THE promoter of greyhound racing at Ballyskeagh greyhound stadium, Co Antrim, which cost £1.25 million to construct, was given leave to take action against the Irish Coursing Club in the High Court in Dublin yesterday.
Mr Patrick Owens, company director, of Home Farm, North Street, Co Armagh, was given leave to challenge a decision of the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) to fine him £1,500 and to rule that he was in breach of the regulations when he held a race meeting on Saturday, April 6th last.
In an affidavit, Mr Owens said he was a director of NIU Racing Ltd, a company registered in Northern Ireland and the promoter of greyhound racing at Ballyskeagh greyhound stadium, New Grosvenor Park, Lambeg, Co Antrim.
Towards the end of 1992, he informed the ICC through its secretary that the company proposed to develop a new greyhound track at Ballyskeagh and proposed to race twice weekly initially and then four nights a week in the future.
In February 1993, he wrote to the ICC seeking affiliation and was given a list of requirements by it. In October 1993, affiliation was granted subject to completion of works in progress to ICC's satisfaction and Ballyskeagh was allotted two greyhound nights a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
Apart from Ballyskeagh, three other greyhound racing stadiums in the North were affiliated to the ICC. The three had control stewards appointed by the ICC.
Mr Owens said that, despite repeated requests, the ICC had refused to appoint a control steward at Ballyskeagh pursuant to the regulations of the Greyhound Race Track (NI). As a result, there were difficulties complying with the regulations.
A race meeting was held at Ballyskeagh on Saturday, April 6th, as the previous day was Good Friday and Northern Ireland laws banned racing on that day. The ICC said it would not sanction racing on that Saturday.
At the end of April, he learned the ICC had issued a complaint against him.
An inquiry was undertaken by the Northern Ireland sub committee of the ICC and he was fined £1,500 and was held to have been in breach of the regulations and to have failed to comply with a directive of the ICC.