Different circumstances make lunchtime racing worth trying again

There is no new thing under the sun according to the Book of Ecclesiastes, although the phrase's author probably did not have lunchtime racing in mind at the time.

The first of three meetings starting at noon over the next few weeks will take place at Southwell on Wednesday as the sport trials the concept again.

The impetus behind the initiative is the idea that while there is a larger pool of potential punters available at lunchtime there is little to no British racing for them to bet on outside the winter months. Instead they are drawn to greyhounds, overseas racing and virtual racing.