I've been a lurker on this thread, very enjoyable too
Can you explain before one of the two dogs has its first run a little bit of the basics of greyhound racing please?
graded races? how many grading levels are there? How does a trainer select where a dog runs? usually local tracks?
What type of dogs do we see in afternoon cards in betting shops, the lower grade racers? Are the better meeetings evening based?
In rough terms how does greyhound racing pay its way for owners and trainers with low prize money?
How long is a typical racing greyhound's career?
Has post career pastoral care of greyhounds improved in recent years? Is mis-treatment of ex-racing greyhounds a thing of the past?
sorry for the questions, but you've got me interested!
and breath........ jesus tighty lol !
il do my best to answer all your questions mate
Can you explain before one of the two dogs has its first run a little bit of the basics of greyhound racing please?yesi can.... that was an easy one lol
graded races? how many grading levels are there? How does a trainer select where a dog runs? usually local tracks?all tracks have a group of trainers who are "attached" to that track who supply greyhounds on a regular basis to fulfill the demand made by the track management to stage a number of meetings on a weekly or monthly basis. The number of trainers "attached to a track varies by how many meetings a week a track wishes to hold.
these dogs are collectively known as the "grading strength" of the track.
As for the number of grading levels this varies from track to track though the majority go from 9 (lowest grade) to 1 (highest grade) though some tracks noteably Hove have been known to grade down as low as 14.
The "british greyhound racing board" (BGRB) also requires a letter to be inserted before the graded number so that you can tell roughly which type of distance the race is over. As very few tracks race over the same distances due to the different sizes of their actual running surface races are prefixed with a letter corresponding to the number of bends in that race.
although the letter prefixes vary from country to country races in britain are listed below:
prefix D is a 2 bend graded race or a "sprint race" run roughly between 225-350 meters.
prefix A is a 4 bend graded race or known as a "middle distance race" these are the most common races run roughly between 350-550 meters.
prefix S is a 6 bend graded race or a "stayers race" over distances usually between 550-700 meters.
Prefix E is a 8 bend graded race or "marathon race" over distances over 700 meters upto as much as 900 meters.
prefix M is a race with 10 bends or more rarely seen in a graded race due to the amount of dogs that can run these extreme distances sometimes upto 1200 meters!
another prefix you may see attached to a graded race is a "H" which denotes the race is a hurdle race and the prefix "P" denotes a puppy (dogs under 2 years of age) only race.
"A" races are the most common as they are run over the optimum distance for greyhounds that is why you will see more races graded A9-A1 than you will for say 6 bended races (S prefix) which at some tracks are as low as
-S1.
basically the lower the number the better the grade of greyhound is in that race for the given distance. so an "A1" would include some of the best dogss at the track over 4 bends and an "S1" grade likewise over 6 bends.
i would say over 95% of graded races are over either 4 or 6 bends.
As for where a trainer selects a dog to run this is dictated to what track he is "attached" to. These are usually localish to where his kennels are located for obvious reasons regards transportation etc.
The next step up from the top grades at a track is to take your dog "Open" racing. These are races promoted at different tracks which any dog may be entered that meets the race stipulations. The prize money for these races are notably higher than "graded" races and some of the bigger "Open" races can draw entries from the length and breast of the country.
Its not unusual for a good dog to combine a career in top grade at its local track with excusions to other tracks to take in one off "open" races or "Competitions".
If a dog becomes exceptional it becomes impossible to grade at a given track and becomes ungradable due to the lack of opposition at his track that could actually give him a race. Greyhounds this good have no choice than to run their whole careers in "Open" races only.
What type of dogs do we see in afternoon cards in betting shops, the lower grade racers? Are the better meeetings evening based?On the whole the better racing is usually on the evening cards. The races in the afternoon and evening shown in the betting shops are dictated by the bookmaking industry. They generally want lower to middle class graded races as these are harder for the punter to find the winner, the races are generally more open often with very mixed and varied form to go on thus increasng their potential profit margins. The higher the grade usually means there is more chance of a truer run race as the better greyhounds are more often than not more consistant.
