48-590: Hinsdale Greyhound Park was a greyhound racing track in Hinsdale, New Hampshire , United States, that operated from 1958 to 2008. It was originally named Hinsdale Raceway , a horse racing track that began operation in 1958. During its heyday, it drew thousands of spectators from all over New England and even Montreal in Canada. Harness racing prospered at Hinsdale throughout the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, until track management, in an attempt to reduce costs, converted
96-611: A deal with ARC to race every Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning. In 2014, the National Asset Management Agency (who was the parent company of the GRA at the time) sold Belle Vue Stadium for £2.6 million to Crown Oil Pension Fund, but agreed a leaseback to the GRA Acquisition until 2028 at a rent of £249,000 per year. Mutual break options were included in the 15 year tenancy agreement. A similar lease back agreement
144-419: A decline beginning in the early 1960s, after the 1960 UK Betting and Gaming Act permitted off-course cash betting. Sponsorship, limited television coverage, and the later abolition of on-course betting tax have partially offset this decline. Commercial greyhound racing is characterized by several criteria (varying depending on country) and can include legalized gambling, the existence of a regulatory structure,
192-588: A form of windsock) that travels ahead of the greyhounds on a rail until the greyhounds cross the finish line . As with horse racing, greyhound races often allow the public to bet on the outcome . Animal rights and animal welfare groups have been critical of the welfare of greyhounds in the commercial racing industry for many years which has contributed to the reforms of the industries in recent years. A greyhound adoption movement spearheaded by kennel owners has arisen to assist retired racing dogs in finding homes as pets, with an estimated adoption rate of over 95% in
240-649: A greyhound's career will end between the ages of four and six – after the dog can no longer race, or possibly when it is no longer competitive. The best dogs are kept for breeding and there are industry-associated adoption groups and rescue groups that work to obtain retired racing greyhounds and place them as pets. In the United Kingdom, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has introduced measures to locate where racing greyhounds reside after they have retired from racing and as from 2017 records have been available to
288-406: A pre-race veterinary inspection before being allowed to take part in that race. The racing industry (in several countries) actively works to prevent the spread of doping cases. Attempts are being made to recover urine samples from all greyhounds in a race, not just the winners. Greyhounds from which samples cannot be obtained for a certain number of consecutive races are subject to being ruled off
336-454: A successful trial in Scotland. Electric cables were basically sewn into the track by the tractor and a team of workers about eight inches under the turf. They would prove to be useful until the advent of all sand tracks. In 1971 Hall Green Racing Manager Sid Wood moved to Belle Vue and Bob Rowe (son of Leicester Racing Manager John Rowe) filled the position at Hall Green. This was the same year that
384-407: A £10,000 bank loan and shares in the new company rose from their initial value of one shilling to £37–10–00 (the equivalent of £37.50 for an outlay of 5p). Going to the dogs became a national pastime and the GRA became a substantial company. By June 1927, the stadium was attracting almost 70,000 visitors a week. Belle Vue increased the number of runners per race to seven, but after the formation of
432-595: Is a popular industry in Ireland with the majority of tracks falling under the control of Rásaíocht Con Éireann (GRI) which is a commercial semi-state body and reports to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine . The vast majority of greyhounds racing in the UK are imported from Irish breeders (estimated 90%). In the greyhound industry Northern Irish tracks are considered to be in
480-603: The Edinburgh Cup for John Dickenson and Genial Radiance claimed the Oaks for A.G.Hiscock. The Northern 700 was set up as a new race in 1937 joining the Northern Flat as prominent events. It was in 1937 that GRA purchased the land on which the stadium sat bringing the whole operation into their hands. Crowds continued to flock to the race meetings even as war broke out and racing was restricted to daytimes or summer. Billy Butlin sat on
528-597: The General Strike of 1926 looming, the two men scoured the country in an attempt to find others who would join them. Eventually they met Brigadier-General Alfred Critchley , who in turn introduced them to Sir William Gentle JP. Between them they raised £22,000 and formed the Greyhound Racing Association Ltd. When deciding where to situate their new stadium, Manchester was considered to be the ideal place because of its sporting and gambling links. Close to
SECTION 10
#1732851541784576-567: The Gold Collar was hosted by the track following the closure of Catford and a few years later the original classic race the Scurry Gold Cup was brought to the track in an attempt to save the classic race. The Gold Collar and Gorton Cup were discontinued. In 2018, the Oaks was given to Towcester following the decision by GRA to reduce their major race schedule. During the same year the stadium signed
