Track
Racing
Greyhound racing has become one of the most popular spectator sports
in America. Attendance at tracks was nearly 3.5 million in 1992. The over
50 tracks in America ran a total of 16,827 performances in 1992, over
which fans wagered almost 3.5 billion dollars. The largest track was Gulf
Greyhound Park near Houston, with an average attendance of 5,000 for
each
of its 467 performances in 1992.
For the first year of their lives greyhound puppies live together with
their litter mates and are handled frequently by the breeders and other
staff
associated with the breeding "farm," but they are not exposed to other
breeds of dogs. As a result, they often do better with unknown people than
with other breeds of dog. They are given a lot of exercise in large pens
that
allow them to run at full speed. Training starts at about 8 wks of age, as
they
race each other in runs that are 250-300 ft long. They are placed in
individual crates in the kennel between 4-18 months of age, where they
spend most of their time between exercise periods and training. The crate
becomes the dog's refuge from other dogs. At 6 months of age their
training
starts in earnest.
Training with the drag lure begins around 10 to 12 months of age. A
mechanical device drags an artificial lure along the ground so the puppy
can
see it and pursue it. By age 18 months, their training usually is over and
they
are sent to the track. They are given six chances to finish in the top four
in
their maiden race. If they do not, they are retired--put up for adoption or
euthanized. The best runners go to the most competitive tracks.
Nearly all US racetracks are quarter-mile ovals. Eight to twelve dogs
compete per heat, with 13 heats a day the norm. Races range from 5/16ths
to 7/16ths of a mile and last about 30 seconds. Earth Call holds
the world record for the 5/16ths-mile course with a time of 29.59
seconds,
while P's Rambling has the 3/8ths-mile record at 36.43 seconds. The Agua
Caliente racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico, from which many of our greyhounds
come, runs 13 races every night and matinee performances on weekends.
The races are 5/16ths and 7/16ths of a mile. The dogs are weighed two
hours prior to running and are examined by a veterinarian and a paddock
judge. They are next blanketed and muzzled, and taken onto the track for
the pre-race parade. At race time the greyhounds are put in the starting
box,
the artificial lure comes around the track, and the box opens. Drug testing
is
conducted after each race.
Each state has its own rules regarding the grading system. The most
common grades are A, B, C, D, E, J, and M. Most states also have S for stake
races and T for races with mixed grades. Some tracks, such as Wonderland,
Gulf, and Lincoln, have a top grade of AA. Some tracks also have a Grade
BB.
Agua Caliente also races grades D and E.
The Racing Secretary may reclassify a greyhound at any time, but not
more than one grade higher or lower. Generally if a greyhound fails to
finish
first, second or third, in three consecutive starts (except in Grade E or M),
or fails to earn more than one third in four consecutive starts in the same
grade, that greyhound will be lowered one grade. Greyhounds in lower
grades are given more opportunities to race in the money before being
ruled
off. A greyhound doesn't have to win in order to stay active. For example, a
greyhound named Jamie's Simoneyes ran 170 races with no wins.
Most racetracks in America have a kennel compound which houses the
approximately 1,000 greyhounds needed to operate the track. Each track
has a list of 16-20 kennels which may operate there. Greyhounds must be
leased to one of those kennels by their owners in order to run at that
track.
Normally the kennel owner takes 65 percent and the dog owner 35 percent
of the greyhound's earnings.
In the past, greyhounds were moved from track to track as various
racing seasons ended. Year-round racing now keeps many dogs in one
geographical area. A consistent racer may spend its entire career at only
one
or two tracks. However, dogs whose performance improves or declines
still
may be moved to higher or lower-graded tracks.
The greyhound Hall of Fame in Abilene, Kansas, sponsored by the US
racing industry's National Greyhound Association, features famous
American
racing Greyhounds. The most important race in the US is the Greyhound
Race of Champions, sponsored by the American Greyhound Track Operators
Association. Held since 1982, it attracts the top greyhounds in the nation.
Other top stakes are the Wonderland Derby near Boston, the Sunflower
Stake at the Woodlands in Kansas City, and the American Derby at Lincoln,
Rhode Island. Since 1970, the Irish-American Classic has matched the
best
Irish greyhounds against the best of the US.
Greyhound racing has hit hard times in the late twentieth century. In
Britian, its popularity declined in the 60s. Many tracks closed in the 70s
and
80s, and the industry has experienced ups and downs in the 90s. In
America, greyhound racing flourished in the 80s but has lost popularity in
the 90s, due in part to the rising popularity of other forms of gambling. A
number of smaller tracks have closed their doors in the 90s. It still is the
sixth largest spectator sport in the nation, even outdrawing attendance at
National Basketball Association games.
Sources:
Image credits:
"American Courser": This graphic is used by permission of John Haisell
Back to 18th and 19th Century History
Around 1912, Owen Patrick Smith
invented
the mechanical lure (in use, right). He opened the first greyhound track
(circular in shape)
in Emeryville, California. Six years later he owned 25 tracks around the
nation, including ones in Florida, Montana, and Oregon. Florida became the
US capital of the sport after dog racing was introduced there in 1922. The
first track race in England opened in 1926. Greyhound racing became very
popular with the working classes in America and Britian. Before long it
spread to Ireland and Australia as well.
The Racing
Secretary is responsible for the proper grading of the
greyhounds under the provisions outlined by the state. Before the opening
of
the race meet, the Racing Secretary, after schooling all greyhounds, and
considering their past performance, assigns the greyhounds to a proper
grade. As a greyhound wins a race it advances one grade until reaching A.
The winner of a M (maiden) race advances to Grade D or in some states
Grade J (new, non-maiden dogs).
American
Coursing
Competitive coursing is an
amateur sport in the United States today.
The
greyhounds compete for honors, not money. No gambling takes place. Due to
concerns over humane treatment of hares, live hares have been replaced by
artificial drag lures. The course is typically 800
yards long. A white plastic bag is attached to a thin line strung along a
series
of pulleys in the ground. A motor winds up the line, causing the bag to
mimic the movements of a hare. As the image to the left
indicates, the greyhound's front legs are usually wrapped to prevent cuts
from the line. A major event for coursers is the annual National Open Field
Coursing Association competition.
Julia Barnes, ed., The Complete Book of Greyhounds, New
York: Howell Book House, 1994.
Cynthia Brannigan, Adopting the Racing Greyhound, New York:
Howell Book House, 1992.
D. Caroline Coile, Greyhounds: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual,
New York: Barron's, 1996.
"Lure Coursing" and "Mechanical Lure":
These graphics are copyrighted
by A Breed
Apart online magazine, edited by Bruce Skinner. They appear in "Born to The Purple? A
Heritage of Greyhounds" by Laurel E. Drew. Reproduced by permission.
On to the history of the greyhound
adoption movement