Post by BVADMIN on Mar 28, 2016 9:37:41 GMT
TAKEN FROM THE RACING POST - EASTER SUNDAY 27/3/16
Katie O'Flaherty: 'Greyhound racing is my life'
Our young trainer guns deserve a brighter future
By Phil Donaldson of the Racing Post
AROUND 12 months ago the Racing Post spoke to five young trainers, all at different stages of their careers and in different professional situations, to get an insight into the lot of the generation this sport needs to thrive.
It was revealed in the most recent in-depth review of greyhound racing – the GBGB-commissioned Deloitte review, ‘The Economic Impact of the British Greyhound Racing industry 2014’ – that the average age of a greyhound trainer was 59. For that situation to improve, the next generation of handlers needs to be encouraged and supported.
One of greyhound racing’s elder statesman, the legendary former trainer John Coleman, 81, recently told Racing Post readers of his fears for the sport should issues such as a shortage of dogs and trainers not be addressed.
He said: “Investment is required in trainers and their kennels which, in turn, provide the dogs to the tracks. Too much money has been diverted away from owners and trainers to tracks and track promoters. That needs to change. Any surplus money must go to those who provide the product.”
As we now head through the first quarter of 2016 and face the prospect of saying goodbye to Wimbledon, London’s final track and home of the Greyhound Derby, is there any progress being made?
Most are still feeling the pinch and the average age of a trainer, as it was in 2014, remains at 59.
Perhaps there is a slight chink of light in that the number of registered trainers under the age of 30 has increased to 17, from 15 in the past 12 months, while the band of trainers aged between 30 and 40 totals 50 – just one less than last year.
The figures to be published in the next GBGB annual report this summer indicate a fall in the number of licences granted from 2014 to 2015, although the number of greyhounds registered in 2015 showed an increase of 362.
Clearly the loss of tracks in recent years has seen a natural fall in the number of personnel licensed, while retirement and the loss of some who simply were forced to call it a day will affect the figures.
Training greyhounds is often described by those who do it as a passion more than a vocation, a way of life rather than a route to riches, and that shone through when we spoke to these five young trainers last year.
That passion is still very much evident once again as Daniel Alcorn, Tom Levers, Daniel Brabon, Tom Heilbron and Katie O’Flaherty kindly took time out of their busy schedules to update readers on their progress and share their thoughts on some of the issues which may be impacting on their ambitions.
In the answers from all five featured below there are plenty of positives to be gleaned. Hopefully, as we move forward in 2016 that will continue to be the case.
The stats:
2014
Professional trainers 353
Greyhound trainers 463
Assistant trainers 136
Head kennelhands 269
Kennelhands 2,976
Greyhounds registered 7,329
2015
Professional trainers 349
Greyhound trainers 432
Assistant trainers 138
Head kennelhands 221
Kennelhands 2,526
Greyhounds registered 7,691
Average age of a trainer?
59 (January 2016)
1. How many dogs do you have in your kennels and what would be ideal?
Daniel Alcorn At present I have eight in the kennels. An ideal figure for me would be 12. With a full-time job as well as the dogs that’s the most I think me and my kennelhands could cope with.
Tom Heilbron Currently five – ideally 12, but only if I could do it as a full-time profession.
Tom Levers I currently have 50 in the kennel. Not all are fit to race. We have two brood bitches, eight pups that are seven months old and some retired dogs waiting for homes. I am quite happy with the number of dogs we have at the moment, it’s manageable with the small team we have.
Daniel Brabon I have 60 dogs in the kennel, plus a few litters of pups, and am content with that figure. Currently on the graded side I feel that unless Sittingbourne secures a third night of racing again, any more than I have at present will leave lots of dogs in danger of being left on their beds, which isn't ideal for my owners.
Katie O’Flaherty I currently have 82 dogs including pups. Obviously my kennel strength needs to be high to keep up with the demands of my contract with Crayford.
2. Have you made progress?
DA I’m still in the process of learning to identify and treat injuries but feel like I’ve picked up a lot over the first year.
TH I finished 89th in the Trainers’ Championship only keeping three or four dogs at a time and mainly racing graded at Pelaw. It’s an improvement, but 88 places lower than where I want to be! I topped the winner/runner percentage table at Pelaw for trainers who had over ten dogs running in 2015, had just under 30 per cent runners-to-winners strike-rate and a positive profit-loss.
