At the mention of the word “running” in the imagination, zealous horses immediately appear, ready at any moment to jerk off and rush at lightning speed. And rarely anyone remembers dogs, and it’s exactly dog races that inflame people’s passions, tribunes scream, fans from the last of their strength tear their throats, in defiance of shouting out the names and numbers of greyhounds, on which they bet, and at the end of the races come to unbridled exultation from victory or glaring disappointment from losing.
The dogs are impatiently languishing in anticipation of their turn, a mechanical hare rushes through the groove, the fanfare sounds, the cage doors open and joyful greyhounds run out from there. Furiously taking off, they rush, headlong, behind an artificial hare. But not always greyhounds ran after the mechanical hare. There were times when a live hare was driven out of a burrow with the help of a ferret, and a greyhound had to catch a poor victim. Opponents of this method fiercely defended the animal, although the hare’s death rarely happened, because greyhounds often did not have time to catch up with the eared beast, and he again hid in a hole. Beginning in 1870, measures were taken to stop the use of a live hare in such an event: a straight path 100–200 meters long was made, on the one hand, dogs that were let out by the sound of a starting pistol, and on the other hand, owners of greyhounds, teasing dogs with red rags . At the same time, more than a hundred dogs took part in the competition, but the length of the track did not exceed 200 meters. Later rollers were invented, in which a mechanical hare began to run in a circle. Some testimonies claim that the artificial hare appeared in England in 1776. And everywhere it began to be used only in 1950−60. The nature of greyhounds is hunting, but this type of occupation was very expensive and purely aristocratic. At some stage in many European countries even banned such a hunt, and England, in order to compensate the dogs for excommunication from the usual need to chase the game, was the ancestor of a new sport. In the time of Queen Elizabeth I, dog racing was one of the varieties of hanging out in the open air. The greyhounds ran across the endless green fields and compared them with each other for running qualities and hare capture skills. Dogs agility was evaluated by the judge, who followed the greyhounds on the horse. But only after centuries, the first dog stadium in England was built in Manchester in 1926.
Greyhound racing and its popularity
Today, dog racing is very popular. True lovers of greyhounds acquire them for personal use, but they are unlikely to earn huge amounts of money on dogs, since the sports life of a dog is short: only four years. Upon reaching the age of five, the greyhound is charged for retirement and sent to the nursery, where she languishes, waiting for a successful event of a meeting with the new owner. If a dog was an athlete, you can recognize it by the ears: a tattoo on both ears means that the dog is from Ireland, the British have a tattoo in only one ear. Before each race, dogs are shown to the public so that fans can personally evaluate the running abilities of the favorite. Although the victory of a single greyhound defies any logic, sometimes a dog with low characteristics and weak muscles comes first. So – go guess! In between competitions, gamblers sip beer and zealously discuss with friends which dog is best to place their bet on. The inhabitants of England are very fond of such events and with pleasure in a relaxed atmosphere spend their free time!
Who can participate?
Dog racing is a sporting event in which dogs of different breeds (mostly greyhounds) chase for speed along some tracks that are completely different in size. Of course, when the word “running” sounds, everyone always represents horses, because this sport is more popular. However, dog racing is something that appeared earlier than horse racing. And even now, according to the good old traditions, dogs compete for speed under the leadership of their favorite mentor. In general, the spectacle is quite interesting, people bet, win, lose, find their favorites, bet on them, or vice versa. In general, the hobby is quite interesting.
Previously, the race was carried out at a distance of 100 to 200 meters. A little later, they began to invent circular races, where the dogs had to run a certain number of laps. At first, as a motivation, the hare was used, for which the greyhounds were so eager to chase. Why? The fact is that the breed is exclusively hunting, and these catch-ups are, literally, laid in blood. Therefore, this breed is most suitable (and suitable) for this. A little later, a special mechanical hare was invented, since it was already pitiful for ordinary animals, since dogs had been bitten off by him if they were caught up, thereby darkening the whole spectacle. The hare coped with its work better than usual, because its speed was customizable, and it was very easy to repair it.
Then the sport was modified to the point that some dogs were specially trained on the speed of running without bait. It was considered elite. Since then, the sport began to gain incredible popularity among the people. For example, in Australia, dog races are on a par with biathlon, basketball, swimming, and cause no less interest. Bets are made very serious, and demonstrations of races are even on local television. In our country, dog racing has become common and popular already in the nineties. Stadiums in Moscow staged showy horse racing, with all observed traditions. Jockeys and their dogs from other countries were invited, and the spectacle turned out to be truly fascinating and interesting. Many people themselves thought about participating in this sport, they decided to start dogs.
In addition to greyhounds, such dogs as the Italian Greyhound, Salugi, and many others actively participate in the races. Unfortunately, not all breeds are suitable for this sport, because it requires not only excellent, natural hunting instinct, but also high endurance, high strength performance and the will to win. There are accepted only wayward, strong-willed breeds of dogs that could overcome any difficulties. Such dogs require special training, a special diet, which will support them, make them more powerful and more prepared. If you are new in this field, then you will train the dog with specialists who will do their work at the highest level. Moreover, the dog, like any athlete, needs motivation, diet, work plan, training, and so on. This is very important if you want to achieve high results. Nowadays there are special competitions for hounds. The fight is serious. This is a very serious competition with decent awards and amounts. So all this causes genuine interest among thousands of jockeys. Only those who have passed the hard qualifying rounds can participate there. In general, the sport is quite interesting, and, if you want, read more about it.
Bets on dog racing in bookmaker offices
Despite the weak popularity in some countries, dog racing is one of the best sports for betting. The races are held all year round, and up to hundreds of starts can be held every day. When choosing a bookmaker for bets on dog races, you need to pay attention to the standard indicators: experience and reliability, high odds, competent line and variable painting, affordable replenishment of the account and withdrawal of money won, loyalty to big bets and wins. The odds and limits for dog races are very high, and mostly professional players play on the stakes.
Golden rules for bets on dogs
When analyzing the statistics of previous races, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the distribution of prizes. Much more important is the distance of the race. The dog can run very well at short distances, and not reach the final for long ones. Specialists and organizers of the competition allocate about ten different classes of races, and the dog can participate in several adjacent ones. If the dog successfully performs in its class, it is raised. If unsuccessful – lower. All of these nuances will allow you to understand in which class the dog will show the best result, and whether it can win in the current race.
In analytical data and statistics there are a lot of symbols with which you need to get acquainted. Statistics will tell not only the finish alignment, but also the place of each dog on a certain segment of the track. The statistics even reflect insignificant at first glance nuances – blows, falls, bad turns, running in the outer or inner circle. When planning rates, even factors such as the booth number are taken into account. Some dogs train to run in the inner circle, others – on the outside. After every 3-5 runs, the dog is usually given a break to rest. If a dog participates in each race without respite, after some time he will be exhausted and will not even be able to reach the final. The result is also affected by factors such as the condition of the track, the weather during the competition and the day before. Under conditions close to the ideal, the chances of winning are higher among the favorites of the race. An outsider can win the race under unfavorable conditions for the majority.