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New Sky Greyhound Team Announced
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01-02-2013 11:44pm#1SIS picks quality line-up for new greyhounds coverage
1 February 2013
SIS picks quality line-up for new greyhounds coverage
SIS has unveiled its line-up of talent for Sky Sports’ new look greyhound coverage.
George Irvine, MD, SIS Betting, has been able to secure the services of five commentators and presenters, all with previous experience of the high-profile programme and all steeped in the sport of greyhound racing.
Irvine said: “They’re all multi-talented, versatile broadcasters and all of them will work on the production at some stage. There might be additions to the team along the way, but this is about evolution, not revolution and I’m delighted with this as a starting line-up.”
The team comprises of: Jonathan Hobbs, a leading journalist with the Racing Post; Darrell Williams, a commentator who works with At The Races and SIS; Errol Blyth, who will be familiar to viewers of SIS’ betting shop services; Tony Ennis, also of At The Races and a racecourse commentator; and Gary Wiltshire, king of the punters, who worked in the betting ring for Sky and will fulfil the same role with SIS.
Added Irvine: “The great thing about these guys is that they all love dog racing and all of them were keen to be involved after we stepped in to save the programme. I’m delighted to have them all on board. Jonathan and Gary will probably be the mainstays of the coverage while the others will mix and match as their schedules allow.”
Under the new arrangement, SIS has agreed to use its outside broadcast units to transmit BAGS meetings to both bookmakers and Sky Sports – preserving what is seen as a valuable platform for greyhound racing.
The programming looked doomed after Sky pulled out of producing it, but SIS and BAGS worked closely to put a package together with SIS broadcasting the races live between 7.30 and 9.30pm, with the feature event at 9.15pm.
The first 12 meetings in the new schedule have now been confirmed, with the opening broadcast due to show two high profile races from Wimbledon, the Racing Post Juvenile and Springbok final on March 19.
Next up is the Trainers’ Championship, broadcast from Yarmouth on March 27, then the TV Trophy from Swindon on April 17. Other dates scheduled until July 30 include the William Hill Derby at Wimbledon, the William Hill Festival finals at Sunderland and the Betfred Select Stakes at Nottingham.
Added Irvine: “It’s been a challenge pulling it all together, and our next target is a full dress rehearsal on February 16 at Wimbledon where we’ll get the opportunity to test out everything.”
Barry Faulkner, chief executive of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, said: “It’s been hectic, but thanks to BAGS and SIS, progress has been made in a short time. There’s set to be some great racing in store; it’s a massive fillip for everyone in the sport.”
The Sky dates agreed so far are:
Racing Post Juvenile/Springbok (Sponsor TBC) – Wimbledon , Tuesday , March 19
Trainers’ Championship (TK in discussion with GTA) – Yarmouth , Wednesday, March 27
Gymcrack ( Sponsor probably Betfred ) – Kinsley , Wednesday, April 17
The Arc ( Sponsor probably Ladbrokes Mobile) – Swindon , Wednesday , May 1
Three Steps (Sponsor TBC Probably Coors/Carling) – Sheffield , Tuesday , May 7
Coral Regency (Sponsor Coral ) – Hove , Tuesday, May 14
William Hill Greyhound Derby – 3rd Round , Saturday, June 15
William Hill Greyhound Derby – Quarter Finals, Tuesday , June 18
William Hill Greyhound Derby – Semi Finals, Saturday , June 22
William Hill Greyhound Derby – Final , Saturday , June 29
William Hill UK Festival – Sunderland , Thursday , July 180
Comments
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Can the integrity of the published formbook of SIS/BAGS greyhound racing streamed live from Tralee greyhound racing stadium on Saturday mornings be relied upon to be a true and fair representation of a greyhound's real form when the management at the same track, with the approval of the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB), permit the unrecorded timed trialing of greyhounds between races meetings and between recorded timed trials?0
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Can the integrity of the published formbook of SIS/BAGS greyhound racing streamed live from Tralee greyhound racing stadium on Saturday mornings be relied upon to be a true and fair representation of a greyhound's real form when the management at the same track, with the approval of the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB), permit the unrecorded timed trialing of greyhounds between races meetings and between recorded timed trials?
All Irish tracks have unrecorded trials. Some carried out after recorded trials have finished. The only exception used be Shelbourne Park, but they now have unrecorded trials since Harolds Cross closed. It's a shame, but that's the way it's always been.0 -
the requirement of the dogs to have recent form from the track on the card is required to run on these cards . therefore more Likely to be its true form
Sis are not paying enough that the tracks could stop all unnofficial trials0 -
Deleted User wrote: »All Irish tracks have unrecorded trials. Some carried out after recorded trials have finished. The only exception used be Shelbourne Park, but they now have unrecorded trials since Harolds Cross closed. It's a shame, but that's the way it's always been.
Hi Maryanne84. Many thanks for your reply but, respectfully, I have to correct you on one point if I may... Yes, it is true that all Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) sponsored race tracks now conduct unrecorded trials, but that's NOT the way it's always been.
Our nearest neighboring greyhound racing authority, in England, doesn't allow unrecorded trialing whatsoever at its official race tracks and it is only in the last decade, more or less, that the IGB has opened its official race tracks' doors to the practice of unrecorded trialing. Prior to that, IGB official race tracks allowed only official racing or official trialing.
