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Post by BVADMIN on Oct 19, 2018 8:45:02 GMT
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Post by BVADMIN on Oct 22, 2018 22:36:31 GMT
GBGB MEDIA ROLE SCRAPPED
Following a review of GBGB operations with the recent funding gap issues involving bookmaker voluntary contributions for both retail and on-line, it has been decided to make the role of Media and Communications Officer redundant with immediate effect. As a consequence, Simon Banks will be leaving the company today (Monday 22nd October 2018).
GBGB Managing Director Mark Bird said, ʺSimon has been a part of the team at the Greyhound Board for the past 4 years. He has a wealth of greyhound experience both in terms of being a journalist and writing on industry specific topics but also as someone who owns racing and retired greyhounds. Simon has a real passion for the sport and understands the political and economic issues that face the industry so will therefore be a great loss. I wish him all the best in any new venturesʺ.
Press enquiries should now be made to the GBGB via the main switchboard in the first instance.
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Post by BVADMIN on Oct 24, 2018 19:29:34 GMT
Venues Confirmed for 2018, and 2019 TV TrophyGBGB are pleased to confirm the venues and details for both the 2018, and 2019 TV Trophy. Crayford will stage the Ladbrokes sponsored 2018 renewal, commencing with three heats over the tracks 874m, on Saturday 1st December with the first two in each heat qualifying for the Final of the Category One event, worth £9,000 to the winner, scheduled for Saturday 8th December.
The historic event, with a star studded roll of honour featuring the likes of the legendary Scurlogue Champ, Suncrest Sail, Ericas Equity and 2007 Greyhound of the Year Spiridon Louis, will in 2018, feature as the starting point of a ‘Winter Triple Crown’ at the Kent track, incorporating the TV Trophy, the Boxing Day Marathon and the 2019 Golden Jacket, with a £5,000 bonus for any greyhound who manages to win all three events.
The 2019 TV Trophy will be staged at Romford for the first time since 1968, over the tracks 925m trip, the same distance which saw the memorable triple dead heat and subsequent ‘Coral Bring It On’ challenge between Ayamzagirl, Droopys Djokovic and Killishin Masai in 2011. The winner of the 2019 Coral sponsored TV Trophy will walk away with £10,000. The event will be scheduled for early August with exact dates to be confirmed.
Both events will feature on RPGTV.
GBGB Managing Director Mark Bird said:“We’re delighted to be able to confirm details for the TV Trophy, and extremely grateful to Ian Smyth and sponsors Ladbrokes and Coral for coming forward and securing this key event’s future for the next two years and showing this level of commitment and support to the marathon distance division.
“The level of prize money on offer is exceptional, easily surpassing the minimum levels that we asked for and will no doubt generate a huge amount of interest around what is undoubtedly one of the most popular events in the calendar.”
Ladbrokes Coral Director of Stadia Ian Smyth said: “It is great news for both Crayford and Romford that they have been selected to host such a prestigious and iconic event over the next 2 years and I’d like to thank the GBGB for giving us the opportunity.
“I had hoped we might have been successful with one of our bids but we can now look forward to the first leg of a Winter Triple Crown for stayers at Crayford in December and the opportunity to showcase our fully refurbished stadium at Romford in early August 2019.”
Full details for the 2018 Crayford staging of the TV Trophy will appear in the 2nd November edition of the GBGB Calendar. 2019 dates will be confirmed as part of the 2019 open race schedule.
Prize money breakdowns for heats and final for each year will be as follows:
2018 Ladbrokes TV Trophy – Crayford
Final Winner £9,000 Runner Up £1000, Finalists £500
Heats: Winners £300 Others £100
2019 Coral TV Trophy – Romford
Final: Winner £10,000 Runner Up £1,000 Finalists £500
Heats: Winners £300 Others £100
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Post by SALFORD GIRL on Oct 25, 2018 9:43:40 GMT
THURSDAY 25/10/18:: VETS DAY AT NOTTINGHAM STADIUM.
Dr Simon Gower opening today’s GBGB Track Vet Day
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Post by BVADMIN on Oct 25, 2018 10:05:30 GMT
Senior Stipendiary Steward Paul Illingworth announcing the GBGB’s ambition to acquire UKAS accreditation for kennels by 2020. The process has already started and should be completed during 2019
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Post by BVADMIN on Oct 25, 2018 11:21:26 GMT
Duncan Gibson, Manager of Welfare & Integrity Services is now discussing the 2017 injury data.
