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Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 07 Jan 2018 22:26
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Quote from CEO Statement. While there is understandably much frustration after a challenging period, I believe we have solid foundations to rebuild our industry to its full potential. The essential improvements in finances, regulation, welfare and governance enacted in recent years place us in a strong position to develop in the term ahead. Rebuilding public confidence in the areas of regulation and welfare is essential to see attendances grow.
When you read the latest statement from our new CEO its hard to fathom out what route/path they intend taking to restore Integrity and public confidence in greyhound racing, did they not learn anything from the latest Cocaine fiasco? when they knowingly allowed a dog to compete while under the influence of a banned substance, seems not, How can you expect greyhound owners/breeders to continue in this sport and members of the public to attend race meetings when dogs are allowed to run while doped up on banned substances,Example, the latest finding was on the 11th November 2017 when a dog tested positive for Stanazolol the same dog ran again on the 18th November and again on the 30th November the dog was then tested on the 7th December in his kennel and was positive again for stanazolol, the dog failed to win any of those races, this is immaterial as the dog was allowed to run while stanazolol was present in his system, if this dog happened to win any of those races we would have another serious problem. The IGB can ill afford more bad publicity where drugs are concerned, I suggest any more statements released should read. Anyone found to be using banned substances will be banned from racing immediately from the 1st positive for a period of 6 months and questioned after, this has gone on long enough without any sign of a solution, if we are to sit and wait for the new bill to be passed this sport could be gone JMHO.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 11 Jan 2018 20:02
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November Metrics. There are 12 months in the year why publish only November and not the rest, if the board decide to publish their latest so called Metrics on findings why cant they do it from Jan-Dec instead of only doing a portion of the complete Metrics ? If this could be done on a more clearer/complete format that everyone could understand it would be beneficial to all instead of this nonsense.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 11 Jan 2018 20:03
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November Sampling Metrics. There are 12 months in the year why publish only November and not the rest, if the board decide to publish their latest so called Metrics on findings why cant they do it from Jan-Dec instead of only doing a portion of the complete Metrics ? If this could be done on a more clearer/complete format that everyone could understand it would be beneficial to all. EXTERNAL LINK
Susan White United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 148 Dogs 1 / Races 0 12 Jan 2018 11:51
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Every week at most meetings there are two samples taken from a 12 race card you would have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting caught with a positive test
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 12 Jan 2018 21:12
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GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR INDUSTRY GROWTH - GER DOLLARD
Gerard Dollard, IGB CEO has called for partnership among greyhound stakeholders ahead of the National Consultative Forum due to take place next week (Tuesday, 16 January) as the draft Strategic Plan 2018-2022 will be discussed.
Feedback and attendances for the Forum have been positive which Dollard believes highlights the commitment among all groups to the sector. People are taking time off work and travelling at their own expense from all corners of the country which is very much appreciated. Our sector is entering a new phase towards investment.
The IGB and the Forum attendees are fully committed to our industrys future. I have visited many tracks and spoken to different groups, their commitment, passion and positivity must be utilised, added Gerard Dollard.
The draft Strategic Plan has taken account of all submissions received in September 2017 from all industry stakeholders and will focus on investments in supporting high quality dog pools, welfare, marketing, IT and stadia redevelopment. Gerard Dollard concluded The investment has already commenced through the 25% prize money increase, sales staff recruitment and preparatory stages for Shelbourne Parks redevelopment. Now is a golden opportunity for our community
Spending money we do not have, Has the sale of Harolds Cross been finalised and ALL monies paid into IGB bank account? all 25million. IGB have started preparations for the redevelopment of SP before any consultations with stakeholders, another case of we will do it first then talk to the stakeholders, Mr Dollard/board before you go on another spending spree will one of ye go down to Kilkenny and look at what is holding up the concrete fence posts around the track, you can see it from the main road a dirty heavy light blue rope tied to a big sign it looks disgusting, if you cant fix this eyesore at least give the rope a coat of grey paint it will be less noticeable to the public eye. Quote People are taking time off work and travelling at their own expense from all corners of the country,,,,,,good for them.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 12 Jan 2018 22:00
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A good interview from the CEO well worth a listen. No further track closures while this current board are in place, Basically when this board go so will other tracks they cant save them all.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 14 Jan 2018 20:05
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Quote from Kieran Boles. Next weeks National Consultative Forum involves inviting hand-picked stakeholders and is only an exercise to prove to the Ministers that the IGB is in touch with the rank & file of the industry. It is an intangible representation of the old regime that has allowed the greyhound industry drift into the abyss and is considered a charade by the industries grassroots why not call a public meeting similar to Horse & Jockey. It will not bring about the necessary change.
