Dunstall Park setting the standards for other tracks, but Milner insists "It's 100% not a Derby Track"

Dunstall Park setting the standards for other tracks, but Milner insists "It's 100% not a Derby Track"

Trainer Phil Milner had a winner on the first night of Open Racing at Dunstall Park on Saturday, but despite a glowing reference from partner Keeley, he insists that it's 100% not a Derby track

Open racing was staged for the first time at Dunstall Park on Saturday ahead of the first competition to be staged at the track this Friday as the heats of the £20,000 to the winner Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks get underway. 

The opinions of trainer Phil Milner are hugely respected in greyhound racing circles, and despite the fact that he had a winner at the track on Saturday, and despite the fact that partner Keeley Cunningham couldn't speak more highly of the track and the facilities, Milner doesn't think that the track is suitable to potentially stage a Greyhound Derby.

“I didn’t go to Dunstall on Saturday, I was too busy getting beaten by Mr Firmager and Mr Janssens at Doncaster on Saturday! But Keeley went and she loved it. She really thought that they were setting the standards for other tracks. She said it’s still a work in progress, but overall it’s really really good”

“Keeley said that It’s a great track and surface, well lit, with warm kennels, very open with lots of space, with good areas to let the dogs empty. It's also tidy with friendly staff in the kennels. Racing Manager Martin Seal or someone from the racing office is always on the end of the phone for any help and email to let her know kenneling times without even asking for it and little things like that are a big help”

“There’s enough spaces for trainers to park, great security, and the tv and clock are a massive bonus. There’s also a nice area for photos and it's very family/kids orientated as you can introduce kids to the greyhounds after the race”

“They are setting the standards high, and staff are enforcing them in a nice way. They have racing jackets for all the greyhounds and good walking out coats. They have white coats for all and as of next week, will have Dunstall logos on them”

However, despite those words from Keeley, Milner himself doesn't believe that the Wolverhampton based circuit is right to host the Greyhound Derby. With the 2026 tenure of the Greyhound Derby up for grabs, it is widely believed that it is expected to be a two horse race between Towcester and Dunstall Park, but Milner was quite clear on his opinions on Dunstall Park.

“In my opinion, it’s 100% not a Derby track"  he said. "I think they’ve missed a trick in the design of the track. I understand why they have done it because if they have similar stats as to what I have worked at, and if this is the reason that they have done it, it’s because Towcester and Sheffield have the lowest fall numbers. Now that could be down to grading, but I suspect at Sheffield, it’s down to a shorter run to the first bend, the shape of the bends and the track pretty much being on the constant turn"

"That’s why they designed things the way they have at Dunstall. I think the reason they have done it is that they would rather have a smaller amount of bumping at lower speed rather than more serious bumping at a higher speed resulting in greyhounds being knocked over, which can result in the long bone type injuries"

"I think they could have possible extended it and installed another set of traps like they have at Doncaster,  Central Park and Hove so that you could have a true Derby distance"

"It sounds a bit contradictory and maybe it’s wrong for me to say that Derby dogs need to have that more of a risk of injury, but as an example, Avongate Venus on Saturday finished second and was beaten by the better dog. Don’t get me wrong, she didn’t lead up and that’s her own fault, but she couldn’t find a way past and I genuinely think it’s going to be one of those tracks where you need to lead early in order to win."

Milner continued “Even something that’s flying home round the final bends, I just can’t see how anything can get by on that home straight as the run in just isn’t long enough. Droopys Kathleen did 27.82 in a trial on normal going and a proper Derby dog tuned up will be doing 27.20’s and that’s not a Derby"

“I just think they’ve made a decision on the track on statistics sat in an office rather than from a racing point of view and a greyhound fan point of view and I’ve said this in meetings with the GBGB. I just think it’s a shame they haven’t found the right balance and worked with both sides.”

“They had a blank canvas, everything says that you literally go online and measure Shelbourne Park and put the Shelbourne track there. That would have been a no-brainer. They have the room, they have the facilities, they could literally have built a replica of Shelbourne Park there. They could have had the equivalent of the 525, 550, 750 yard starts and I just think, as good as the place is, I just think they’ve missed their chance and the opportunity and that’s because they didn’t listen and work with the people on the inside. Shelbourne can be a front runners track when the track in running fast, but when the going is good, it’s a proper test of a dog"

Milner did have a winner on the card on Saturday, as Droopys Glam (below) trapped well and made all the running of a Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks Trial Stakes at 5/1, beating Kevin Hutton’s odds on favourite Signet Nayla by two and a quarter lengths in 28.36 (-10)  over the 480m distance and Milner was happy with her performance

Photo Credit: Steve Nash

“She’s been a great little buy, and when she hits the lids she’s got cracking early as she showed when recording a 2.96 sectional time. The reason why I wanted to go with her is because she’s one of the best bend runners I’ve ever had, she can properly run a bend and Dunstall Park suits her down to the ground as you saw on Saturday night”

“When you look at the circular tracks, you tend to find that the results favour the inside traps. I ran stats a while ago on Sheffield competitions and you had to be a railer over the 500m and I think it’s going to be the same at Dunstall. I mean Glam was ok as she’s a good bend runner, but if something had gone up with her on her inside, she would have been on the back foot and round there, you’re going to have to be one hell of a dog to get by”

Those stats that Milner mentioned certainly have an element of truth behind them. 

Of the 160 races that have taken place around the Wolverhampton circuit, both graded and open racing, 97 of those have been won by the inside three traps, resulting in a win percentage of 60.62%, with traps one and two responsible for 66 of those victories resulting in a win percentage of 41.25% despite the fact that trap one has the second highest number of vacant traps, backing up Milner's thought's that the track could have been designed differently, although, trap six does have the highest number of vacant traps. 

Of course it’s still early days and there is plenty of time for those stats to re-address themselves, but Towcester has a similar issue, albeit there have been over 2600 extra races staged at Towcester

This year has seen Towcester stage 2808 races, with 1698 winners coming from the inside three traps, resulting in win percentage of 60.47%, with 1175 winners coming from traps one and two, resulting in a win percentage of 41.84%, although traps one and two have two of the three least number of vacant traps, so those numbers will of course be higher with traps five and six having by far the highest number of vacant traps,and in the case of trap six, nearly 900 less runs than trap one