Name: Mike Palmer
 
Age: 66
 
Current Position/Interest in the sport: Secretary GOBATA
 
Background in the sport: Founder greyhound editor Racing Post (11 years service), greyhound presenter on SIS for five years and regular appearances on greyhound topics on TV am. Also presented nightly greyhound previews on BBC Radio London for 12 years. Steward at Rye House for several years. Also wrote for the Sporting Life, Greyhound Owner & Breeder and, more recently, produced the Greyhound Monthly magazine. Have owned several dogs, including Ardcollum Hilda, Gold Collar winner, and Ardcollum Flash, favourite for the Derby going into quarter-finals but injured a wrist and that was that! Flash later went to Australia to stand at stud.
 
Local Track: Hove

Favourite Track: Dead-heat: Hove and Nottingham, definitely not Crayford.
 
How did you get involved & how long have you been involved in greyhound racing: 
Went on holiday as a child to Yarmouth and heard dogs barking, went to investigate and discovered Yarmouth Stadium, needless to say the holiday was wrecked, the only sand I saw thereafter was around the bends at Yarmouth; been hooked ever since. Have been involved in the sport in a professional capacity for 35 years.  
 
Favourite dog: Another dead-heat: Myrtown and Dolores Rocket. Myrtown (two Derby finals, sadly no wins) would run through a brick wall! A truly outstanding greyhound. Outstanding also was Dolores Rocket, and she did win a Derby, White City 1971. Dolores was from a litter which included Come On Wonder, who was a notorious villain, disqualified twice for "aggressive interference." However, he really made a name for himself on the flapping scene and at one stage held the two, four and six-bend track records at Rye House (flapping days of course) under the pseudonym of COW and I have wondered ever since if any greyhound has ever boasted such record-holding credentials. The name COW, as if you couldn't guess, was taken from the initials of his studbook name. He and his sister were two of the fastest greyhounds I have ever seen, and they were British-bred!
 
Current dogs owned (if any): Currently out of stock.
 
Best moment in Greyhound Racing: Watching Indian Joe romp home in the Derby final at White City, had him covered at 33-1! 
 
How can greyhound racing be improved and what, in your opinion, are its main problems: 
Much improvement can be made, beginning with a ruling body which is transparent, has a sincere interest in the future of the sport and is prepared to get out there and see for themselves how difficult it is for practitioners to survive, let alone make a living. Such a reality check would highlight further the current difficulties.

Why did you join GOBATA: Like to feel I have something to offer the sport.