Greyhound left to waste away

The hunt is on for the owners of a former racing greyhound who let it waste away to less than half its normal weight. The emaciated animal was found wandering the streets of Baguley, Wythenshawe, on Friday and is now being cared for by the Manchester Dogs Home at Harpurhey.

The greyhound, which staff have named George, has distinctive "Irish marks" which show it was once a racer. These are the letters MEL on its left ear and the letters RP on its right.

Dogs Home manager Chris Lynch said it was the worst case they had seen for a long time. "The poor thing is just bones and I'm afraid in this state you've got to say that it's wilful abuse or neglect," she said. "We are working with Belle Vue to try to trace the person concerned from the markings on the dog but it could have had any number of owners since it stopped racing.'' She added: "We would urge anyone who has any idea who has let this dog get into this state to give us a call right away. "In the meantime he's got about five blankets on him and we're trying him on easily digestible food to build up his strength.

By Richard Tyler, Birmingham Post

After 12 years of piecemeal expansion, Perry Barr Greyhound Racing Club has agreed to a £4.2 million takeover by national dog track group Wembley in order to secure funding for the next stage of its development.

One of the club's three directors, Maurice Buckland, who is also managing director of Birmingham engineering firm Victoria Precision, said the ground needed refurbishment, including new restaurant and bar facilities, which would cost around £2 million and was beyond the means of the club's existing shareholders.

"This project requires a bigger institution to do it, that is the only reason why we are selling up," said Mr Buckland. "We decided the best thing for everyone was to let Wembley take over." He added the price offered by Wembley was a "fair reflection of the time and effort" put in by staff to build the club from scratch on land once used by Birchfield Harriers athletics club.

The club's shareholders have expanded the facilities gradually, restoring the main stand and building a function room, corporate boxes and a restaurant. On peak Saturday nights the track attracts around 2,000 people.

So far GRA, a Wembley subsidiary set up to handle the deal, has support from 91.6 per cent of the club's shareholders with the rest given until May 27 to make up their minds. Wembley finance director Mark Elliott said Perry Bar would be brought up to the standards race goers at its existing Birmingham race track at Hall Green have grown to expect.

"With our track record we would expect to make a success of it," he said. Once the deal is completed, Wembley will have seven greyhound race tracks across the country.

Letter from Greyhound Action to Birmingham Post

The fact that the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) will soon be running the track at Perry Barr ("Wembley takes over at Perry Barr", Birmingham Post, May 7) may not be such good news for the dogs. The GRA is unpopular even among greyhound racing enthusiasts because of the high rate of injuries to dogs on its tracks and, in the past 12 months or so, there were horrific accidents, resulting in the death of dogs, at the GRA tracks at Portsmouth and Belle Vue and another died of heat exhaustion in the kennels at Catford.

The last time our investigators visited the other Birmingham GRA track, at Hall Green, they witnessed a dog (which was later put to sleep) being carried from the track screaming in agony after breaking a leg. It is quite commonplace for greyhounds to be put to sleep by vets at GRA and other major greyhound tracks, either because of injury or because they are not considered good racers.

We estimate this happens to over 10,000 racing dogs in Britain every year. Unfortunately, whether or not the GRA runs Perry Barr, it will still be responsible for the deaths of about 500 greyhounds every year - taking into account its share of the demand for dogs to be bred to fuel the greyhound racing industry, and the fact that most of these dogs end up being put to sleep (or worse), either because they fail to make the grade as youngsters or when their racing days are over.

To prevent this slaughter, we would like to see greyhound racing banned, as it is already in many parts of the USA. In the meantime, we are calling upon the public not to attend or bet on greyhound racing, so the dog race industry fades away through lack of financial support.

Windgap Java, former Irish star, has been at the centre of storm of protest from his owner and trainer after he sustained an injury when trialling at Catford. The trainer and owner have claimed the track was unsafe after the discovery of a number of stones on the sand surface..and that the hare was driven too close to their runner.

Over the past six months a great many owners have asked me to send another contribution to your popular magazine on a variety of topics. It is impossible to respond to all of them at once, so I will try to explain what concerns most of them and what particularly affects those who can't speak for themselves - the cause and prevention of the rising injury rate."

