ARC suspends “uneconomical” racing at Belle Vue

UK racecourse operator the Arena Racing Company (ARC) has temporarily suspended greyhound racing events at Belle Vue, saying that it is “simply uneconomical” to operate fixtures at the stadium at present.

Greyhound racing returned to Belle Vue on 3 June, after all meetings had been suspended since 23 March, when the UK entered lockdown as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Racing is currently only permitted behind closed doors, per guidelines set out by both the UK government and the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.

Rachel Corden, greyhound operations director at Belle Vue, said that due to the size of the venue and the fact that spectators are not allowed to attend races at present, this means hosting meetings at the venue is not financially viable.

“The suspension of greyhound racing throughout the national period of lockdown has had a significant impact on many businesses involved in greyhound racing, as it has across all sports,” Corden said. 

“Whilst we are pleased to be back racing behind closed doors, having reassessed the short-term financial requirements, it is simply uneconomical to operate fixtures at Belle Vue at this time.

“We know how much local and national support there is for racing to continue at Belle Vue but, as a large site that relies heavily on the leisure crowd and without footfall it is just not viable to operate at this time.”

The decision to halt all greyhound racing at Belle Vue will be reassessed at the end of August. In the mean time, all existing Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS) fixtures at the venue will move to sister tracks in the ARC group.

“We will be continuing to support those greyhounds, trainers and owners attached to Belle Vue with a similar support package that we have operated during the last ten weeks until we reassess the situation,” Corden said.

Horse racing also returned in the UK on 1 June, but all meetings must take place behind closed doors until further notice.