"Open" class races are occasionally shown in betting shops but this is mainly when a certain bookmaker is sponsoring the event or competition. Also because you find that a lot of "open" class races have shorter price favourites these are often unattractive to your everyday betting shop punter so lowering the turnover for the bookie.
In rough terms how does greyhound racing pay its way for owners and trainers with low prize money?An owners prospective:
Unless you are lucky enough to own a top "open" race dog you are never going to get rich by owning a racing greyhound.
A greyhound in training usually costs the owner around £40 a week to keep. this varies depending on the profile of the trainer and how succesful he/she is. On top of this you also have vets bills if you dog is injured or needs innoculating etc and also travel costs if your dog travels around on the "open" race scene.
A healthy non injury proned "graded" class dog can run once a week or 4/5 times a month. They earn prize money for just running and then earn again if they win or are placed second in the race. if your dog manages to win 1 in 3 or 4 races and throws in a few second places here and there the dog will roughly pay for itself in prize money it earns.
Exceptional greyhounds can command huge stud fees after racing and good brood bitches will also pay their way but these make up a small amount of greyhounds that have finished their racing careers.
On the whole moneywise greyhounds are a bad investment but weighted against the shear enjoyment and entertainment that owning a greyhound may give you there is no contest!
From a Trainers prospective:
The reasons why trainers are attached to tracks usually is because they are paid by the track and are under contract to supply a certain number of dogs for races at those tracks. They also charge the owners to train and look after their dogs and sometimes get a share of the dogs prize money.
Some trainers can earn a very good living from the sport but these top trainers are a small percentage of the number of smaller trainers who work very hard to earn a living.
How long is a typical racing greyhound's career?i dont know the exact age greyhounds can start running in britain (i could google it but have not needed to google anything thus far so im not going to start now) but i think its somewhere around 18 months old. Trainers tend not to like running pups to young as it does have an effect on the longivity of their career at the upper age. As in the case of "rodney" and "cassie" pups can face a number of setbacks which can often lead to them not racing until they are approaching their second birthday.
greyhounds racing careers barring serious injury is usually between 3 and 4 years. by about 5 years of age most dogs are slowing down and with there best years behind them most owners decide that their "pride and joy" has done enough to earn a well deserved rest and its time to go home and spend the rest of his days curled up in front of the fire with the cat.
There are like most sports exceptions to the rules and some dogs happily keep performing upto and sometimes beyond their 7th birthday.
Typically the better the dog the shorter the career. if a dog wins a race or competition of high note it is often retired to stud rather than risk injury in subsequent races thus jeapardising a potentially lucrative stud career. (much like horses)
Has post career pastoral care of greyhounds improved in recent years? Is mis-treatment of ex-racing greyhounds a thing of the past?I would like to think care of retired greyhounds is better than it used to be in years gone by but the sports does still have a problem. Various organisation notably the "retired greyhound asssosiation" (RTA) have heighten the need for owners and trainers to be aware of their responsibilities for their greyhounds after their racing careers are finished.
A number of trainers continue caring for their retired dogs at their kennel long after they retire. i know for a fact that "rod" and "cassies" trainer Mick looks after a number of ex racers at his kennels.
Owners must be aware that they are responsible for the welfare of their dogs for the whole of the dogs life something i stressed to Ben very strongly before he purchased his two. I dont think "Rodney" and "Cassie" have anything to worry about on that score its their for all to see how much Rooks and indeed Ling love and care for these lovely animals..... It is a shame not every owner is like that but i do feel the situation is improving and hopefully in the future every greyhound will be able to see out its retired days in the same sort of way that "Cassie" and "Rodney" have to look forward to.
Before that though there is a matter of a few races to run, a few races to win and a huge amount of fun to be had on the way. good luck Cassie and Rodney!!