One option is for Fridays to become an open kennel night when any unattached trainers might grade dogs.
Matthews said: “Our current trainers aren’t in favour and have promised to take up the slack. We have the Leger and Puppy Derby not far away, and in the meantime, we have some new ‘Monkey’ events planned over various distances.”
* Derby finalist Eden The Kid continued his return to racing with a 16.13 sprint trial at Wimbledon on Wednesday morning. Broadway Turbine went a spot quicker at the same session.
