• Greyhound Racing Tracks By State
• Greyhound Racing Tracks

The noble greyhound - a brief history.

Greyhounds were first introduced to America in the 18th century to help farmers control the jackrabbit population. As time went by, the farmers started to conduct some form of competitive greyhound racing which evolved into the greyhound track racing as we know it today.

The origin of the greyhound is quite old, possibly dating back thousands of years. The Pharaohs rated them first among all animals as both pets and hunters. Images of the early greyhound can be seen etched on walls of ancient Egyptian tombs. In Arabian culture at that time, the birth of a greyhound ranked nearly as high as the birth of a son. In Persia, Rome and Greece, the greyhound enjoyed similar standing.

Greyhound racing in England was first established for the English nobility and could not be enjoyed by other citizens. In 1014 King Canute of England enacted the Forest Laws, which stated that only noblemen could own and hunt with greyhounds.

Greyhound racing was a vibrant and vital part of local and state economies, wherever it existed. The revenues it generated for the towns and states were easy to assess, and required a minimum of investment. It became part of the local lore and culture. A greyhound professional was a respected and valued member of the community. How greyhounds race is highly dependent on the surface of the track. As the track is always outside, the weather conditions can affect the make up of the race, and how fast greyhounds will run. All greyhound tracks in the UK use a sand surface now, although before they used a grass track.

The elegance and beauty of this most noble animal is a sight to behold. Additionally, at the end of their racing career the greyhounds easily adapt to the life of a loving pet and have become the pet of choice among an increasing number of pet lovers.

Greyhound Racing Tracks By State

Greyhound track racing dates back to 1919 when Owen Patrick Smith promoted the first major race meeting in California. O.P. Smith's idea of the mechanical lure started way before 1919, and it was up until then that he tried different lures to perfect it.

O. P. Smith, invented the revolutionary mechanical lure that could travel around a circular track that made dog racing possible. His research into forcing the dogs round a track hit on the idea of getting them to chase a rabbit. His experiments included dragging a stuffed one around a track behind a motorcycle. He is considered the 'Father' of American greyhound racing.

O.P. Smith is not only the 'Father' of American Greyhound Racing but the 'Founder and Inventor of Modern Greyhound Racing'. It was O.P. that hired C. Munn to go to England and Ireland with his patents to start up Modern Racing there too. Also, O.P. was working on the mechanical lure as early as 1906, but everyone refers to the 1919 date of Emeryville. But before that he had tracks in Arizona, Texas and New Orleans, then to California, where it took off and gained its early fame. (This information has been kindly provided by Tim O'Brien, theGreat Grandson of Owen Patrick Smith.)

The sport did not reach British shores until 1926 when Manchester's purpose-built track first held a meeting on 24th July. It was such a success that more race tracks were built around the country and today Greyhound racing is a major sport event in the UK.

Betting rules: (How to bet, types of bets.)

The main object of betting on greyhounds is to beat the 'Oddsmakers' or the 'Odds Compilers' and win some money. Additionally, placing a bet on your favorite event makes the race exciting and more enjoyable.

Betting is done through Sports books or Sportsbooks (US) or Bookmakers (UK) entities that accept bets. You can bet on the outcome of greyhound races and several sporting events.

To place a bet, you go to a sportsbook, physical or online. You could also bet over the phone with many sportsbooks. Note that a sportsbook is not the same as an oddsmaker. The sports book simply accepts sports bets. An oddsmaker is a person who sets the betting odds.

You need to state what you are betting on by making a selection, the type of bet and the amount you are wagering. Your selection will obviously depend on the odds offered, so you will want to examine the range of odds available before you make a decision.

There are many types of bets you can place. Some sportsbooks may offer more betting varieties and combinations than others. Below is a list of the more common types of bets used in greyhounds racing. Different countries may use different terms for how to bet and also for the types of bets.

Type of bets

Straight bet or Single or Win bet. This is the simplest and most common bet. You bet on a winner at given odds. You collect only if your chosen greyhound is the first across the finish line.

Place. A wager for place means you collect if your selected greyhound finishes either first or second.

Show. The third greyhound across the finish line. A wager to show means you collect if your selected greyhound finishes either first, second or third.

Across The Board. You make three individual bets on one dog to Win, Place, and Show. If your selection wins, you collect on all three bets. If your selection runs second, you collect on Place and Show bets. If your selection runs third, you collect the Show bet. Your total wager will be three times the individual bet. For example; a $2 'Across The Board' bet would cost $6.

Combination Bet. Combinations cover from two to four greyhounds to win in chosen order. (see following bets).

Quiniela or Reverse Forecast (UK). A bet placed on two greyhounds to finish first and second in either order.

