JAYNE CLARKE

Weblog: A Bettor view of the world

Weather will determine how far we can go!

Arriving in Glasgow on a gloriously sunny afternoon just a couple of weeks ago, I honestly thought for a sliver of a moment that we could be in for a smooth two weeks from the start to the finish of the Bettor.com Scottish Derby. Well . . . that would have been far too dull, and being as it’s always action packed I should have known better. From the weather and the behind the scenes gossip to the disruptions on the track, this Derby is always an eventful competition and this year has so far been no different.

In light of this being our fifth year as sponsor of the Scottish Derby, we really wanted to do something special for the fans. So, we decided to produce a dedicated website (www.bettorscottishderby.com) and bring all the action directly from Shawfield via a live broadcast. Well we got the website up with no problems at all. However, even though Shawfield did test the live streaming beforehand we unfortunately encountered a small and unexpected hiccup during the first round.

At this point I have to mention I did blub a little to the lovely Rebecca Taylor and Tom Kelly before going up to do the draw, which resulted in Taylors Cruise and Fifi’s Legend being in Trap 1 & 2 respectively for the 1st quarter final. (Rebecca, Tom I apologise now – it was all my fault!) Anyway, moving swiftly on, the Bettor and Shawfield teams pulled together and managed to get the live streaming up and running just in time to witness Tuesday’s kerfuffle on the first bend during the quarter-finals that unfortunately saw both Taylors Cruise and Fifis Legend as well as Mill Maximus exit the competition.

Last week the sunshine had most definitely disappeared and a big freeze had taken over. With the filming team based outside my role immediately became one that involved taking orders and collecting teas, coffees, chips and cheese, and burgers! Not very glam but someone’s got to do it. Lewis, our chief greyhound writer, tried to accompany the crew and me but didn’t last very long as he’d only thought of bringing a light blazer, so he soon slipped quietly off into the warmth of the racing office.

On Wednesday I enjoyed a lovely evening with Melanie and Alex, who run Shawfield, and the topic soon came round to our gorgeous promotion girls and their outfits. Reflecting on last year’s attire it seems that Glasgow woke up when those leggings were introduced. Can’t understand why . . .  so, this year it was debated whether they should wear the same outfits again, something Scottish or something warm. I quite like the idea of something Scottish although my main concern is for the girls and keeping them warm – it can get very cold standing outside for three consecutive hours – however I’m going to leave it until the last minute to decide, so everyone will just have to wait and see.

Finally I have to say that although I was sad to see Charlie Lister and Boher Paddy go out, I think it’s a great draw for the final and it will no doubt be an exciting race. I‘ve had a chat to Peter Ancell, who I met at the GBGB Awards earlier this year, during each round and I could tell he was absolutely delighted that Mill Bling Bling had made the final. His dancing around the stands made me smile . . . the highs and lows . . . this is what it’s all about.

I wish everyone the best of luck.

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