Crayford Faces Shortage of Racing Hounds

Due to a significant shortage of runners, Crayford’s upcoming race meetings have been affected. Entain has announced that they will stick to 10-race cards for the next nine events, running through to Sunday, October 20th. This decision comes after today's meeting was cancelled because there weren't enough dogs to compete.

Racing Manager Danny Rayment explained that ideally, they aim for more than 400 hounds to cover their busy weekly schedule, which includes races on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, they currently have just over 300 dogs available.

Rayment mentioned that while he’s not opposed to five-runner races, especially on their track, the current shortage could lead to races with only three or four competitors, which is not the ideal scenario for PGR, who prefer six-dog fields.

When asked if Crayford plans to bring on more trainers, Rayment said they’ve tried various recruitment methods. "We advertised extensively earlier in the year without success, stopped for a while, then tried again, but there was still no interest," he noted. He also pointed out that the lack of Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening races has made this year’s schedule less appealing to many.