624-578: The Greyhound Racing Association . The Crown Oil Pension Fund bought the stadium in 2014. The stadium had luxury glass-fronted grandstands, restaurants, hospitality boxes and bars. Greyhound racing took place during three evenings including Saturday and some afternoons on the Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS). Speedway was first held at the stadium during 1928 but was not held again until 1 April 1988, when
672-574: The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) in 1928 the maximum number of dogs per race was limited to six. The phenomenal success resulted in an almost instant and dramatic mass build of greyhound stadiums. One early supplier of greyhounds to Belle Vue was Sidney Orton, a Norfolk farmer who sold 17 greyhounds to Belle Vue for £170 in 1927. Orton would eventually turn his attention to training them at Burhill kennels for Wimbledon Stadium . In 1927, Bonzo, handled by Belle Vue trainer Jack Buck,
720-541: The Sunday Times revealed that Belle Vue greyhounds had been sent for research at Liverpool Veterinary School by Charles Pickering. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain Disciplinary Committee found Pickering in breach of nine rules of racing and ordered that he be made a Warned Off person and fined the sum of £5,000. An incident during 2010 raised concerns over injury rates at Belle Vue. As of 2017 all injury data
768-462: The totalisator , first introduced in 1930. Like horse racing , it is popular to bet on the greyhound races as a form of parimutuel betting . Greyhound racing enjoyed its highest United Kingdom attendances just after the Second World War —for example, attendances during 1946 were estimated to be around 75 million based on an annual totalisator turnover of £196,431,430. The industry experienced
816-452: The American 'International Greyhound Racing Association' (or the I.G.R.A.), they launched the Greyhound Racing Association , holding the first British meeting at Manchester 's Belle Vue Stadium . The industry was successful in cities and towns throughout the UK – by the end of 1927, there were forty tracks operating. Middle-class reformers were outraged, and the working-class delighted, with
864-511: The Belle Vue Aces returned to the stadium. The team departed Kirkmanshulme Lane at the end of the 2015 season, prior to moving to the new National Speedway Stadium for the 2016 campaign. The shale speedway track was 285 metres (312 yards) in length. In 1925, Charles A. Munn, an American businessman, made a deal with Smith and Sawyer for the rights to promote greyhound racing in Britain. Although
912-532: The GRA experimented with eight dog racing. In fact the Northern Flat took place as an eight dog competition, the first major event to do so. The 1970s started well when Stan Mitchell was named Greyhound Trainer of the Year . Following the closure of West Ham in 1972, the classic race known as the Cesarewitch was transferred to sister track Belle Vue and GRA Director of Racing Major Percy Brown retired after 40 years in
960-812: The United States, greyhound racing is governed by state or local law, however, as of 2023 only two racetracks in West Virginia continue to operate. Greyhound care is regulated by the American Greyhound Council and the National Greyhound Association . There was one greyhound racing track in Mexico, the Caliente Hipodrome in Tijuana , that hosted races from 1947 to July 14, 2024. There
1008-446: The United States. In the UK, under the GBGB retirement scheme (introduced in 2020) greyhounds are ensured an approved GRS homing centre after racing. In many countries, greyhound racing is purely amateur and solely for enjoyment. In other countries, particularly Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, greyhound racing is similar to horse racing in that it is part of
SECTION 20
#17328515417841056-607: The board of directors in 1947. In 1957, Cyril Beamount's Ballypatrick took the Scottish Greyhound Derby title and during June 1964 Belle Vue won the Greyhound Derby for the first time, Hack Up Chieftain trained by Percy Stagg and owned by S.Donohue had won a minor open at Belle Vue when watched by Brigadier General Critchley a GRA Director. Critchley suggested that the greyhound be offered the 48th and last place in that year's event. Mr W S Mulley became Racing Manager in
1104-763: The category of Irish greyhound racing and the results are published by the GRI. They do not come under the control of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain . Racing in New Zealand is governed by the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) in accordance with the Racing Act 2003. Greyhound racing in Great Britain is regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and accredited by United Kingdom Accreditation Service . In
1152-452: The city centre, the consortium erected the first custom-built greyhound stadium and called it Belle Vue. The name of the stadium came from the nearby Belle Vue Zoological Gardens that had been built in 1836 and the land on which the stadium was to stand had been an area of farmland known as Higher Catsknowl and Lower Catsknowl. The very first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. More than 1,700 people were attracted to