TL I’m really pleased with how 2015 played out. We have a better class of dog in the kennel and I’ve done well with young dogs we picked up for handy money at the sales. Our stats were better than ever and at the start of last year we joked we would win 100 races in 2015. We finished the year on 101! I’m really lucky with the owners I have and 2015 brought me some new ones too.
DB My kennel strength expanded by another third – up from 40 this time last year – and I had a Kent Derby finalist. It’s a real buzz to line up in any final, but when it’s at your local track it’s extra special.
KO 2015 was a fantastic year for me. Starting the year with the invitation to join Crayford was a big boost for the kennel.
3. Is there anything holding you back?
DA Being too far from all the action, with me being based in Scotland, the travelling for open races is hard both on myself and the dogs.
TH Work – the day job! – and the 50-plus hours per week spent there. In all seriousness and from a selfish point of view, the lack of open-races at the northern tracks is an issue. The lack of opens in general in the north makes it hard to target races to score points in the Trainers’ Championship. Working full time outside of greyhound racing means I can’t meet the kennelling times for opens during the week, and having a young baby at home means I cannot travel up and down the country on a weekend. I still can’t understand why tracks in the north don't advertise opens regularly. Between Pelaw, Sunderland, Newcastle, Belle Vue and Kinsley it shouldn’t be hard to have one open-race night per week between the tracks. I know from speaking to spectators and trainers alike that the likelihood of them leaving the couch to come to the track is increased when a good quality open-race card is on show. It’s the same in all walks of life, the better the quality the more attractive something is.
TL There is one massive barrier that is preventing us from making any solid plans for the immediate future and that is the closure of Wimbledon. When June 18 comes, at the moment I don’t have a track for my dogs to race at. It’s very difficult to make plans and focus on the future when you have such uncertainty surrounding everything. I’m just hoping that in the next few weeks we’ll have secured a place at a new track and I can start making a name for myself there.
DB Being a greyhound trainer is hard work – long hours, early starts, late nights, weekends, freezing cold and soul-destroying at times. While I could probably list a number of things that could be holding not just me but many other trainers back, the fact is once it’s in your blood your own determination to succeed and do the best within your limits and capabilities takes over, because it has to. If it’s something you love you’ll put your all in.
KO Not owning my own kennels is definitely something which affects what I do. There are lots of improvements I’d like to make, but as I’m renting it’s hard to justify spending the sort of money I’d like to. The ambition is to buy my own base when the time is right and hopefully push on from there.
4. What was the highlight of your year?
DA My highlight was getting into two finals at Newcastle, the Angel Of The North Oaks with Fane Whalerdaler and the Maiden Derby with Scotts Missy. Although I didn’t win them, the enjoyment you get out of just being there on the big nights is great.
TH Graigues Diva winning the Angel Of The North Oaks. It was exciting enough just to get the entry accepted, but for her to win the heat and final against the calibre of bitches she beat was a dream come true. It really has given me the belief I’m doing something right and given the right ammo I can win big races.
TL The highlight for me was November 14 at Wimbledon. I trained six of the winners that night. The most I have ever had in one night up to then was four, and to get six in the one night was amazing. I didn’t stop smiling for a week!
DB Moanteen Merlin winning his Kent Derby semi-final and then representing me in the final – but he was unfortunately knocked over in that too, so it was a race of real mixed emotions. From the excitement building up towards the actual race to a heart-in-mouth moment seeing him go down. I had a seven-timer at Sittingbourne this month, that was great.
KO Headford Joe winning the Guys and Dolls at Crayford, with it being my home track, was special. We enjoyed Fatty Arbuckle’s retirement race win too!
5. How big a loss would it be if Wimbledon were to close?
Daniel Alcorn I don’t feel Wimbledon personally as a huge loss. It maybe is to trainers down south, but the track is eight hours away from me so wouldn’t be a place I’d realistically be visiting. I think Newcastle would be an ideal track for the Derby, it’s a good racing track and always puts on a good display of opens.
Tom Heilbron It is without a doubt a body blow to the industry. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t the most modern or smartest track in the world. I’d go as far as to say that it’s quite run-down. However, it is, after all, the home of the Derby, and if we lose Wimbledon as seems likely, we not only lose yet another track but we lose another part of our heritage and history.
If anything can be done to save Wimbledon it should have 100 per cent industry commitment and support. If we do lose Wimbledon I’d like to see the Derby at Nottingham or Newcastle, swaying towards Nottingham due to its location, as both tracks have tremendous running surfaces and are a true test of a greyhound.