"Much of the concern expressed to me about injuries during last month related to the rounds of the Derby at Wimbledon. On reading a notice in a newspaper inviting letters to the editor I submitted a rational explanation for the avalanche of criticism of the event, which included remarks such as "deadly" and "mickey mouse racing'."

"Prior to 1926 our greyhounds were raced only over straight courses and were admired for their ability to run with the efficiency of the cheetah. When they were raced around turns they became subjected to new stress from centrifugal, rotary and jack-knifing forces, which often exceeded the safe load for the musculo-skeletal system."

"To gallop around the three smaller of the turns illustrated (30M, 40M, 50M)without losing momentum, the greyhound may have to lean at an angle of as little as 30 degrees to overcome the centrifugal force which is pulling it outwards. This force is proportional to speed and weight and it may be sufficiently severe to break any tissue. It is inversely proportional to the radius of the semi-circle. The radius is half the distance between A (the entrance to the turn) and B (the exit). An individual greyhound running around the 60-metre radius first and then around the 30-metre radius at the same speed can be expected to suffer double the centrifugal force on the second run. Since the closure of West Ham, there is not a turn in Britain with a radius of 60 metres. In fact, only at Henlow and Owlerton are there turns with 50-metre radii..........."

"When the sport began here many dogs weighed less than 60lbs and bitches less than 50. They were slower than today's runners and the surfaces were equally slow. The great majority of tracks were designed with radii of less than 40 metres arid some were under 30."

"...........we have opened a number of mini-tracks suitable only for whippet racing and with total disregard for the safety factor. We have since been breeding from the bigger and faster specimens. We now have bitches weighing over 80lbs and dogs more than 100. When I first went to the dogs as a student, there were 'little champions' sound to run for three or four seasons. Now there are dogs running at almost twice that weight and about twenty-five lengths faster. But how long do they last? They may be crippled before they have had ten races. There is no excuse for being ignorant about the carnage. I have done my duty as a vet to advise people about limiting it for forty years.The tragedy is that promoters, bookmakers and the sham body set up to protect their interests, seem more interested in exploiting the trainers and the greyhounds for the maximum financial return than in listening."

Greyhounds: Beattie's resignation shrouded in mystery

What went wrong? That's the big question following the surprise resignation of Oxford Stadium general manager Mark Beattie, writes John Gaisford. In the job for only three months, he tendered his notice on Tuesday, just after returning from a week's holiday.

In a statement, the Greyhound Racing Association said: "The GRA announce the resignation of Oxford general manager Mark Beattie. "Beattie, who joined the company just over three months ago, cited personal reasons for his departure but declined to go into detail.

" GRA managing director Clive Feltham said: "The GM's vacancy will be re-advertised. In the meantime, the capable management team at Oxford will look after the business on a day-to-day basis assisted by group personnel." Beattie, 32, came into the job on the back of wide experience in the bingo industry, while as a greyhound owner he had some knowledge of the sport. He made some changes, increasing prices in the restaurants and bars, and with the seating arrangements throughout the complex.

But there were proposed changes that were not implemented - namely opening up of the outside tote booths and introducing a jackpot bet on the tote. Coming into the job on the back of the Stadium reporting one of its best ever years, it was always going to be tough for any newcomer to maintain or improve figures. Or could it be that he felt undermined when he didn't get the backing of the GRA over a recent disciplinary case? We shall never know, as Beattie has refused to comment.

Fire races through stadium.

Fire badly damaged Oxford Stadium less than an hour before hundreds of punters were due to attend greyhound races, writes Phil Clee. Sixty staff were evacuated after a security manager discovered smoke coming from a roof space on the first floor and raised the alarm.

The first of five city-based fire crews were at the stadium in Sandy Lane, Cowley, within minutes. A few racegoers, who had turned up early for the 7.30pm meeting, joined general manager Mick Hardy and staff outside while more than 40 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus combed the stadium to try to find the root of the fire.

