Young Dave, Monday Column (only Just seen it)

IT HAS been a number of years since I last penned a column and I will always try to be positive, but sadly things have not improved since my last appearance, in fact, they have got worse.

This column could be filled listing the ongoing problems with UK greyhound racing but I’ll focus on one of the biggest – sustainability.

An underlying issue for at least the last decade has been that there is far too much racing and, while there are two different media services, this issue will not go away.

Pre Premier Greyhound Racing, the SIS fixture list featured more tracks which resulted in a crazy situation of a minimum of four venues racing each morning, afternoon and evening.

This year the SIS schedule has tapered down with the loss of the Entain tracks and the closure of Henlow, but changes have now resulted in a reliance on Irish racing.

Both PGR and SIS have used the word sustainable within press releases or interviews, but I’m afraid that where we are right now, things are anything but.

Be under no illusion, the sport is in big trouble and it seems not a single person of any influence or power seems to be able to action any form of remedy or even display any inclination to even try.

There is a rehoming crisis and the amount of racing, along with the burden on tracks to fill cards to supply to both PGR and SIS, is at breaking point.

An indicator of this is the obscene number of opens being staged. In the first week of the year the number ran into three figures. There were over 450 in January and last week there were 115.

Even if every open last week featured just five dogs, it is laughable to think there are anywhere near 575 open-class dogs – I doubt there are even half that amount.

The Racing Post carries opens in form with Tony Bullen’s selections and tissue, but quite frankly some of the races we’ve carried are a joke.

The poor quality of some maidens and one-off opens is a sign of desperation from tracks to fill cards. They are also being used to grade dogs on as the trainer merry-go-round continues.

This dilution of the top-end of the sport is not an occasional occurrence, it’s every week at a number of tracks. There is zero quality control, anything will do.

Cast your eyes across the form of dogs competing in opens and then check out the Betfair exchange prices for just how competitive these races are. Never in my time have I known there to be so many to back at upwards of 20 on the exchanges. Most are outgraded, outclassed or, in some instances in graded races, lame card fillers.

I am not privy to any communication from PGR/SIS to any track regarding fixture requirements for schedules, but most tracks and, in turn, many trainers are struggling.

Many handlers will lament the decision to introduce the four-day rule and initially I concurred. There are plenty of responsible, knowledgable trainers who, along with the staff they employ, can gauge when a dog is fit to race – that will always be my grievance with the rule.

However, I dread to think what may be happening at some tracks without it.

It has been suggested that there is not a shortage of racers, but the problem is that there is no room for them in kennels due to space taken up by retireds.

I am not sure if I buy into that with breeding numbers down, but whether that is the case or not, the way the sport is currently operating is nowhere near sustainable.

It would be very easy to take a cheap shot at the GBGB here as the regulator and ask what exactly they are doing, but do they even have any clout? If they are being proactive rather than reactive, then show it.

My next column is at the end of March, by which time I am hoping to have sat down with someone from the Press Association and have the mechanics behind industry SPs explained to me.

It is only four years on since their implementation. Better late than never.

Well not much held back there Say it as it is ..  IMO