1200-456: The earlier attempt to introduce mechanical racing at Hendon had almost been forgotten, the pastime of coursing was still strong in Britain. The first person Munn contacted was Major L. Lyne Dixson. The Major was a leading figure in British field sports and was quickly won over to the idea presented to him by the American entrepreneur. Finding other supporters proved to rather difficult however. With
1248-553: The early fifties and would eventually be replaced by Arthur Aldridge in 1959 who in turn left to be replaced by Norman Russell in the early sixties. The track was chosen by the NGRC to host the BBC Television Trophy four times from 1961 to 1982. Randy Singleton gained a trainer position taking over from Ralph Hencher in 1959. In 1961, the GRA introduced under track heating systems at Belle Vue, Harringay and White City following
1296-445: The emergence in the late-1920s of Greyhound racing as an entertaining new sport and betting opportunity. At first it seemed modern, glamorous, and American, but the middle class lost interest when working-class audiences took over. The working class appreciated the nearby urban locations of the tracks and the evening times of the meetings. Betting has always been a key ingredient of greyhound racing, both through on-course bookmakers and
1344-534: The facility to year-round greyhound racing in 1985. This was popular too for several years, but competition from casinos in neighboring states slowly eroded the fan base, and the last several years of operation were a financial struggle. In late 2008, the track finally succumbed and ceased operations under a mountain of debt. Five years after closing, the bankruptcy case was still ongoing, with "more than 500 bettors" unable to "access money in their accounts, which totaled an estimated $ 500,000. Additional creditors claimed
1392-535: The gambling industry. Modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing . The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a straight track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon, England , in 1876, but this experiment did not develop. The industry emerged in its recognizable modern form, featuring circular or oval tracks, with the invention of the mechanical, or artificial, hare in 1912 by an American, Owen Patrick Smith. O.P. Smith had altruistic aims for
1440-436: The greyhound racing industry played an important role in the rise of drug-resistant hookworms . Greyhound farms tended to treat greyhounds with dewormers even when the dogs did not have an active infection, thus enabling worms, which are constantly exposed to drugs, to develop immunity against the drugs among the surviving worms. The rise of drug-resistant hookworms poses a threat to pets and humans more generally. Generally,
1488-516: The industry to stop the killing of the jack rabbits and see "greyhound racing as we see horse racing". In 1919, Smith opened the first professional dog-racing track with stands in Emeryville, California . The Emeryville arena was torn down in February 1920 to make way for the construction of a modern racetrack using the mechanical lure, described in the press as the "automatic rabbit." The first race at
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1536-560: The last race being run on 6 June, won by Rockmount Buster (trained by Gary Griffiths). The closure was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic because the stadium initially closed because of the virus and then the planned reopening only lasted one race meeting. Demolition work began in May 2021. Formerly the Northern 700 1937-74 (700 yards), 1975–90 (647 metres) Post-metric Pre-metric In 2008,
1584-400: The meeting where they watched a greyhound called Mistley win over 440 yards (402 m). Six races with seven dogs in each race were held in the first meeting. Fifty years later a stand was named after Mistley, the winner of the first race at 6-1 from trap one. Running the quarter-mile flat course in 25 seconds, Mistley romped home eight lengths clear at 6–1. The first Director of racing
1632-659: The nearby White City track in the Old Trafford area from Canine Sports Ltd. The first major Belle Vue hound was Wild Woolley; the brindle dog had won the Derby with Jack Rimmer in 1932 but switched kennels to join Jimmy Campbell. Belle Vue had 320 heated kennels housing both track's greyhounds and Wild Woolley won the Northern Flat in a world record time and the Laurels the following year before returning to Rimmer. In 1936, Banksell won
1680-621: The new park was on Saturday, May 29, 1920. The oval track and mechanical hare were introduced to Britain, in 1926, by another American, Charles Munn, in association with Major Lyne-Dixson, a Canadian, who was a key figure in coursing. Finding other supporters proved rather difficult, however, and with the General Strike of 1926 looming, the two men scoured the country in an attempt to find others who would join them. Eventually they met Brigadier-General Critchley , who introduced them to Sir William Gentle . Between them they raised £22,000, and like
1728-411: The physical presence of racetracks, whether the host state or subdivision shares in any gambling proceeds, fees charged by host locations, the use of professional racing kennels, the number of dogs participating in races, the existence of an official racing code, and membership in a greyhound racing federation or trade association. The medical care of a racing greyhound is primarily the responsibility of