They were joined by the hydraulic platform and rescue tender from the Kidlington fire headquarters, while other crews from Eynsham and Wheatley were put on standby. The density of the smoke from the blaze meant more firefighters were needed to deal with the fire as those involved could only spend a short time in the smoke-logged stadium.

The fire was later found to have started in a fitness area on the ground floor. Acrid smoke was seen belching from the first floor restaurant and air vents, and two firefighters were treated at the scene by paramedics for the effects of smoke inhalation. No-one else was injured. Divisional Officer Martin Crapper and his assistant Nigel Robinson led the search operation during the blaze.

There were reports of a minor explosion which might have damaged part of the roof. The stadium, which has been operation for about 70 years, is also home to the Oxford Cheetahs speedway team. It hosts evening greyhound meetings on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, as well as on Friday afternoons, and recently opened a major extension costing 2m.

Mr Hardy said it was too early to assess the amount of damage caused. He said: "Obviously it will be a couple of days until that is known, but at this stage it looks to be extensive, and probably expensive.

He added that several fans had already arrived at the stadium when the fire started, but the 60 staff quickly evacuated the area.

"It was expected to be quite a busy night, as we usually get about 800 midweek, and more than 1,000 on Saturdays," he added.

Racegoers flee dog track blaze

More than 1,000 people had to be evacuated from Oxford Greyhound Stadium at Cowley after an electrical appliance caught fire.

Last night's fire happened during one of the biggest events of the year as the stadium was running the heats of the £3,500 RD Racing Gold Cup. A microwave oven caught fire in the Trappers Fast Food Bar and only swift action by security worker Shahzab Khan prevented a more serious problem. Firefighters arrived within minutes of the alarms going off and donned breathing equipment to tackle the fire.

Staff and racegoers were forced to wait outside for 70 minutes as firefighters used a special smoke dispenser to clear the stadium. The meeting was eventually concluded 40 minutes behind time. General operations manager Monique Audifferen said: "I can't praise the security staff enough. They acted in a quick thinking and calm manner. "Mr Khan was tackling the fire single-handed with fire extinguishers. He used three in all and was able to put the fire out by the time the fire brigade arrived.

"On hearing the alarm, I made sure it wasn't a false one, then I smelled smoke coming from the fast food bar. "I immediately phoned the stewards' box and, at the same time, saw flames leaping up the wall. I told them that the ground floor had been evacuated and to get everybody out." The stadium was hit by a similar incident two years ago when a fire broke out in a sauna in the gymnasium. The meeting on that occasion was abandoned.

St Leger will not be run again on Guy Fawkes' night

WIMBLEDON has pledged never to run the St Leger final again on Guy Fawkes' Night, writes Jim Cremin. Mike Raper, the GRA's PR director, said yesterday: "Our attendance suffered due to the clash, but there was also concern for the greyhounds given the bangs and flashes from fireworks. In hindsight, the event should have been moved. Yes, it was arranged to fit a Sky slot, but it won't happen again." Wimbledon's parades were curtailed to avoid exposing runners for too long, and racing took place normally.

Corelish Cruiser, a known nervous greyhound, actually ran well in the hurdles race. His part-owner, Dave Lawrence, Sky's producer, said yesterday that he had been more nervous than Corelish Cruiser. "Tommy [Foster] said we shouldn't worry, the outside noise at Wimbledon isn't as bad as at other places - and he was proven right, although the dog seemed a little uneasy going to traps."

Raper says he will discuss more radical plans with his GRA general managers. "My view has always been that if you can't beat them you should join them, and for future November 5ths I'd encourage our tracks to consider foreshortening meetings that night, perhaps run ten races ending at 9pm, and once the greyhounds are safely away, stage a fireworks display."

The Daily Telegraph yesterday described the staging of the meeting as "foolhardy planning." Giles Smith, in the paper's Sport on TV column, wrote: "With the south London sky a diorama of sparkly things going pop, you had to wonder whether even the mechanical hare would be able to induce the dogs to go in the same direction at the same time. "One worried also for the fate of the Sky Sports blimp. . . it was all to easy to imagine a shocking, Graf Zepellin-style conflagration in the night sky, with the man in the back garden turning to his astonished family and saying: `Amazing what you can now get for pounds 4.99'." Smith's tongue was firmly-in-cheek, and his entertaining piece ended: "An evening which had courted disaster turned out to be a hugely pleasurable success and, in the broadest sense, a triumph for sport over politics. Remember, remember the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and Winalot."

