NEWS FROM TOWCESTER 2020.....

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TAKEN FROM THE GREYHOUND STAR
THURSDAY 30-7-20::::
greyhoundstar.co.uk/towcester-ready-crowds-saturdays/


....TOWCESTER READY FOR CROWDS AND SATURDAYS FROM SEPTEMBER....



Towcester promoter Kevin Boothby has announced plans to allow crowds into the stadium and the return of Saturday night racing from September.

He said: “We have plans in place to allow customers to watch the racing, from inside the stadium buildings, from Sunday September 6. They will need to be pre-booked and socially distanced in the restaurants or boxes. The new Indian restaurant on the second floor of the smaller stand will also be opening. We will also have three marquees, all serving hog roast, and each maquee will have its own portaloos.

“The Saturday meetings will commence on Saturday September 19 and I am looking for sponsors for ten open races at £1,000 per race. They will operate under the same rules and restrictions as the Sundays, but I am confident that we can still cater for 850-900 people.”

The Saturday meetings will not form part of the betting shop service, but will be available to view through the previously hugely popular Towcester TV internet channel.

Boothby has reached an agreement with the brains behind the HD service, Steve Katz, who is promising an even more exciting and innovative service.

Boothby said: “We have a number of options open to us with Towcester TV which will initially be free to view. It will be a gradual build but there are all sorts of options open to us. If the owners and trainers support us in the way that they are promising, I am confident that we can produce the quality of racing that we talked about before lock down.

“If that happens, and I am determined that it will, I can imagine there being a huge demand for it from the betting companies. I understand that the betting shop figures for our Sunday racing are exceptional.”

Maintenance work is well underway to get the facility back to its former glory. Within the coming months, there will be a new fence to protect the track and Astroturf is to be laid to produce a better visual spectacle. The track lighting is being further improved with a £150K refit from the American manufacturers and the track recently took possession of a new modern Racetech totalisator system.

Away from the track, Boothby has reached various commercial agreements for use of the site. Among the most interesting are those which will allow for camping, caravan and on-site lodges for ‘staycations’. When fully implemented, the site will offer weekend accommodation for approximately 2,500 visitors.

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Towcester will switch to the Sunday afternoon slot for SIS live coverage into the betting shops with Henlow taking the evening fixture, starting next weekend.

Promoter Kevin Boothby said: “We have known for a while that the Towcester lighting needs upgrading and for the last race on Sunday night it simply wasn’t good enough. As I explained last week, the replacement lighting is due to be flown from America this week. It is scheduled to leave on Wednesday, but it will still have to be fitted; every bulb is being replaced.

“So we are allowing for at least two or three weeks before we switch back.”

The plan to introduce Saturday night racing has been delayed from an original start date in September.

Boothby said: “Given latest developments with Covid, I am nervous about starting a Saturday and then having to stop because we aren’t allowed crowds in. It would be financially impossible to race without crowds and it wouldn’t be fair on trainers who would be left in limbo without races for their dogs.

“I don’t think it would be right to start in October with the Derby on, so everything is geared for November, assuming there isn’t another outbreak. We will have Towcester TV ready to go by then on a subscription service.”

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.....BOOTHBY CONFIRMS 2021 DERBY BID.....

TAKEN FROM THE GREYHOUND STAR — SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
greyhoundstar.co.uk/boothby-confirms-2021-derby-bid/



A Derby bid, new lighting, open race competitions and the return of crowds.

After the most frustrating of years, the action will be coming thick and fast and Towcester and Henlow between now and the New Year.

The big news is the confirmation from Kevin Boothby that Towcester will definitely apply to stage the 2021 English Derby and that Star Sports have agreed to continue with their sponsorship should the track secure the fixture.

Boothby said: “Ben Keith has confirmed that if I make the application, I will have his support. That is fantastic news and I can confirm, as I have said from the beginning, that I will definitely be applying for it through GBGB.”

In fact, open racing is scheduled to become a regular feature. Things kick off this month with heats of three Cat 3 sweepstakes on Tuesday September 22 with the finals the following Sunday.

Boothby said: “With Monmore closed we have additional meetings and with our kennel strength being deliberately limited, I thought the Tuesday would be a good opportunity to have the first of the opens.”

The Sunday meeting will be supplemented with additional opens over all distances (270m, 500m, 712m) including maiden, bitch and puppy events.

In fact, Sunday September 27th is the revised date for the readmission of the public, a plan that was originally scheduled to take place this Sunday.

Boothby said: “We’ve held discussions with the council and we are clear to open under some strict conditions.

“We will have a maximum of 450 people through the gate, and the public will be kept separate from the trainers. Basically, should there be a Covid flare-up among the customers, it would mean we would be shut down, but racing could continue. The nightmare is an outbreak among the trainers.

“The public will be allowed into the restaurant, Bar 4,000 and exec boxes. The food will be simple, pizza and chips, all boxed, for the bars and hog roast and dessert for the restaurant, again all boxed to reduce risk. The trainers will be in the marquee.”

Barring any setbacks, the track intend to open Saturday night racing from November 7 and kick off with a bang!

Boothby said: “At this stage, I would like to open with a Night Of Stars meeting with open races throughout. Since I took over last October, a string of people have said that they would like to support us and have just been waiting for a date.

“Here is their chance, I’m looking for sponsors for all 12 races on the night and make it a real spectacle.”

Work is well advanced to have Towcester TV broadcasting on the Saturday launch with viewing available by a monthly subscription.

Boothby added: “The details are being worked out, but it will probably be around £20 per month. I am planning to follow the Night Of Stars meeting with a Cat 1 event with another one staged every month going forward.”

They’ve arrived

The arrival of 75 state-of-the-art lights should soon restore Towcester to its position as the most visually striking track in Britain.

Boothby said: “This has been on-going since February and it was such a relief when the transporter came onto the site.

“I can’t speak highly enough about Cree Lighting. It would have cost them a fortune to replace all the lights and have them flown in.

“There are 15 batteries each for five lights and work is already underway getting them fitted. When you think how good the originals were, they were fitted seven years ago. These are the improved versions, I really can’t wait to see them all lit up.

“We have also started to lay the Astro Turf. The place is going to look amazing – despite what you might read on the forums.”

Boothby is considering making this year’s Star Sports Derby Final meeting an exclusive meeting for members of the newly formed National Greyhound Supporters Club.

He has already staged sponsored meetings at both Henlow and Towcester for the new organisation.

He said: “I am still to discuss it with founder David Mitchell, but with Nottingham being restricted on capacity, we could stage a meeting here and beam the Derby Final onto the big screen. It would be a great opportunity to get all the members together for the first time.”



Meanwhile there is also plenty going on at Henlow. The track are due to stage their Maiden Derby at the end of September (36 greyhounds – £3K to the winner).

Boothby said: “We are a lot more restricted space wise at Henlow than Towcester, but by careful planning we will be able to invite all the owners along. The general public will not be admitted.”

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