Volunteers at Towcester Racecourse will be raising funds for three Greyhound Board of Great Britain homing centres when the StarSports English Greyhound Derby resumes on Saturday.
The world’s most prestigious greyhound racing competition enters its third round at the Northamptonshire venue with an initial 192-strong entry now reduced to just 48 with three weeks remaining until the £175,000 grand final.
Off the track, racegoers have organised a raffle with all proceeds going towards Whittingham Kennels in Waltham Abbey, Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust and Crossing Cottage Greyhound Sanctuary in Newark.
Prizes include £500 of spending money kindly donated by Rose Draper and John Porter, tickets to the Greyhound Derby Final on Saturday, July 1 courtesy of StarSports, plus a selection of bottles of bubbly.
Joining the fundraisers selling tickets will be retired greyhounds Seanie and Jess plus seven-month-old puppy Cyril whose racing career will begin next year with professional trainer Heather Dimmock.
Fundraiser Gail May said: “We’re really grateful to everyone who has donated a selection of fantastic prizes which will help raise important funds to positively impact three excellent rehoming centres.
“A greyhound’s racing career typically ends aged three to five, but the breed has a life expectancy between 12 and 15 years. Myself and others within the sport share a huge passion for finding these loving, friendly and placid characters their forever homes once they have ran their final race.
“The sport has made huge strides with regards to rehoming in recent years through the Greyhound Retirement Scheme and we hope our extra support helps to continue this trend.”
Launched in September 2020, the GBGB’s Greyhound Retirement Scheme (GRS) requires all owners of racing greyhounds to pay a £100 fee (£200 for greyhounds reared in Ireland) which is topped up to £400 by the sport’s governing body before a dog starts racing.
The £400 bond is then used to assist with homing costs should a greyhound not have a pre-arranged home organised when it retires. The scheme has helped the sport successfully increase its retirement rate from 16% at the beginning of the millennium to 94% in 2021.
Tickets for the retired greyhound fundraiser will be available to purchase on the night with the winners announced later in the evening.
The StarSports English Greyhound Derby resumes at 6.20pm at Towcester Racecourse on Saturday, June 10, with tickets available online or on the door.
