THE GBGB’S new rule of sampling all new dogs when presented for registration at tracks is not going as smoothly as was anticipated by the ruling body.

The rule came in to affect on Monday last week and certain track staff have expressed concerns over the extra workload.

And so it proved the other day for one trainer who subsequently contacted GOBATA. “I took the dog along to my local track for micro-chipping and sampling but was told by the track that they had a shortage of staff and couldn’t oblige with the sampling,” he said.

“Now I’ll have to wait another week to get that done, which will mean that the dog’s owners will have to wait that much longer before it can have his first race. The new rule is a sound one but what’s the point if tracks don’t have the staff to oversee it?”

GREYHOUND racing will have a new drug-testing body when LGC Ltd (Laboratory of Government Chemist) replaces the services of the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory (HFL) at Newmarket on October 1.

The HFL have been responsible for the forensic research of greyhound samples for nearly 20 years but the GBGB invited tenders from other agencies and, having received “four excellent tenders” said GBGB chief executive, Barry Faulkner, decided on LGC Ltd.