Perfecta or Exacta or Straight Forecast (UK). A bet placed on two greyhounds but they must cross the finish line in exact chosen order.

Trifecta or Tricast or Treble Forecast (UK). A bet placed on three greyhounds to cross the finish line in exact chosen order.

Superfecta. A bet placed on four greyhounds to cross the finish line in exact chosen order.

Twin Trifecta. A multiple pool bet. Two trifecta selections in two races. You select the winning Trifecta combination in one race and exchange that ticket for a second Trifecta in the following race. One-half of the net Twin Trifecta pool will be paid equally to winners of the first half when those tickets are presented to be exchanged. The remaining half of the pool, along with any carry over will be to winners of the second half. If no one selects the second half correctly, the pool is carried over to the next racing performance.

Tri-Super. Similar to the Twin Trifecta. You select the winning Trifecta combination in one race and exchange that ticket for a Superfecta in the following race.

Titanic Tri-Super This operates the same as the Tri-Super, except you must correctly select the Trifecta combination in the 5th Race and the Superfecta in the 7th Race.

Daily Double. Similar to an accumulator you select the winners of the first and second races on that day. You must place your bet before the start of the first race.

Jackpot. Pick six winners in six races to share in a Jackpot prize. The rules and prizes will vary from race track to race track.

Parlay or Accumulator. A multiple bet. A kind of 'let-it-ride' bet. Making simultaneous selections on two or more races with the intent of pressing the winnings of the first win on the bet of the following race selected, and so on. All the selections made must win for you to win the parlay. If a race is a tie, postponed or cancelled, your parlay is automatically reduced by one selection; a double parlay becomes a straight bet, a triple parlay becomes a double. A parlay bet can yield huge dividends if won.

Pick 3. Picking the winners of three consecutive races.

Pick 6. Picking the winners of six consecutive races.

Note: Different countries and different race tracks may have different rules, use different terms for how to bet and also for the types of bets. If unsure, ask the sportsbook or bookmaker when placing a bet.

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by Dennis McKeon

There seems to be more than a bit of confusion among the readership as to how the business of greyhound racing works, and how it evolved—or if you prefer, “de-volved”, to its current state, and what can be done about that little bugaboo.

While I’m sure there are others here who might do a better job of explaining this, I figured I might start the lure rolling. I hope to present here, a very rough outline of how things have come to pass, just so no one will be entirely in the dark. I’m certain I’ll manage to piss off someone from every faction involved. Tough.

There is a lot truth to the old saying that the greyhound is “the poor man’s racehorse”. That is still true today, though certainly not as alluring a prospect as it was some 50-70 years ago.

For our purposes, we’ll discuss ”modern” greyhound racing, and skip the days of the gypsy racetracks.

Florida and Massachusetts were the centers of racing east of the Mississippi, when Joseph Linsey decided to offer “big money” to greyhound owners, in the form of his then unprecedented $25K American Greyhound Derby, first run at Taunton, MA, in 1949.

This single race, more than any one individual or event, revolutionized greyhound racing, and brought it into the mainstream, in localities where greyhound racing was offered, and even, occasionally, to national attention. Never had anyone heard of such money being offered for winning a dog race. It was utterly preposterous. And so the media, as they are wont to do in their abject perversity, paid some attention.

Other tracks soon jumped on board with Mr. Linsey and Taunton, and offered similar purses for “derby” races of their own. Pretty soon, greyhound racing had achieved a respectable level of credibility. The tracks and the states were making money, and local breeding colonies began to spring up, and business networks around them were developed. Things were on the upswing.

At that time, racing was seasonal, and where there was a concentration of tracks in a relatively small area, racing dates were granted so as not to conflict. Greyhound racing kennels worked a “circuit”, and there was great demand for their “racing product”. As there was no racing in New England during the winter, kennels from the north made like “snowbirds”, or spelled their greyhounds for the winter.

Almost everyone in a given locality knew someone who either raced greyhounds, raised greyhounds, trained greyhounds, or worked at the track in some capacity. Greyhound racing was a vibrant and vital part of local and state economies, wherever it existed. The revenues it generated for the towns and states were easy to assess, and required a minimum of investment. It became part of the local lore and culture. A greyhound professional was a respected and valued member of the community.

In those days, if you had the land, the skills and some luck, and if you did not run afoul of the powers that be, you could make yourself a nice little living raising and racing a few litters a year.

Because racing was seasonal, it was well received and attended wherever it re-opened. There were no matinee races, and Sundays were dark.

Racing had done well. So well in fact, that in the 1970s, the states wanted more and more of it. They wanted to increase racing dates, to add matinees, and here in NE, they wanted to begin racing year round.