1776-488: The public. Several organizations, such as British Greyhounds Retired Database, Greyhound Rescue West of England, Birmingham Greyhound Protection, GAGAH, Adopt-a-Greyhound and Greyhound Pets of America, and the Greyhound Trust try to ensure that as many of the dogs as possible are adopted. Some of these groups also advocate better treatment of the dogs while at the track and/or the end of racing for profit. In recent years
1824-584: The racing industry has made significant progress in establishing programs for the adoption of retired racers. In addition to actively cooperating with private adoption groups throughout the country, many race tracks have established their own adoption programs at various tracks. Greyhounds Australasia was formed in 1937 (as the Australian and New Zealand Greyhound Association) and consists of governing bodies in Australian states and New Zealand, which regulate greyhound welfare and living conditions. Greyhound racing
1872-583: The sport. It was in the seventies that Belle Vue underwent a £500,000 facelift, the previously mentioned Mistley stand was built and the track was able to offer a state of the art restaurant and tote facilities. The popular side stand was also renamed the Chieftain stand after their Derby champion. During the Silver Jubilee year of 1977 Balliniska Band trained by Eddie Moore claimed a second Greyhound Derby crown for Belle Vue and owner Raphael Bacci. Norman Porter
1920-472: The track in some countries. Violators are subject to criminal penalties and loss of their racing licenses by state gaming commissions and a permanent ban from the National Greyhound Association . The trainer of the greyhound is at all times the "absolute insurer" of the condition of the animal. The trainer is responsible for any positive test regardless of how the banned substance has entered the greyhound's system. A series of research papers have indicated that
1968-419: The track owned them more than a $ 1 million in total." In 2013, the racetrack was demolished. Greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing ; the latter is now banned in most countries. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually
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2016-406: The trainer while in training. All tracks in the United Kingdom have to have a veterinary surgeon and veterinary room facilities on site during racing. The greyhounds require microchipping, annual vaccinations against distemper , infectious canine hepatitis , parvovirus , leptospirosis , and a vaccination to minimize outbreaks of diseases such as kennel cough . All greyhounds in the UK must pass
2064-480: Was Major-General T Anderson and the first Racing Manager was L.V.Browne. The first trainers included Tom Fear, Bill Brinkley, Jack Harvey, Jack Buck and H Wilson. After the end of that first meeting, the GRA were horrified to find they had made a loss of £50 but as it turned out they clearly had made a good decision because 16,000 turned up the following week. The first three-month racing season saw more than 11,000 racegoers, 37 meetings and 221 races The consortium repaid
2112-457: Was a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester , England, where the first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It has also been used for motorcycle speedway , as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces from 1988 until 2015, and from 1999 until 2019 for stock car racing and banger racing . The track was owned (1926–2014) and operated (1926–2019) by
2160-591: Was agreed in the sale of the Hall Green Stadium with a break clause after five years which was exercised and Hall Green closed in July 2017. In October 2019 GRA Acquisition sold the lease to the Arena Racing Company and just two months later on 19 December housing planning permission was passed resulting in a probable closure in 2020. The imminent closure came following an announcement on 1 August 2020, with
2208-848: Was formerly at greyhound racing track in Vietnam at the Lam Son Stadium in Vung Tau , Vietnam from 2000 to March 2023, but it has since closed. As of 2023, the company that owned the Lam Son track is building a new horse and greyhound race track in Lam Dong province. There was also a greyhound track located in Macau , China at the Canidrome which conducted greyhound racing for about 90 years, but discontinued racing in 2018. Belle Vue Stadium Belle Vue Stadium
2256-790: Was the Racing Manager at Belle Vue in 1983 when the White City track in Manchester closed its doors. Consequently, the Cock O’the North race was switched to Belle Vue but the Manchester Cup, a former Belle Vue event was scrapped. Ian Travis became Racing Manager in 1987 and the Cesarewitch was moved to sister track Catford Stadium . In 1995 but the Laurels arrived from Wimbledon in 1997. In 2004,
2304-620: Was the first winner of the Grand National , known as the Champion Hurdle at the time. In 1930, Belle Vue had an English Greyhound Derby finalist when Dresden trained by Eddie Wright finished fourth to none other than Mick the Miller . Belle Vue introduced the Northern Flat as their first major event in 1927. In 1930, as the sport continued as the nation's leading pastime, the GRA acquired
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