They could always put it on at Pelaw, I’m sure they would accommodate it and home advantage may help me!
Tom Levers It’s a massive blow on a personal level. Despite all the speculation around it I’d hoped a solution could be found that allowed it to stay open or for a new track to be built. I really feel for the track staff who put so much work in and who have the track in such good condition. There’s a real camaraderie at Wimbledon between trainers and staff.
It will mean more dogs now have nowhere to race and we are pushing more and more dogs into fewer and fewer tracks. For the owners who race their dogs here, many are London-based and I think the sport is going to lose a lot of those people.
Wimbledon is the flagship track for greyhound racing in Britain. Even people who know nothing about dogs have heard of Wimbledon greyhound track and I think its loss will do irreparable damage to our sport.
The Derby should go to Towcester. The biggest event of all needs a venue with the wow factor. I think for the sport to flourish we need to make it sexier, it needs to appeal to more people, and get back the prestige that was once associated with it. Horseracing has the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby meeting at the Curragh, and thousands of non-racing people flock to those meetings every year because it is seen as elite and classy. We need to bring that feeling into the greyhound industry, and I think having a venue like Towcester would help us to do that. As well as this, from a logistics point of view Towcester is very central, meaning it would be accessible for people travelling from all over.
Daniel Brabon Wimbledon, like any track, is a massive loss to the sport. However, I feel we lost the real Wimbledon many years ago. The stadium we’ve been left with is just a sad indicator of what was to come, and a countdown to its ultimate demise. Personally I feel Sittingbourne would be an ideal Derby track. It’s a good test of a dog, it’s the classic Derby distance, and could hold a big crowd too. Plus it would also eliminate any concern regarding potential bias etc as it isn’t bookmaker owned.
Katie O’Flaherty Any track closure is a massive loss to our sport, especially being the home of the Derby and the last track in London. If I had to choose a track to run the Derby it would have to be Newcastle.
6. Has the GTA been able to make progress on behalf of trainers?
DA I haven’t really been following the situation, so couldn’t really comment on it other than to say trainers need to stay united.
TH I do believe the GTA are pushing towards the right direction in regards to transparency. The cleaner cut the industry is the better appearance it provides for the general public. I do still think that unless some sort of neutral ground or compromise is reached between the GBGB and the GTA then it can only be detrimental for greyhound racing. The in-fighting makes me fear for our long-term future. If I was a business owner who was looking to invest in a new venture, the last thing I’d want to see is stakeholders openly battling between themselves. It’s a terrible image to portray of such an amazing sport. We can’t keep relying on the same sponsors to bail greyhound racing out all the time, we need new blood.
TL Yes, they are making progress and it’s reassuring to know that the support is there. But like anything in the industry, nothing gets changed overnight.
DB Ricky [Holloway] is extremely passionate, but has a challenging and thankless task. The GTA are trying very hard, but without the full support of the industry it’s hard to make inroads, and unfortunately nothing happens overnight. I feel it’s a now-or-never time for the industry, and it’s imperative we unite.
KO No. We elected Ricky Holloway, and love him or hate him, he is passionate about our sport and always has the trainers’ and dogs’ welfare at heart.
7. What changes have you made in a year?
DA I’ve increased my strength from six to eight and included a workroom. I’m hoping to increase my numbers again over the next year. I’d really like a professional set-up.
TH I’ve added two kennelhands in Richie Goldsborough and Graham Potts. Between us we make weekly improvements to the kennels, from small things such as extra shelving right up to full kennel refurbishments. I’m on the lookout for an all-weather gallop in the area.
TL This year we’ve had a successful year on the track and for the first time since I’ve started training the dogs were actually paying for themselves. It was nice to have some money to invest in our facilities, whereas previously it was all coming out of my own pocket. This year I purchased a new walking machine that lets me walk three dogs at once, as well as a swimming pool [for the dogs] which is great for the ones coming back from injury or those that have little niggles that you need to keep right. Only this week I purchased a new van so we will be able to make the long journeys we are inevitably going to have to make once Wimbledon closes.
DB I’m happy with my set-up and facilities, and am fortunate being just a short drive from my local track Sittingbourne. I haven’t made any major changes this year, except general upkeep, like painting and maintenance of my gallop surface. In recent years I’ve expanded a little more on the breeding side, but a couple of litters a year is enough to keep me busy.