It's the breadline for Catford staff

CATFORD has called a halt to the meal tickets administered to kennel staff working for its attached trainers on race nights.

Most major racecourses give such meal tickets as a recognition of the long hours trainers and their staff face and the move, which follows hot on the heels of the GRA track's decision to cancel racenight commentators, is part of an ongoing series of cost cutting exercises at the track. It again brings into question the long-term business security of the site.

Racing manager Derek Hope confirmed the action yesterday, explaining: "The decision has been taken and it's our duty to action it, which we did on Tuesday. Hopefully everyone concerned understands it's all part of working towards a better future for Catford."

Mike Raper, the GRA's public relations director, said: "Catford is, admittedly, going through a very lean spell at present - as are many tracks around the country."The World Cup really hit business hard and it's never really got going since, so sometimes measures have to be taken in the short-term to get things back on track. As a company we need to give Wembley plc the confidence to invest in the long-term future of tracks such as Catford." It is clear that investment will not take place at the track until the freehold lease of the car park - currently owned by Railtrack - is secured and Raper confirmed that an offer is on the table.

The irony of no meals on the table for local kennelstaff will not be lost. However, visiting open race trainers will still receive an allocation of two vouchers.

John Haynes, chairman of the Greyhound Trainers' Association and a BGRB and Fund director, reacted angrily. "Nothing surprises me anymore. All racecourses, including the GRA, used to offer three-course meals for staff. The accountants had already scaled that back. "They say they're not doing so well at Catford, but the GRA is allowed to aggregate Fund resources for improvements at its tracks as and when required, why doesn't it do the same with its profits and look after Catford? "But to be honest, I blame the Catford trainers for letting this happen. They have allowed the track to pick their pockets for forty-quid each a week, when they should be standing firm and saying 'no way'. The meals are part of 'the deal', imagine what'd happen if you told a group of post office workers they'd be getting pounds 40 less a week. They'd fight it."

Owner Bill Catchesides, who has dogs running regularly at both Catford and Wimbledon, many in partnership with Rapid Ranger's owner Ray White, said: "Personally, I think it's disgusting, taking food away from the hardest working people in the industry. "Ray and I are putting up some money to sponsor the forthcoming Paddy Milligan Memorial Puppy Oaks at Wimbledon, but after this I'd be reluctant to agree to any more. It just leaves a sour taste in my mouth."

Jason Foster, one of several Catford trainers based at the Keston kennel complex - sold off by the GRA last year - commented: "It's been hard going at present, with five meetings a week it couldn't really be anything else, and everybody is under pressure. "However, if the trainers did not think that new investment was genuinely around the corner it would be much harder to swallow. With two BAGS meetings every week at Catford it's hard to understand how we're not doing well, but we have to remain optimistic and hope that some money will eventually be spent here, giving everyone a much needed lift."

Raper played down rumours that the GRA was suffering financial woe across the board - fuelled by the news that Wimbledon's recently developed £1.6m Mick The Miller stand will now be closed on Tuesday and the new Thursday nights. He added: "That decision is chiefly a reflection of the current switch of live football on Sky and terrestrial television, which has seen matches switched from Wednesday to Tuesday nights. "Coupled with the recent Tube strikes, this has impacted on Tuesday crowd figures, and it makes sound sense to operate as a one-sided venue for those nights. "That said, however, I don't believe we're feeling the pinch any more than other tracks around the country, and our policies of upgrading and acquisition remain firmly in place."

Decision on pounds 2m refit could be in `matter of weeks'

PLANS that could transform Catford into a modern-day stadium are under serious consideration by the GRA, writes Jim Cremin. The track has faced a torrid spell of criticism since last month's heat-related death of Football Focus, discovered collapsed in a section of kennels later ruled unsatisfactory. But Catford's long-term future has also been uncertain, this once vibrant arena stagnating into apparent terminal decline over the past 20 years.