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Post by BVADMIN on Oct 26, 2018 14:50:18 GMT
Greyhound Board of Great Britain launches Injury Recovery Scheme.....
26/10/2018
GBGB has today announced the launch of an injury recovery scheme (IRS) which will provide financial assistance to an owner whose greyhound has sustained a career-ending orthopaedic injury at a GBGB licensed racecourse.
This follows on from the launch of the Greyhound Commitment earlier this year, which sets out GBGB’s expectations of how our sport and industry should be run with greyhound welfare at its heart.
The scheme is something we have been exploring and working towards for several years, but challenges in securing long-term sustainable funding for the sport has meant that it has been delayed. The scheme is now being piloted and negotiations with the bookmakers are underway in order to allow a full and sustainable roll-out of this significant initiative.
The funding will contribute towards veterinary treatment of career-ending orthopaedic (bone) injuries so that wherever possible greyhounds can go on to enjoy a full and active life in retirement. A grant of 50% towards the veterinary costs, up to a maximum of £400 per greyhound, will be available upon application from GBGB. Racecourses that currently manage their own injury recovery scheme for their owners will be able to apply for IRS funding on behalf of GBGB-registered owners.
Within the last week one greyhound has already benefited from our offer of financial support and underwent complex surgery of a hock fracture. It has since been adopted by a local family who will be welcoming it into their home once it is fully recovered from surgery.
GBGB Veterinary Director, Dr. Simon Gower, said:
“This is the first of several initiatives that GBGB has been working on since the launch of our Greyhound Commitment. As an industry, we must encourage responsible greyhound ownership and support our owners, trainers and racecourses to work towards the elimination of euthanasia of any greyhound on economic grounds. Several GBGB tracks already have excellent injury recovery programmes and we expect that this funding will enable all our stadia to put in place similar schemes.
“Importantly the IRS funding is open to all registered greyhounds and will support GBGB’s commitment to ensuring that a career-ending injury is not life-ending.”
To apply for IRS funding, please follow this link Injury Recovery Scheme Application Form, contact the GBGB welfare department on 020 7822 0900 (option 1) or speak to your stadium welfare officer.
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Post by BVADMIN on Nov 3, 2018 0:05:05 GMT
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Post by BVADMIN on Nov 12, 2018 23:51:15 GMT
GBGB PLAN CRACKDOWN ON SERIAL ‘EUTHANASERS’TAKEN FROM THE GREYHOUND STAR — NOVEMBER 12, 2018 Trainers who serially have greyhounds put to sleep, rather than re-homed at the end of their racing careers, could soon find their licences under threat writes Floyd Amphlett.
The Star has learned that GBGB are pursuing a zero tolerance policy towards unnecessary euthanasia with staff meticulously compiling data from the ‘green’ retirement forms.
It is estimated that the worst 10 offending trainers are responsible for around 20% of all industry ‘economic euthanasias’.
Despite homes being found for 86 per cent of greyhounds deemed suitable for re-homing, GBGB Managing Director Mark Bird is looking to dramatically increase that figure.
He said: “Since we first published the track injury and retirement data in March, many in the sport, myself included, have been looking closely at the unnecessary euthanasia rates within our sport. As part of the Greyhound Commitment, we are seeking to reduce economic euthanasias to zero within a five year period.
“Whilst we release the injury and retirement rates annually, we are constantly looking at the data and are now able to see patterns emerging of higher euthanasia rates amongst specific trainers.
“Whether this is a cultural or generational practice or is part of an economic determination, we simply cannot ignore these figures relative to certain individuals within our sport. We can take decisive action on this and we will do so.
“I am very aware that some tracks are already trying very hard to change the status quo culture of trainers bringing dogs into the Veterinary Office and asking for the dog to be put to sleep when it sustains a career-ending injury.
“More tracks need to adopt the same approach but we also need to ensure that the dogs are not simply patched up and then taken to a local veterinary centre and put to sleep there instead.
“In the next few weeks, we will write directly to those trainers who have been assessed by us as having a higher euthanasia rate for either economic or unsuitable for homing reasons. We will also be writing to the respective tracks so that we can adopt a collaborative approach.