Kieran, This National Consultative Forum is more than Just a charade it is a Farcical charade set up by the IGB and a self appointed chairman how farcical is that. Just to put matters into perspective and to let all stakeholders know what the chairman of the Agricultural Committee told the IGB to set up, The IGB were told to set up a forum consisting of members from the Agricultural Committee, Federation and the IGB, this was never carried out, only for the board to go and set up their own little circle of friends who are not members of any group. The Federation has refused to attend any forums set up by the IGB and chaired by the current IGB chairman. The meeting that took place in the Horse and Jockey was attended by people from all corners of Ireland and they aired their voices and opinions unanimously, If the IGB and CEO are serious about taking this industry forward can I suggest they first start by substantially increasing prize money for ALL graded races this will help the IGB keep the owners that are left for a while longer, it wont entice new blood but it might help save what little we have left. The Drug issue must be sorted out and anyone convicted for serious drug offences shown the door, there is no place in greyhound racing for drug cheats this is a big part of our problems IMO. To go and spend 5-6 million on SP is total madness IMO because if the IGB do not start looking after the stakeholders properly they wont have dogs or owners left to fill a revamped SP or any other track for that matter JMHO.
A very busy week coming up for the IGB with the High court case, HX monies to be paid in full and a very exiting consultative Forum taking place. I hope it all goes according to plan.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 15 Jan 2018 14:11
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Is there any certainty that this deal will ever be finalised or is it a case of count your chickens before they hatch????????????
EXTERNAL LINK Whats the point in discussing plans when there is no money available to carry out those plans???
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 15 Jan 2018 21:50
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According to the CEO we have Integrity in our sport we also have strong and robust regulations in place what we don't have is co-ordination but the lack of it. IGB, our integrity has been flushed down the toilet a long time ago due to this boards failure to DEAL with the drug cheats who have made this sport the laughing stock of greyhound racing world wide, in the past we have seen the use of EPO, Morphine, Cocaine but no one Banned,your regulations Dept has been the centre of attention for years and you need to make changes within this Dept pronto and remove the Deadwood as they are not fit for purpose and cannot be trusted to deliver, you claim to have robust regulations in place if that were true the IGB would not be heading for the high court over 3 Cocaine positives along with other issues, in any other sport in the world if you return a positive for Cocaine you are instantly Banned from further competition, but not in greyhound racing in Ireland you can continue to race. It is time you got your priorities right and start treating the people who supply the Raw material and keep you lot in a Job with respect instead of drip feeding us with stuff that sticks to the sole of your boot while walking our dogs. JMHO.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 16 Jan 2018 19:00
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We are starting of the new 5 year strategic plan with resources behind us, a case of counting your chickens before they hatch. Lack of funding to blame for marketing our product properly, Ah well we will have to wait a while before our product hits the top shelf. The impression out there regards Doping is not backed up by facts, EPO, Morphine, Cocaine, Amphetamines what other facts would you like, If all positives were published the facts would be there,as I said before if we could rely on our regulation Dept we would have all the facts we need JMO. Debt burden/blunder for the IGB, if the board at the time took time to read the legal advice given to them regarding the building of a new limerick stadium we would not have this wreckless debt IMO. There is a lot of fake news out there, there would not be fake news circulating around if the IGB new how to be transparent and kept the stakeholders informed, start taking responsibility for your actions instead of always passing the blame on to the stakeholders.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 18 Jan 2018 17:00
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Quote The negative publicity surrounding doping was also a factor for the lack of attendance and that media and social media was doing unquantifiable damage.
