WESTMEAD GURU, the dog they couldn't hold down at Romford recently when racing manager Peter O'Dowd refused trainer Kelly Findlay permission to tether the excitable hound in the racing kennels, came out for his race in a heat of the Blue Riband at Hall Green on Friday "as cool as a cucumber." 

Rob Coulthard, racing manager at the Birmingham track, had given Findlay prior permission to tether the dog in the knowledge that Romford had refused to do so. "And there were no problems whatsoever," said the trainer, "the paddock stewards were absolutely fine, as was everything else, just as it should be.

"I checked up on Guru during the meeting and he was laying there in his kennel quite calm and when I got him out for the race he was still the same, placid and ready to go to work. He wasn't sweating, as he normally does when he’s not tethered, and he ran a good race to finish second after leading almost to the line."

The GBGB have stated that they will discuss the matter of tethering at their next welfare meeting. So possibly not the end of Kelly's tether!

THE issue of pre-race kennelling requirements has been highlighted yet again by trainer Kelly Findlay, who was recently refused permission by Romford to tether her Henlow Derby winner, Westmead Guru, a notoriously bad kenneller, in the racing kennels. 

However, Maidstone-based Miss Findlay has been granted permission to do so at other tracks, among them Hall Green, where the dog will contest next week’s heats of the Blue Riband.

That individual tracks are making their own decisions on tethering, and other matters regarding the dos and don’ts of kennelling requirements, is unacceptable and a poor reflection on the rule-makers, the GBGB.