So we’ve established beginnings in the 20’s we could write forever as the boom was real and within 10 years of commencement 200 or more tracks were operational in the united Kingdom, competition was healthy the night out a blast referred to as glamorous and jazzy.

The attendance figures proved it with 32 million people per year, amazing considering Australia’s population in 1930 was 6.4 million.

Whetting the appetite ?these figures and summarisations are from a bygone time but if any young greyhound enthusiasts out there with attention span willing to learn “going to dogs” by professor Keith Laybourn

Although popular and vibrant with many condemnation is never far away , religious organisations, anti gambling associations and even Winston Churchill , he’s dislike from the start was strong .

Gary Oldman is a favourite of mine but I have not seen he’s portrayal of Churchill in the 2017 film “ The Darkest Hour “ maybe I’ll give it a miss now .

Adversity was there to overcome even back then but what the naysayers were barking about was put into perspective soon enough as World war 2 was over the horizon and the world faced adversity of a real kind.

Nearly 100 years later it could happen again so “lest we forget” to our fallen soldiers and let the dogs run.

Racing in Europe will be revisited throughout as we meet the icons of the breed along the way but now we look at Australia’s beginnings only 6 million people in the 1920’s of Oz but we weren’t going to miss out on the new big thing greyhound racing .

Some sketchy information about a place called Shepherds bush race course in the botany and gardeners rd Mascot area in Sydney my pop talked about ,I remember him telling me a story 50 years ago about using live hares ,a horn man would blow he’s horn to send the hare up a safety chute as the dogs would chase it , not sure if pop was telling me fibs but there was definitely some monkey business going on , we’ll get to that later .

Shepherds bush race course (not the one in Europe) was soon turned into a thriving speedway in the 30’s

While all this was going on 8 km across town to Glebe there was something special taking place the finished project a racing Mecca , Harold Park , any New South Welshman who hadn’t heard of Harold park was lying .

Hosting greyhound and harness racing the 1st greyhound meeting with the newly designed tin hare in operation was in May 1927 they raced till the hound track closed in 1987 but the harness remained till around 2010 before it was developed into apartments, I’ve never been anywhere near them.

Next time we meet we’ll concentrate on Harold park a bit but I did promise a gimmicky subject before I sign off .

Any young blokes betting on hounds at the pub on a Friday after long week on the tools and this question will pop up did they use monkeys as jockeys on greyhounds? Quickly bet a schooner before someone hits google ,the answer is yes .

Shepherds bush at mascot in the 20’s , Victoria in the 1930’s . Palm Beach Florida in the 30’s even up till the 1970’s in Mexico.

So as far as greyhound history goes monkeys played a role , two complete different species bonding with affection for a common goal at times a certain monkey would only ride the same greyhound.

I get it ,to the antis from a different more modern time who see cruelty etc for the monkeys and yes it’s finished but you can’t change history some seemed very happy.

Quick young fellas go win a beer on that I hope pub drinking is still popular it seems jeopardised as well . So Cheers until next time Hounfrenz💙!

The mechanical lure or tin Hare was the game changer , designed by engineer Owen Patrick Smith. May 1920 seen its 1st race on an oval shaped track in Emeryville California, an instant hit with the public who witnessed what I still call majestic poetry in motion today.

The Feds closed he’s 1st track not long after opening, but within 6 years Smith had 25 tracks , Florida was popular, Oregon , Montana , he spent money on grandstands , maintenance for the tin hare , and Americans flocked it was for the working class.

“The road from Emeryville” is a book written by Paul c Hartwell in 1980.

Before long the pulse racing Hound sport would spread, July 1926 in Britain Manchester :Belle Vue was the 1st for them,a crowd of 1800 seen the 1st meeting kick off ,the track lasted nearly a century and closed around the same time as the global pandemic.

Belle Vue closure was a sad day for many who had fond memories , but the health of the greyhounds must come 1st , there were some damming reports ,as I will say many times throughout our journey ,in Australia we are on a mission permanently to make improvements and this along with government support are the two main factors of success these two ingredients must coincide for prosperity.

The 1st tracks in Ireland opened together Celtic park in April 1927 and in May the famous Shelbourne park in Dublin was born.

The English used the word Derby from horses and the Irish followed, the honour of winning the derby for greyhounds became the pinnacle of breeders and owners as Irish bred dogs would race in England and the two would battle for supremacy .