There was mixed reaction to this among greyhound professionals. Generally, those larger entities were open to expansion, and smaller operators, not so much.

Then, in 1975, over a dispute as to the percentage of the pari-mutual handle that was to be allotted to the kennels in Florida, a strike took place, affecting tracks in Florida and Massachusetts. It was a disaster for all parties. It disrupted racing and racing revenues, and it fractured the racing community, as strikebreakers were brought in to take the place of striking kennels.

Greyhound Racing Tracks

When all the dust settled, greyhound racing then embarked upon an unprecedented expansion. To punish strikers and to reinforce the idea that this must never happen again, strikebreakers were, in some instances, granted racing privileges at some venues where they had not raced prior to the strike. While the strikers were, for the most part “forgiven”, things would never be quite the same again.

Now, where there weren’t before, there would be contracts signed between the kennels and the tracks, insuring a steady supply of greyhounds, as well as complete, unquestioning obedience to whatever the tracks or the states might decree. If you didn’t like that, they’d be more than happy to hand you your papers, send you on your way to whichever greener pasture you had in mind, and/or see you in court.

Now, an unfortunate result of all this miraculous expansion, was that the smaller, local breeder was being squeezed out of the equation. As racing dates and performances increased, by as much as 50%, the value of each greyhound race began to decrease, inversely. This was acceptable to the larger racing and breeding operations, who had the resources to cope with a racing format that had now become a “numbers game”. The more starts you could get, the more money you could make. As long as you had an endless daisy chain of greyhounds, turned them out, fed them and wormed them, you could rake. However, in any given locality, the entertainment dollar of the public is finite, as racing would soon learn.

The guy or gal who raised 20 greyhounds a year, to keep a string of 10-15 active racers, was now at a distinct disadvantage. Not only were the purses now significantly reduced, but so was the value of each of their greyhounds. Whereas in bygone days they could get by with winning a grade A race and a couple of grade B or C races every week or so, and running “in the money” half of the time, they now needed more—quite a bit more. And no longer were locals “automatically” allowed to race under their own “brand”. Unless they had a “booking” and a contract, they would be forced to lease their greyhounds to someone who did. Which meant that they’d see only about half of the return on investment they might have otherwise. There were no “right to race” laws in MA or FL, so many of these smaller breeders just threw out the anchor, rather than expand beyond their capacities and comfort zones.

As a result, local breeding and racing communities and concerns, and the business networks they had developed, began to disappear. So too, did their political influence. Many of the larger kennels were not from the states where they raced, and the local and state politicians were not directly answerable to them.

So racing had essentially evolved into a competition of who could get the most starts at the best “bookings”, rather than who had the skills to compete with a limited supply of dogs, and to maximize the potential of each and every greyhound, each and every time they went postward.

Things went along swimmingly for a while after the purge, if you were a well-monied and well stocked racing business. Then, as the states realized that over-exposure had begun to bleed racing dry, and the humane challenges of a young, urbane and modern culture, both within and outside of racing, had again attracted the jaundiced eye of the media, casinos became the focus, and the states and (some) tracks did a juke step.

Some would have been happy to throw racing entirely overboard, but because he voting public and some Native Americans would have the final say on casinos, they chose to have their cake and eat it too, and they did an end-around the democratic process. They essentially “bribed” the racing kennels at existing venues which sought slot machines and other gaming entertainment, with a nice percentage of the “take”, if they would just shut up, take the money, and not make too much of a public fuss. Then everyone would be happy—the public, the tracks, the states and the kennels (everyone except the Indians, that is).

While most greyhound professionals realized that this was the beginning of the end, and that eventually these promises would be broken or reneged upon, they were pretty much forced to “ride the wave”. Where else were they going to go?

Today, as the National Greyhound Association flirts with sinking below 1000 members, and as fewer and fewer kennels control more and more of racing opportunity nation-wide, the threat of even further contraction looms. The infamous “decoupling” question is simply code for, “we got what we wanted, and now we don’t need you any longer.”

The other night, there was a nice stakes race run at some track or other—I forget which one. The eight finalists were from only three kennels. There’s nothing like competition, right?

This is the future of racing, under the corrupt and patently unconstitutional “contract booking” system, where taxpayers and property owners, who live in a town or a state, cannot race their own greyhounds under their own brand without a contract, or without being forced into a partnership with a kennel who does.

So for those who wish to see change within the industry, to betterment of all, and to the breed as well, this is the fundamental wrong that must be made right. Without the right to race, and Right-To-Race laws, there is no incentive for new entrepreneurs to engage, no local grassroots political base, and eventually there will be only a handful of Corporate kennels to “put on the show”, if the show is to go on at all. And at that rate, what will be the point?

copyright 2013