So, the question is: why did it happen that unofficial trialing came to be allowed at official race tracks in Ireland but the same practice is still disallowed at official race tracks in England?0 -
the Money from them trials has kept a lot of tracks open over the years . it has become a major income source for tracks that hadnt got it .
tthere are not the anount of schooling tracks here to stop doing unnoficials as most of the trials are schooling pups etc0 -
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the requirement of the dogs to have recent form from the track on the card is required to run on these cards . therefore more Likely to be its true form
Sis are not paying enough that the tracks could stop all unnofficial trials
Hi Nowso, thanks for reply.
Re: Integrity of IGB Formbook/Race Card
Yes, it is a requirement that for any dog to be raced its recent form is required to be recorded in its formbook, the idea being that the bettor can make a supposedly informed decision when deciding on what dog to bet and on how much money to bet.
BUT, unfortunately, a dog can be raced, or officially timed trialed, on any particular date and have as many unofficial trials as its owner wishes for up to 3 weeks after that, or until its next race or official timed trial, which ever happens sooner, 3 weeks being the official cut off period whereby a dog has to either be officially raced, or officially requalified for racing purposes by officially recorded timed trial.
This is 3 weeks of potential activity that is not required by IGB to appear on the dog's official IGB formbook. The dog could be unofficially run around a particular track a half dozen times or more in that 3 week period... so if the dog officially races today, spends the next 3 week period doing countless unofficial trials around the same track, and officially races again at the same track on day 21, the first question is: is the form book going to adequately reflect the improvement in performance, or reflect the true form, that is inevitable after that 3 week period of unofficial trialing at that track, barring injury or bad luck? The second question is: If a 3 week old race, or a 3 week old official timed trial, recorded on a dog's formbook is, as you say, likely to be its true form, then why aren't unofficial timed trials allowed at official race tracks in England?
Re: IGB contract with SIS for betting shop television rights to IGB races
You say that "SIS are not paying enough that the tracks could stop all unofficial trials." Lets look at that for a minute. Firstly, how did all the IGB race tracks survive up to about 10 years ago before which no unrecorded trialing was allowed by the IGB at official race tracks? Secondly, assuming you are right and that the IGB official race tracks do need increased financial support to survive... then the question is: why is the new financial windfall for the IGB that is its new contract with SIS (presently worth, I am reliably informed, approximately 10 times to the IGB what it makes from unrecorded trailing) not adequate enough to enable it to exit its relatively recent and questionable foray into the business of unrecorded trialing?0 -
Mike, I've obviously been around a bit longer than you, but I cannot remember a time when unrecorded trials were NOT available at all tracks, bar Shelbourne Park and I'm going back 40 odd years!0
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if you look at a card and the dog has run within the last week 10 days a trial is unlikely and if it has it would be a disadvantage
sis have bought 4 meetings a week
that is races afecting 3 tracks atm - lewin said there loooking to Limerick and Cork again and want to get 2 moew meetings on soon
there are other meetings at them tracks and other tracks that have no sis at all
without schooling / unnofficial trials tracks like longford would be gone years ago
before it was introduced it was the Celtic Tiger Period when totes and tracks were booming and money was thrown at anything
there going to invest more if u stop it as say youghal , they go to curraheen or waterford and youghal loose out
its not that simple to just stop them
when Mullingar stopped them for a few weeks , there were even discussing the option of dropping sis to get them back by the local goba0 -
Hi Maryanne, indeed you are right, I am told that unofficial trialing did always take place at official IGB race tracks... but, until recent years, only in a very limited way, e.g., at a late hour on the same night as, and after, a race meeting would take place. This meant that greyhounds would normally have to be unofficially trialed at private schooling tracks. Now the IGB appears to have its doors open more often for schooling purposes than it does for racing purposes! I agree with you, it is a shame. This new open-door policy of the IGB's is shutting private schooling tracks down. If unofficial trialing is allowed at official IGB race tracks in Ireland why is unofficial trialing not allowed at official race tracks in England?Deleted User wrote: »Mike, I've obviously been around a bit longer than you, but I cannot remember a time when unrecorded trials were NOT available at all tracks, bar Shelbourne Park and I'm going back 40 odd years!0 -
Hi Nowso,if you look at a card and the dog has run within the last week 10 days a trial is unlikely and if it has it would be a disadvantage
sis have bought 4 meetings a week
that is races afecting 3 tracks atm - lewin said there loooking to Limerick and Cork again and want to get 2 moew meetings on soon
there are other meetings at them tracks and other tracks that have no sis at all
without schooling / unnofficial trials tracks like longford would be gone years ago
before it was introduced it was the Celtic Tiger Period when totes and tracks were booming and money was thrown at anything
there going to invest more if u stop it as say youghal , they go to curraheen or waterford and youghal loose out
its not that simple to just stop them
when Mullingar stopped them for a few weeks , there were even discussing the option of dropping sis to get them back by the local goba
The IGB race tracks (which are already sponsored by Irish taxpayers' subsidies) are partnering now with SIS to bring in additional revenues close to a 7 figure sum, or up to 10 times what they make from unrecorded trials, per partnering track. So the question is, why can't the IGB/SIS tracks thrive, let alone survive, going forward without the relatively small proceeds that they get from unrecorded trialing, especially when they were capable of surviving the recession-years solely on those same taxpayers' subsidies and on those same proceeds from unrecorded trialing without the comparatively better money now available from the lucrative SIS contract?0 -
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the meetings on sis+ dont get as much as bags races on the main channel
back on topic here is the sky greyhounds Montage
https://vimeo.com/2472283140
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