KO Since joining Crayford I’ve been able to employ two full-time and four part-time members of staff. It has also allowed me to make some improvements to the kennels and purchase a new van and cages. There are always plans to improve the system we have.
8. How do you view your future short and long-term?
DA After just purchasing my first house I’ll be concentrating on graded racing at Shawfield for a few years. Long-term I’d like to have a professional setup, which may see me relocate to England if the opportunity arises. But with the way greyhound racing is at the moment I couldn’t plan a long-term future in the sport with confidence.
TH I can say with some certainty that as long as I’m breathing I’ll be involved in greyhound racing, even just as a hobby. My short-term goal is to break into the top 50 trainers. Long-term I’d love to think that greyhound racing will provide me the opportunity to make a living from the game and, of course, the major target is to get my hands on that Derby trophy.
TL In the short-term I have a lot of uncertainty at the moment with the news that Wimbledon is set to close so all I’m concerned about is securing a place for my dogs to race and I’ll worry about everything else after that. Longer-term, I’ve never wanted to do anything else except train greyhounds.Providing we can establish ourselves at another track and make enough money so I can afford to keep the dogs as I want to then I can’t see myself doing anything else.
DB I’m very happy with my setup – I’m fortunate to have a lovely team of owners behind me, a good kennel strength and a nice interest in the young dogs coming through. I’m enjoying what I do, and can only hope for things to continue as they are. Of course, the Derby is always going to be the dream, but I’d be more than happy to settle for landing the local [Kent] Derby in 2016! Long-term, it’s a difficult one. The sport is full of passionate, driven people who want to make it work. Those who care must unite and be persistent in what we all want for greyhound racing. However, you can’t deny that the vast number of tracks we have lost in recent years (and are due to lose – such as Wimbledon and Hall Green) is a real concern. I hope there’s a future for me in greyhound racing. I’m fortunate to be able to genuinely say I love my job and I hope I’ll still be saying it for many years to come!
KO Greyhound racing is my life, I’ll always have dogs around me. Although some days can be hard, you are always rewarded with better days. Currently I’m happy with my contract at Crayford and enjoying it. I personally would like to be able to have more room for breeding pups. There is no better reward than seeing a pup you’ve reared going out and winning races.
Katie O'Flaherty: 'Greyhound racing is my life'
Our young trainer guns deserve a brighter future
By Phil Donaldson of the Racing Post
AROUND 12 months ago the Racing Post spoke to five young trainers, all at different stages of their careers and in different professional situations, to get an insight into the lot of the generation this sport needs to thrive.
It was revealed in the most recent in-depth review of greyhound racing – the GBGB-commissioned Deloitte review, ‘The Economic Impact of the British Greyhound Racing industry 2014’ – that the average age of a greyhound trainer was 59. For that situation to improve, the next generation of handlers needs to be encouraged and supported.
One of greyhound racing’s elder statesman, the legendary former trainer John Coleman, 81, recently told Racing Post readers of his fears for the sport should issues such as a shortage of dogs and trainers not be addressed.
He said: “Investment is required in trainers and their kennels which, in turn, provide the dogs to the tracks. Too much money has been diverted away from owners and trainers to tracks and track promoters. That needs to change. Any surplus money must go to those who provide the product.”
As we now head through the first quarter of 2016 and face the prospect of saying goodbye to Wimbledon, London’s final track and home of the Greyhound Derby, is there any progress being made?
Most are still feeling the pinch and the average age of a trainer, as it was in 2014, remains at 59.
Perhaps there is a slight chink of light in that the number of registered trainers under the age of 30 has increased to 17, from 15 in the past 12 months, while the band of trainers aged between 30 and 40 totals 50 – just one less than last year.
The figures to be published in the next GBGB annual report this summer indicate a fall in the number of licences granted from 2014 to 2015, although the number of greyhounds registered in 2015 showed an increase of 362.
Clearly the loss of tracks in recent years has seen a natural fall in the number of personnel licensed, while retirement and the loss of some who simply were forced to call it a day will affect the figures.
Training greyhounds is often described by those who do it as a passion more than a vocation, a way of life rather than a route to riches, and that shone through when we spoke to these five young trainers last year.
That passion is still very much evident once again as Daniel Alcorn, Tom Levers, Daniel Brabon, Tom Heilbron and Katie O’Flaherty kindly took time out of their busy schedules to update readers on their progress and share their thoughts on some of the issues which may be impacting on their ambitions.