Each Gold Collar sees fewer people in attendance, long gone is the time when you used to have to park half a mile from the track - or on the way out be met by newspaper sellers waving Sunday's first editions. A key factor in the decline, but also in whether the plans go ahead, is the position of the car park, owned by Railtrack but leased by the GRA. There is no other access to the land, and there are eight years left on the lease. Discussions on the long-term position and a purchase by the GRA seem to have being going on interminably. However, these may now, finally, conclude shortly.

Mike Raper, the GRA's PR director, said on Saturday: "In the early stages the indications were poor, but now they are more positive. It's possible something could even be sorted out within a matter of weeks - then our view of the track will change and we can look at investing properly in it." The exciting prospect involves the current far-side, with a new glass-fronted restaurant catering for between 400 to 650 poeple, and becoming the main side. The winning line and stewards' box would have to be moved round, with the existing main stand becoming the junior ring. Raper said: "We have the plans, but it needs the car park position to be resolved, then it goes to the main Wembley plc board for approval. Were that to be granted, work could under-way by the middle of next year." He is projecting a pounds 2m-plus investment, with the cost of the car park on top. Racing would continue during the work, with next year's Gold Collar the last one from its current start position.

Greyhound fans will be even more interested in proposed spending on new kennels.

General manager Stan Wolfe said: "The architects are coming on Friday to progress this. Favourite at the moment is building these at the fourth bend under the stand where the `junior bar' currently is. The old kennels would then become an exercise area for the greyhounds." Temporary safeguards in the use of the kennels continue, the recent cooler weather has helped.

Wolfe added: "The costs of running Catford are frightening. In the short-term it is a struggle and our task is simply to get through this period. I know it is hard for everyone, but I would not be staying if I didn't see a vision for the future.

"We cannot survive purely on greyhound regulars, it is the restaurant customers who bring in the spend that would justify the proposed project. I believe that if we provide something like this, then the public will respond. The whole demographic population of London is changing, and generally it is on the upgrade with people who have money to spend." Ray White, owner of dual Derby hero Rapid Ranger and a race sponsor on Saturday, was delighted to hear of the proposals.

"Everyone will agree the kennels must come first, if greyhounds are going to be kennelled from 6.30pm through 'til 10pm they deserve good kennels where they can relax.

"Catford has been and always will be my local track. But if I'm bringing guests to have dinner, we usually go to Wimbledon or Walthamstow. But there's an enormous catchment area for Catford, these plans would be the making of both the track and the entire area."

Greyhound racing ends at Wembley After 71 years

Greyhound racing at Wembley Stadium, London, came to an end on December 18th. The Greyhound Racing Association, which promotes greyhound race meetings, said economic factors were to blame. In recent years, attendances for greyhound racing at Wembley have been very poor.

Profits fall for Wimbledon owner GRA

Wembley plc, parent of Wimbledon owners GRA, today released their results for the 12 months to 30 June. Profits at the GRA, who also own tracks at Belle Vue, Portsmouth, Oxford and Hall Green, fell on 2001.

The operating profit achieved in the period by the GRA of £2.0m is 4.8% below the £2.1m achieved in the corresponding period of 2001. Wembley plc attribute this small reduction to trading levels in June, which were severely impacted by the football World Cup held in Japan and Korea.

Wembley have placed the responsibility for the exploitation of the greyhound product rights within the company with the GRA.

The GRA are expected to contract media rights directly with betting providers rather than consumers. The 24dogs service has reduced dramatically in recent weeks and it is hoped that the GRA turn round this business as soon as possible. The latest accounts include a provision for the closure of 24dogs of over £2.0m.

24dogs end live Wimbledon feed

Wembley plc-owned 24dogs has cut Wimbledon from its schedule as part of its "rationalisation" process. Oddly, despite being part of the same Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) group, there is no live audio or pictures from Wimbledon, Oxford, Belle Vue or Catford.

Full details can be found on the 24dogs site. This follows the removal of three members of the editorial team back in May which saw a subsequent reduction in their news and reporting service.