Now that the IGB have established the same understanding as the stakeholders and that negative publicity regarding the use of banned substances on dogs has been a big factor in the decline in attendances and our sport in general. We now require the IGB, Head of Regulation, Head of Governance and Compliance, [if we still have one]to lay down the law and make sure that ALL participants start playing by the rules the same rules that the rest of us adhere to, we all want a level playing field and fair play its not to much to look for. When you remove the cheats you will remove the media and the bad publicity that goes with it IMHO.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 21 Jan 2018 21:15
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Rules And Regulations GBGB The Greyhound Board of Great Britain rules of racing are strictly adhered to but the way that we operate is in a flexible manner - any suggested amendment to the rules is debated and either rejected or implemented for the good of the sport. Any amendments will appear on this site and all members will be informed.
If only our Rules of Racing were strictly adhered to and ALL stakeholders kept informed we could well be in a better situation here in Ireland than we are now, unfortunately our Rules and Regulations are not adhered to by ALL participants and are applied differently depending on who you are, the IGB are the ones who are in charge of overseeing that the rules and regulations are being adhered to by All participants,IMHO they either dont know/understand their own rules and regulations or they dont give a monkeys, [not fit for purpose springs to mind] we should not have to wait for months on end to see changes coming through the Dail to give the IGB more power regarding how they handle Dope cheats, the rules are already there it is only a matter of using them to there full potential, start banning the drug cheats and ask the questions after before its to late. Our Industry has been in decline for some time now and is slowly but surely crumbling before our eyes, tax payers money being wasted through negligence and incompetency and serious Skills Gaps within, We need change and we need it now IMHO.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 22 Jan 2018 17:45
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Quote Mr Justice Donald Binchy granted lawyers for Mr Holland permission to challenge the inquiry on grounds including that Mr Holland has not been told what exactly the case against him is.
We better all hope that the above information is incorrect and that the IGB have done their homework on this specific case and informed the other party exactly what it is he is accused of, no mistakes allowed when you go to a high court if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
The case is to be heard this week so Im told.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 24 Jan 2018 20:16
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Professor Morris hit the nail on the head with his detailed Report on the IGB/industry, has the CEO found time to study the Professors report?, if so he will notice & realize that the Drug issues are a big problem & must be given serious attension before any investments are made IMO , welfare & Regulations have to be stepped up or this industry will not move forward and it certainly wont attract new blood or people through the turnstiles, when you read statements like below it makes you wonder why we are still involved ???
Quote Dollard continued We have to invest and ensure the greatest bang for our buck for the whole industry. The greatest bang for our buck, well we never got a bang for our buck with the sacking of Ms Larkin, and we never got a bang for our buck when the IGB were taken to the cleaners by a leading trainer, keep it up lads and there wont be any bucks to bang IMO. Bang goes another 117,000 Bucks from the industry coffers.
(Edited by Admin)
Chris Houlding United Kingdom (Verified User) Posts 929 Dogs 10 / Races 3 26 Jan 2018 15:23
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I read the article reproduced below and came to the conclusion that trainers outside of Ireland simply don't believe that they will be running on a level playing field. If you think that the conditions are unfair then you would be a mug to enter the race/competition. If Irish racing want to attract star greyhounds from overseas then they need to get proper transparent testing system in place quickly. As Michael Fortune is the mouthpiece of the IGB it seems that they still haven't grasped the extent of the changes they need to make.
If travel broadens the mind where are raiders? BY MICHAEL FORTUNE8AM 22 JAN 2018
I made an early start to writing this column last week, and when Fridays copy of the Racing Post dropped on the desk I saw colleague Richard Forristal had clearly been reading my thoughts in his piece about the inaugural Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown on Saturday and Sunday week.
Entries had closed for it earlier in the week, yet Forristal noted that the assembled greats of the British horseracing world could manage just a total of eight entries for two days of racing which will carry 1.5 million in prize-money.
This is very much a replica of the situation in the greyhound world. Each year a horde of Irish greyhounds make the trip across the Irish Sea for the Derby, while there are regular Irish raids for a number of other British events.
But what do we get in return? A few British entries for the BoyleSports Irish Derby and the odd one for a few others such as the Night of Stars and the 1,025 yards Marathon.