In the answers from all five featured below there are plenty of positives to be gleaned. Hopefully, as we move forward in 2016 that will continue to be the case.
The stats:
2014
Professional trainers 353
Greyhound trainers 463
Assistant trainers 136
Head kennelhands 269
Kennelhands 2,976
Greyhounds registered 7,329
2015
Professional trainers 349
Greyhound trainers 432
Assistant trainers 138
Head kennelhands 221
Kennelhands 2,526
Greyhounds registered 7,691
Average age of a trainer?
59 (January 2016)
1. How many dogs do you have in your kennels and what would be ideal?
Daniel Alcorn At present I have eight in the kennels. An ideal figure for me would be 12. With a full-time job as well as the dogs that’s the most I think me and my kennelhands could cope with.
Tom Heilbron Currently five – ideally 12, but only if I could do it as a full-time profession.
Tom Levers I currently have 50 in the kennel. Not all are fit to race. We have two brood bitches, eight pups that are seven months old and some retired dogs waiting for homes. I am quite happy with the number of dogs we have at the moment, it’s manageable with the small team we have.
Daniel Brabon I have 60 dogs in the kennel, plus a few litters of pups, and am content with that figure. Currently on the graded side I feel that unless Sittingbourne secures a third night of racing again, any more than I have at present will leave lots of dogs in danger of being left on their beds, which isn't ideal for my owners.
Katie O’Flaherty I currently have 82 dogs including pups. Obviously my kennel strength needs to be high to keep up with the demands of my contract with Crayford.
2. Have you made progress?
DA I’m still in the process of learning to identify and treat injuries but feel like I’ve picked up a lot over the first year.
TH I finished 89th in the Trainers’ Championship only keeping three or four dogs at a time and mainly racing graded at Pelaw. It’s an improvement, but 88 places lower than where I want to be! I topped the winner/runner percentage table at Pelaw for trainers who had over ten dogs running in 2015, had just under 30 per cent runners-to-winners strike-rate and a positive profit-loss.
TL I’m really pleased with how 2015 played out. We have a better class of dog in the kennel and I’ve done well with young dogs we picked up for handy money at the sales. Our stats were better than ever and at the start of last year we joked we would win 100 races in 2015. We finished the year on 101! I’m really lucky with the owners I have and 2015 brought me some new ones too.
DB My kennel strength expanded by another third – up from 40 this time last year – and I had a Kent Derby finalist. It’s a real buzz to line up in any final, but when it’s at your local track it’s extra special.
KO 2015 was a fantastic year for me. Starting the year with the invitation to join Crayford was a big boost for the kennel.
3. Is there anything holding you back?
DA Being too far from all the action, with me being based in Scotland, the travelling for open races is hard both on myself and the dogs.
TH Work – the day job! – and the 50-plus hours per week spent there. In all seriousness and from a selfish point of view, the lack of open-races at the northern tracks is an issue. The lack of opens in general in the north makes it hard to target races to score points in the Trainers’ Championship. Working full time outside of greyhound racing means I can’t meet the kennelling times for opens during the week, and having a young baby at home means I cannot travel up and down the country on a weekend. I still can’t understand why tracks in the north don't advertise opens regularly. Between Pelaw, Sunderland, Newcastle, Belle Vue and Kinsley it shouldn’t be hard to have one open-race night per week between the tracks. I know from speaking to spectators and trainers alike that the likelihood of them leaving the couch to come to the track is increased when a good quality open-race card is on show. It’s the same in all walks of life, the better the quality the more attractive something is.
TL There is one massive barrier that is preventing us from making any solid plans for the immediate future and that is the closure of Wimbledon. When June 18 comes, at the moment I don’t have a track for my dogs to race at. It’s very difficult to make plans and focus on the future when you have such uncertainty surrounding everything. I’m just hoping that in the next few weeks we’ll have secured a place at a new track and I can start making a name for myself there.
DB Being a greyhound trainer is hard work – long hours, early starts, late nights, weekends, freezing cold and soul-destroying at times. While I could probably list a number of things that could be holding not just me but many other trainers back, the fact is once it’s in your blood your own determination to succeed and do the best within your limits and capabilities takes over, because it has to. If it’s something you love you’ll put your all in.
