SANDRACER.COM - Greyhound Racing Explained For Beginners

Beginners Guide To Greyhound Racing - Dog Racing

Greyhound racing is gambled on extensively in the UK, the USA and Australia, plus around the world to a lesser degree. Dog races are just run for fun in some countries. Greyhound racing origins go back through the years to it's more infamous brethren - Coursing.

"Greyhound", I gather, is derived from the anglo saxon language meaning - first grade of hounds. The greyhound is a running machine. Top sprint greyhounds can go from 0-45mph in 1 second flat, as evidenced here by this greyhound versus a car race video.

The Race

The greyhounds chase an artificial rabbit or hare (lure) around a circular racetrack when they are let out of the traps by the race starter. The lure circumvents the dog track at speed on the running rail, just in front of the dogs to keep them chasing it.

If the lure goes too fast, the greyhounds will lose interest and will not be racing, they'll just busy themselves doing what dogs normally do. If the hare malfunctions and stops, or goes too slowly, the dogs don't race to the finishing line at top pace. They attack the lure instead and jump about arguing and fighting with each other to get to the rabbit. The fact the dogs are muzzled does not stop them having a go.

6 Dog Races: Most greyhound races have 6 runners, although some races are run with 5 runners at smaller tracks. The last 5 dog greyhound meeting I attended was at Poole Greyhound Stadium (closed down), but Poole is now a 6 dog racetrack.

Some greyhound races are staggered handicaps, with the 1 dog receiving a start from the 2 dog, and so on. The traps are positioned in different positions on the track, rather than level, thereby creating a handicap race.

8 Dog Races: There are also a tiny few 8 dog races still run at the Bags meetings. I have never liked the 8 doggers - they are almost obsolete these days to be honest.

It's hard enough to pick a winner from 6 runners with all the bumping at the first bend that goes on. It sometimes seems not to matter if I back a fast starter, a wide runner, a rails runner or a strong finisher. My dog always manages to find trouble in running it seems.

I do bet on the greyhounds quite alot, especially if it's an ante post bet on the greyhound derby or other large greyhound racing event aired live on the television.

Greyhound Racing Trap Position Jacket Colours

The 6 dogs are easily undentified in running, by their coloured jackets.

Trap 1 - Red
Trap 2 - Blue
Trap 3 - White
Trap 4 - Black
Trap 5 - Orange
Trap 6 - Black & White Stripes

Trap 7 - Green With Red Number
Trap 8 - Yellow & Black With White Number

Greyhound Betting Information

Most betting shop punters seem to back the dog forecasts, ie first and second in the correct order. Forecast doubles are regularly backed across all races at a dog meeting.

Gamblers pick their favourite traps, maybe 1 to beat 2, or 6 to beat 5, and hope 2 or more races finish with the winner and second in their selected trap order. There are some gamblers who bet the win single on the dogs, or even the tricast (1,2,3), but the forecast is the punters favourite wager in my experience.

The forecast dividend is worked out by a mathematical formula involving the price of the winner and 2nd placed dog, multipled incorporating the trap order.

Trap 1 is a favoured berth along with 2, 5 & 6. Therefore a forecast with the 1st and 2nd finishers both priced at 3/1 each, run from traps 1 & 2, will pay less than 3 & 4 at the same 3/1 price on each dog.

There are greyhound races run in the mornings and the evenings at various dog tracks around the UK. Most popular though are the Bags meetings (B.A.G.S. - bookmakers afternoon greyhound service). Ladbrokes and William Hill bookmakers actually own various dog tracks in England. Allegedly, the bookmakers prefer to own the greyhound tracks that punters find it hard to pick winners at - go figure..

Mistreatment Of Greyhound Racers

Personally, I don't mind greyhound racing as a spectator sport and betting medium, but some people do.

Every year thousands of greyhounds are either drowned, poisoned, beaten to death, shot, bludgeoned, starved or dumped (often muzzled) on the streets.

Many greyhounds are sold to research laboratories.

Large numbers of greyhounds are exported to Spain each year for racing, hunting and coursing. They live in appalling conditions and are locked in cages for 23 hours a day. Many dogs have been raced on Spanish tracks with horrific injuries and some Spanish trainers believe the dog will run faster if the end of its tail is cut off. In Spain it is tradition to hang dogs at the end of the hunting season which only lasts for four months.