Why the apathy from Britain? It is every bit as difficult for an Irish trainer to travel to a British meeting as vice versa, so its an enduring puzzle. The Irish, though, will continue to travel. There will be a host of Irelands best making the journey to Towcester for trials and returning for the Star Sports Derby, and also a sizeable entry for the Scottish Derby.
Then there are the likes of Paul Hennessy, Peter Cronin and others making raids for the Golden Jacket, the Arc and other early season events.
Yesterday morning I was chatting with the ever-helpful Pat Buckley and during the conversation he mentioned that Borna Gin would hopefully be a leading member of his [British] Derby team, while mooting his other Gold Cup heat winner Pennylane Lucky could be just the type for the Scottish Derby.
He was thinking outside the box and that is how I explain the different planning and campaigns which are mapped out by Irish handlers compared to their British colleagues. They think outside the box.
If we are lucky we will get three or four British-based greyhounds in Dublin for the Derby, but what about the Easter Cup, the 80,000-to-the-winner Kirby Memorial at Limerick, the Irish Oaks, the Champion Stakes, Derby, St Leger, etc?
Come on folks, lets have you in Ireland in numbers for our bigger events. We love to see you coming and will have a warm welcome for you.
It will also be to the betterment of the greyhound industry on both sides of the Irish Sea and we can all do with every boost we can get.
I read the article reproduced below and came to the conclusion that trainers outside of Ireland simply don't believe that they will be running on a level playing field. If you think that the conditions are unfair then you would be a mug to enter the race/competition. If Irish racing want to attract star greyhounds from overseas then they need to get proper transparent testing system in place quickly. As Michael Fortune is the mouthpiece of the IGB it seems that they still haven't grasped the extent of the changes they need to make.
If travel broadens the mind where are raiders? BY MICHAEL FORTUNE8AM 22 JAN 2018
I made an early start to writing this column last week, and when Fridays copy of the Racing Post dropped on the desk I saw colleague Richard Forristal had clearly been reading my thoughts in his piece about the inaugural Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown on Saturday and Sunday week.
Entries had closed for it earlier in the week, yet Forristal noted that the assembled greats of the British horseracing world could manage just a total of eight entries for two days of racing which will carry 1.5 million in prize-money.
This is very much a replica of the situation in the greyhound world. Each year a horde of Irish greyhounds make the trip across the Irish Sea for the Derby, while there are regular Irish raids for a number of other British events.
But what do we get in return? A few British entries for the BoyleSports Irish Derby and the odd one for a few others such as the Night of Stars and the 1,025 yards Marathon.
Why the apathy from Britain? It is every bit as difficult for an Irish trainer to travel to a British meeting as vice versa, so its an enduring puzzle. The Irish, though, will continue to travel. There will be a host of Irelands best making the journey to Towcester for trials and returning for the Star Sports Derby, and also a sizeable entry for the Scottish Derby.
Then there are the likes of Paul Hennessy, Peter Cronin and others making raids for the Golden Jacket, the Arc and other early season events.
Yesterday morning I was chatting with the ever-helpful Pat Buckley and during the conversation he mentioned that Borna Gin would hopefully be a leading member of his [British] Derby team, while mooting his other Gold Cup heat winner Pennylane Lucky could be just the type for the Scottish Derby.
He was thinking outside the box and that is how I explain the different planning and campaigns which are mapped out by Irish handlers compared to their British colleagues. They think outside the box.
If we are lucky we will get three or four British-based greyhounds in Dublin for the Derby, but what about the Easter Cup, the 80,000-to-the-winner Kirby Memorial at Limerick, the Irish Oaks, the Champion Stakes, Derby, St Leger, etc?
Come on folks, lets have you in Ireland in numbers for our bigger events. We love to see you coming and will have a warm welcome for you.
It will also be to the betterment of the greyhound industry on both sides of the Irish Sea and we can all do with every boost we can get.