KO Not owning my own kennels is definitely something which affects what I do. There are lots of improvements I’d like to make, but as I’m renting it’s hard to justify spending the sort of money I’d like to. The ambition is to buy my own base when the time is right and hopefully push on from there.
4. What was the highlight of your year?
DA My highlight was getting into two finals at Newcastle, the Angel Of The North Oaks with Fane Whalerdaler and the Maiden Derby with Scotts Missy. Although I didn’t win them, the enjoyment you get out of just being there on the big nights is great.
TH Graigues Diva winning the Angel Of The North Oaks. It was exciting enough just to get the entry accepted, but for her to win the heat and final against the calibre of bitches she beat was a dream come true. It really has given me the belief I’m doing something right and given the right ammo I can win big races.
TL The highlight for me was November 14 at Wimbledon. I trained six of the winners that night. The most I have ever had in one night up to then was four, and to get six in the one night was amazing. I didn’t stop smiling for a week!
DB Moanteen Merlin winning his Kent Derby semi-final and then representing me in the final – but he was unfortunately knocked over in that too, so it was a race of real mixed emotions. From the excitement building up towards the actual race to a heart-in-mouth moment seeing him go down. I had a seven-timer at Sittingbourne this month, that was great.
KO Headford Joe winning the Guys and Dolls at Crayford, with it being my home track, was special. We enjoyed Fatty Arbuckle’s retirement race win too!
5. How big a loss would it be if Wimbledon were to close?
Daniel Alcorn I don’t feel Wimbledon personally as a huge loss. It maybe is to trainers down south, but the track is eight hours away from me so wouldn’t be a place I’d realistically be visiting. I think Newcastle would be an ideal track for the Derby, it’s a good racing track and always puts on a good display of opens.
Tom Heilbron It is without a doubt a body blow to the industry. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t the most modern or smartest track in the world. I’d go as far as to say that it’s quite run-down. However, it is, after all, the home of the Derby, and if we lose Wimbledon as seems likely, we not only lose yet another track but we lose another part of our heritage and history.
If anything can be done to save Wimbledon it should have 100 per cent industry commitment and support. If we do lose Wimbledon I’d like to see the Derby at Nottingham or Newcastle, swaying towards Nottingham due to its location, as both tracks have tremendous running surfaces and are a true test of a greyhound.
They could always put it on at Pelaw, I’m sure they would accommodate it and home advantage may help me!
Tom Levers It’s a massive blow on a personal level. Despite all the speculation around it I’d hoped a solution could be found that allowed it to stay open or for a new track to be built. I really feel for the track staff who put so much work in and who have the track in such good condition. There’s a real camaraderie at Wimbledon between trainers and staff.
It will mean more dogs now have nowhere to race and we are pushing more and more dogs into fewer and fewer tracks. For the owners who race their dogs here, many are London-based and I think the sport is going to lose a lot of those people.
Wimbledon is the flagship track for greyhound racing in Britain. Even people who know nothing about dogs have heard of Wimbledon greyhound track and I think its loss will do irreparable damage to our sport.
The Derby should go to Towcester. The biggest event of all needs a venue with the wow factor. I think for the sport to flourish we need to make it sexier, it needs to appeal to more people, and get back the prestige that was once associated with it. Horseracing has the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby meeting at the Curragh, and thousands of non-racing people flock to those meetings every year because it is seen as elite and classy. We need to bring that feeling into the greyhound industry, and I think having a venue like Towcester would help us to do that. As well as this, from a logistics point of view Towcester is very central, meaning it would be accessible for people travelling from all over.
Daniel Brabon Wimbledon, like any track, is a massive loss to the sport. However, I feel we lost the real Wimbledon many years ago. The stadium we’ve been left with is just a sad indicator of what was to come, and a countdown to its ultimate demise. Personally I feel Sittingbourne would be an ideal Derby track. It’s a good test of a dog, it’s the classic Derby distance, and could hold a big crowd too. Plus it would also eliminate any concern regarding potential bias etc as it isn’t bookmaker owned.
Katie O’Flaherty Any track closure is a massive loss to our sport, especially being the home of the Derby and the last track in London. If I had to choose a track to run the Derby it would have to be Newcastle.
6. Has the GTA been able to make progress on behalf of trainers?
DA I haven’t really been following the situation, so couldn’t really comment on it other than to say trainers need to stay united.
