Changes that can be made will help everyone

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I AM disappointed that very little has changed since my last column and my on-going concerns for greyhound racing remain the same. These include commercial stability, rule enforcement, welfare, increased injury rates and owners’ financial incentives.

Tracks have closed, leaving owners with unpaid prize and run-money and no way of getting recompensed. It is also worrying to see tracks breaking rules by not paying prize-money on time.

Funding of the sport through a voluntary levy from bookmakers has dropped by about eight per cent each year. With changes to gambling rules, we could see a massive decrease in 2027 – making financial stability look shaky.

It is also disappointing to see tracks interpret rules differently, resulting in a general lack of consistency. 

A common thread on social media is questioning why a dog has or has not been disqualified. We should not look for excuses; there is a clear and simple way to return to racing through clearing trials.

I also think there needs to be swifter action taken when rules are broken and investigations occur otherwise where is the deterrent? This will simply lower standards.

On welfare, we must seek to keep injury rates as low as possible. Sadly, that is not the case right now. I suspect a factor here is inadequate track preparation in what have been abnormally high temperatures.

I cannot see specific injury levels at each track, because the data I see is anonymous, but it is clear that some are better than others.

All data should be available to people involved in running and managing the sport. Sharing the good practices of tracks with low injury rates to improve other venues is essential. Tracks also need standards for track preparation that can be checked on inspections. Current GBGB rules do not adequately cover this.

Regarding owner incentives, I believe a review of prize and run-money is long overdue. We have faced increased annual kennel costs while prize-money has remained the same for years.

So how do we move forward? Certainly funds being redirected into prize pools will make ownership more attractive and improve quality in the longer term.

We also need more six-dog races. No one wants to watch three or four dogs running around with empty traps.

More engagement from all parties in the sport is a must, plus some quality working groups reviewing changes. Looking at alternative sources of funding would be a massive step forward.

We have an opportunity to change things; let us stop the sport continuing to decline. We need to see more people and families attend tracks and be entertained.

I love this sport, not for the gambling or the perceived money we make (it is a loss like all hobbies!), but for the involvement with the dogs.

Since retirement, I have had the pleasure of doing a couple of days a week as kennelhand and nothing beats parading a winner or having a litter of pups visit the track for the first time.

Seeing them all so keen to get out on track to exercise that in-built instinct to chase. If racing stopped the breed would disappear.

Other owners have asked why I bother. If I am honest, I don’t enjoy being on the Greyhound Board, it increases my stress and frustration levels. But I stay because I believe a small voice is better than no voice at all for owners. In my view, the most important positions at board level are the two unpaid volunteers – the trainer and owner directors.

Peter Harnden and I live the sport at grass-roots level and invest in dogs. If we sit around the table with the right people, we can not only help save this sport, but also make it better for everyone.

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