English trainers and owners race in competitions were if a dog is tested up to final and has a positive it ain't allowed run in next round We have competitions were u can be positive in every round including final and the next sweepstake after and be nominated for dog of the year.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 27 Jan 2018 14:25
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gerard costello wrote:
chris houlding wrote:
I read the article reproduced below and came to the conclusion that trainers outside of Ireland simply don't believe that they will be running on a level playing field. If you think that the conditions are unfair then you would be a mug to enter the race/competition. If Irish racing want to attract star greyhounds from overseas then they need to get proper transparent testing system in place quickly. As Michael Fortune is the mouthpiece of the IGB it seems that they still haven't grasped the extent of the changes they need to make.
If travel broadens the mind where are raiders? BY MICHAEL FORTUNE8AM 22 JAN 2018
I made an early start to writing this column last week, and when Fridays copy of the Racing Post dropped on the desk I saw colleague Richard Forristal had clearly been reading my thoughts in his piece about the inaugural Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown on Saturday and Sunday week.
Entries had closed for it earlier in the week, yet Forristal noted that the assembled greats of the British horseracing world could manage just a total of eight entries for two days of racing which will carry 1.5 million in prize-money.
This is very much a replica of the situation in the greyhound world. Each year a horde of Irish greyhounds make the trip across the Irish Sea for the Derby, while there are regular Irish raids for a number of other British events.
But what do we get in return? A few British entries for the BoyleSports Irish Derby and the odd one for a few others such as the Night of Stars and the 1,025 yards Marathon.
Why the apathy from Britain? It is every bit as difficult for an Irish trainer to travel to a British meeting as vice versa, so its an enduring puzzle. The Irish, though, will continue to travel. There will be a host of Irelands best making the journey to Towcester for trials and returning for the Star Sports Derby, and also a sizeable entry for the Scottish Derby.
Then there are the likes of Paul Hennessy, Peter Cronin and others making raids for the Golden Jacket, the Arc and other early season events.
Yesterday morning I was chatting with the ever-helpful Pat Buckley and during the conversation he mentioned that Borna Gin would hopefully be a leading member of his [British] Derby team, while mooting his other Gold Cup heat winner Pennylane Lucky could be just the type for the Scottish Derby.
He was thinking outside the box and that is how I explain the different planning and campaigns which are mapped out by Irish handlers compared to their British colleagues. They think outside the box.
If we are lucky we will get three or four British-based greyhounds in Dublin for the Derby, but what about the Easter Cup, the 80,000-to-the-winner Kirby Memorial at Limerick, the Irish Oaks, the Champion Stakes, Derby, St Leger, etc?
Come on folks, lets have you in Ireland in numbers for our bigger events. We love to see you coming and will have a warm welcome for you.
It will also be to the betterment of the greyhound industry on both sides of the Irish Sea and we can all do with every boost we can get.
English trainers and owners race in competitions were if a dog is tested up to final and has a positive it ain't allowed run in next round We have competitions were u can be positive in every round including final and the next sweepstake after and be nominated for dog of the year.
I couldn't help but notice on one of those live interviews lately where one woman was astonished that a convicted DRUG CHEAT was handed a special award, a complete Joke she said and how right she is this whole game is rotten to the core JMHO.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 29 Jan 2018 08:49
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National Consultative Forum Using the word National as the heading for the Consultative Forum would lead one to believe that it represents the whole Industry and not Just the 25 hand picked persons who attended the latest meeting, there has been a wide majority of greyhound owners & breeders who have attended this forum since its initial launch but they have all refused to have any more involvement labeling it as a farcical set up, as i pointed out before the chairman of the Agricultural committee at that time asked the IGB to go and set up a forum consisting of members from the Agricultural Department,the federation and the IGB, this is a prime example that they listen to no one and do their own thing , its their way or no way, So until such time the IGB start following proper procedures and doing as they have been instructed by the Department of Agriculture your current forum will never be National, you dont even publish the details of what took place at any of those forums, your a complete joke and disgrace to our industry about time you started doing things by the book or dont do them at all JMHO.
Dave Cunningham Ireland (Verified User) Posts 2081 Dogs 0 / Races 0 31 Jan 2018 21:03
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A lot of talk about the traces of Cocaine found were minuscule, will this lead to more thresholds being put in place lets hope that we never see a threshold for Cocaine in the greyhound industry but saying that they stuck one in for Morphine.
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