TH I do believe the GTA are pushing towards the right direction in regards to transparency. The cleaner cut the industry is the better appearance it provides for the general public. I do still think that unless some sort of neutral ground or compromise is reached between the GBGB and the GTA then it can only be detrimental for greyhound racing. The in-fighting makes me fear for our long-term future. If I was a business owner who was looking to invest in a new venture, the last thing I’d want to see is stakeholders openly battling between themselves. It’s a terrible image to portray of such an amazing sport. We can’t keep relying on the same sponsors to bail greyhound racing out all the time, we need new blood.
TL Yes, they are making progress and it’s reassuring to know that the support is there. But like anything in the industry, nothing gets changed overnight.
DB Ricky [Holloway] is extremely passionate, but has a challenging and thankless task. The GTA are trying very hard, but without the full support of the industry it’s hard to make inroads, and unfortunately nothing happens overnight. I feel it’s a now-or-never time for the industry, and it’s imperative we unite.
KO No. We elected Ricky Holloway, and love him or hate him, he is passionate about our sport and always has the trainers’ and dogs’ welfare at heart.
7. What changes have you made in a year?
DA I’ve increased my strength from six to eight and included a workroom. I’m hoping to increase my numbers again over the next year. I’d really like a professional set-up.
TH I’ve added two kennelhands in Richie Goldsborough and Graham Potts. Between us we make weekly improvements to the kennels, from small things such as extra shelving right up to full kennel refurbishments. I’m on the lookout for an all-weather gallop in the area.
TL This year we’ve had a successful year on the track and for the first time since I’ve started training the dogs were actually paying for themselves. It was nice to have some money to invest in our facilities, whereas previously it was all coming out of my own pocket. This year I purchased a new walking machine that lets me walk three dogs at once, as well as a swimming pool [for the dogs] which is great for the ones coming back from injury or those that have little niggles that you need to keep right. Only this week I purchased a new van so we will be able to make the long journeys we are inevitably going to have to make once Wimbledon closes.
DB I’m happy with my set-up and facilities, and am fortunate being just a short drive from my local track Sittingbourne. I haven’t made any major changes this year, except general upkeep, like painting and maintenance of my gallop surface. In recent years I’ve expanded a little more on the breeding side, but a couple of litters a year is enough to keep me busy.
KO Since joining Crayford I’ve been able to employ two full-time and four part-time members of staff. It has also allowed me to make some improvements to the kennels and purchase a new van and cages. There are always plans to improve the system we have.
8. How do you view your future short and long-term?
DA After just purchasing my first house I’ll be concentrating on graded racing at Shawfield for a few years. Long-term I’d like to have a professional setup, which may see me relocate to England if the opportunity arises. But with the way greyhound racing is at the moment I couldn’t plan a long-term future in the sport with confidence.
TH I can say with some certainty that as long as I’m breathing I’ll be involved in greyhound racing, even just as a hobby. My short-term goal is to break into the top 50 trainers. Long-term I’d love to think that greyhound racing will provide me the opportunity to make a living from the game and, of course, the major target is to get my hands on that Derby trophy.
TL In the short-term I have a lot of uncertainty at the moment with the news that Wimbledon is set to close so all I’m concerned about is securing a place for my dogs to race and I’ll worry about everything else after that. Longer-term, I’ve never wanted to do anything else except train greyhounds.Providing we can establish ourselves at another track and make enough money so I can afford to keep the dogs as I want to then I can’t see myself doing anything else.
DB I’m very happy with my setup – I’m fortunate to have a lovely team of owners behind me, a good kennel strength and a nice interest in the young dogs coming through. I’m enjoying what I do, and can only hope for things to continue as they are. Of course, the Derby is always going to be the dream, but I’d be more than happy to settle for landing the local [Kent] Derby in 2016! Long-term, it’s a difficult one. The sport is full of passionate, driven people who want to make it work. Those who care must unite and be persistent in what we all want for greyhound racing. However, you can’t deny that the vast number of tracks we have lost in recent years (and are due to lose – such as Wimbledon and Hall Green) is a real concern. I hope there’s a future for me in greyhound racing. I’m fortunate to be able to genuinely say I love my job and I hope I’ll still be saying it for many years to come!
KO Greyhound racing is my life, I’ll always have dogs around me. Although some days can be hard, you are always rewarded with better days. Currently I’m happy with my contract at Crayford and enjoying it. I personally would like to be able to have more room for breeding pups. There is no better reward than seeing a pup you’ve reared going out and winning races.