“The intention will be to hold a meeting between the respective parties and stakeholders with a view to affecting a significant drop in unnecessary euthanasia rates in 2019.
“This is not an empty promise; GBGB is wholly committed to achieving this goal. The GBGB Injury Recovery Scheme, launched earlier this month, is a significant step in achieving this, as it will have a significant impact on the number of dogs put to sleep for financial reasons.
“We are hoping to announce a fuller roll-out of the scheme in the next month or so which should have an even greater impact on reducing this figure.”
Cynics of the scheme will suggest that unscrupulous trainers will simply deem dogs as ‘unsuitable for homing’ as a ploy to avoid their responsibilities to ex-racers and continue to have them destroyed. Bird is having none of it.
He said: “The issue of greyhounds being put to sleep as being unsuitable for homing is, for me, another unsatisfactory and unnecessary statistic. We constantly strive to tell the general public that retiring greyhounds make fantastic pets.
“Surely that is such a counter-productive proposition given the number of greyhounds being put to sleep because they are deemed as unsuitable for homing?
“We have to accept that in any breed of dog, some will have behavioural issues that probably will determine they can never go into a domestic home but does that ever mean that the only other option is to put that dog to sleep?
“There are a number of established dog sanctuary charities that exist that would argue not. I am not advocating that we will get the number of unsuitable for homing euthanasias down to zero in the same way or timeframe as with economics but it is something that we have to be cognisant of as we move these issues forward.
“I will be having a series of conversations within the next few weeks with some of the animal charities as to how they might assist owners and trainers with their greyhounds being assessed for homing or even fostering.
“Owning a retired greyhound as I do now, I know full well that the home is a totally different environment to what a greyhound has been used to for its rearing and racing life and consequently they will take time to adjust and adapt. Perhaps this could be where some form of fostering comes in?
“As the sport’s regulator, GBGB demands the highest standards of welfare from all our owners, trainers and racetracks. This is why, alongside the work we are doing with tracks and trainers, we are also developing an Owner’s Charter.
“This Charter, which is being developed in partnership with our Greyhound Ambassadors, will reinforce an owner’s responsibility to look after all aspects of a greyhound’s welfare.
“As part of this, there will be clear guidelines on how to make the decision to put a dog to sleep with the expectation that economic euthanasia is simply not an option.”
Bird’s plans amount to the greatest shake up of welfare policy in the history of greyhound racing’s regulation and governance.
But he recognises that attitudes towards welfare within the industry have changed significantly in recent years, and they continue to evolve.
Traditionally, many trainers believed that the majority of greyhounds were simply unsuitable to be homed due to their propensity to attack other pets. Indeed for many years, the media feasted on stories of un-muzzled greyhounds ripping apart cats, pet rabbits and other dogs.
While a percentage of ex-racers, like other breeds, cannot always be trusted, the temperament of the racing greyhound has certainly ‘mellowed’ in the last 40 years with imported bloodlines from Australia and the USA producing a fall in semi-coursing Irish bloodlines.
Put simply, there has been a decline in the ‘kill instinct’, which has been replaced with a ‘chase instinct’. Most British and Irish bred greyhounds and now predominantly Aussie or American within three generations. An additional benefit of the change of psyche has seen breeders reporting far fewer non-chasers. A top breeder like Ian Greaves reckons to have no more than one non-chaser per year.
Also, for many years, trainers thought it better to have ex-racers humanely destroyed instead of falling into the hands of unscrupulous individuals. Tales of ex-racers ending up abandoned in independent racing, abused by travellers for illegal hare coursing or ending in Spain or vivisection were frequent.
The absence of co-ordinated home finding schemes also saw many owners caught out when dogs they believed to be living in comfortable retirement, were indeed found to be suffering in one of those unfortunate fate. Many owners decided ‘not to take the chance’.
It also has to be said, many greyhound trainers did, and still do, view greyhounds as ‘expendable’, particularly when they find themselves in economic plight.
With microchipping, improved tracking of ex-racers and a variety of schemes to ease the financial burden on the owners of injured greyhounds, Bird clearly feels the time has come for the industry to commit to a new ideal.
He said: “If we are all united across the sport to put an end to economic euthanasia, I truly believe that we can achieve this within five years – if not much sooner – but it does require a joint effort from us all.”
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Post by BVADMIN on Nov 15, 2018 23:11:12 GMT
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