Writing this brings back memories of the great dog Moral Standards who won the English derby in 1994 undefeated throughout.

I purchased some pups from him , he had a few on ground in Australia, 30 years ago geez time goes like the hounds , fast !

Both Irish and English derby’s were worth 50000 pounds in 1994 .

Some old footage of Wimbledon hound stadium 1928-2017 would see huge crowds roar for the entire journey as the race reached its crescendo . Closed in 2017 demolished on my birthday in 2018 couldn’t they wait another day !

The new sport !

I really feel there is a glimmer of a resurgence in England similar to what we are experiencing in Australia but it takes dedication and much hard work , I’m probably wrong as the human is evolving down a different path let me know your thoughts , but to have 1 or 2 quality facilities anywhere in the world with health and safety paramount it can happen .

So we can see the pattern the 20’s it went boom next time we catch up Australia will be in spotlight how it began here and I’ll throw in the gimmick of Monkeys 🙈 as jockeys , yes it’s true !! Until next time Hounfrenz 💜

In the late 1800’s in England some failed attempts at racing hounds on a straight track were aborted but the seed was planted as man marvelled at the speed of their hunters it was inevitable that one day man would race greyhounds.

Hare coursing in 🇬🇧 UK Australia 🇦🇺 and Ireland 🇮🇪 plus other areas fills that gap 1780-1920 .

Private coursing where 2 dogs competed to catch the hare in a fenced off area, not to everyone’s liking but this competition was fierce the dogs were judged on speed agility and catching the hare for the kill .

Public coursing was introduced where the hare could escape and the dogs were judged against each other for agility speed and turning the hare 1st in the chase , this became popular and the breed exploded.

The Waterloo cup in the UK was considered the blue riband event it ran from 1836 to 2005 at Great Altcar Lancashire in England annually , 10000 people or more would gather to watch and gamble on the matches , it was a very emotional time when pressured to cease as the hardcore patrons found it hard to come to terms with , there is a famous photo a fleck of Hare fur from the final Waterloo cup .

The beautiful landscape and the mist along with the craft of the Slipper , (they claimed that only 1 in 10 Hares was caught in the modern day)the brilliance of the breed constant improvement.

On YouTube you can find “The last Waterloo cup “ it’s a fascinating watch when you add the mystique of something occurring from 1836.

In Australia 1860’s in South Australia Naracoorte to be exact was a recognised coursing meeting .

13 wild Hares were sent from Europe by wealthy landowner Thomas Austin to be hunted in coursing events they roamed free on he’s property the rest is history.

The hounds were called Kangaroo dogs and coursing was born down under ,funnily enough Australia adopted the same name for its event The Waterloo cup .

So today in Australia 🇦🇺 the cup still runs . 1868 -1985 the Hare baffled the dogs , but in 1985 20 yrs before England the change came in Australia they decided to persist with a wire drag hare that darts through the grass to simulate a hare .

Victoria coursing club1873- present day .

Lang Lang coursing club – Great community who enjoy outdoor spacious nature and the love of their coursing hounds competing.

While Prime Minister Tony Blair put an end to the Waterloo cup in England there are still 89 clubs coursing in Ireland 🇮🇪 under the Irish Coursing Club ICC .

The dogs are muzzled in a 500 yard run the Hare is given a 100 yard start the hounds pursue ,Hare gets away in the escapes provided as the dogs catch up .

The Irish have always had an affinity with the breed ,coursing is still very popular.

So that’s some insight into coursing and its history next time we chat we’ll be onto how racing started see you soon Hounfrenz 💜

Greek mythology is also credited with an association to the greyhound, many Greek gods were attached to their pride and joy : Hecate goddess of naturalistic forces which carried many duties was often drawn with her hounds.

Artemis god of Hunt and Pollux brother to Helen of Troy were both fond of noble hounds , we could go on but we’ll finish the Greeks with maybe the most famous tale .

Homer’s odyssey :Argos was a pup when Odysseus the king of Ithaca left home to fight in the Trojan war which some say was 10 yrs , then it took several more years to get back through Africa Europe etc , on he’s return to he’s abode danger lurked and he disguised himself as a beggar, looking across the fenced yard he see’s an old dog lying on a pile of cow dung , neglected and now frail ,it is Argos the only one to recognise he’s old Master ,he wags he’s tail n moves he’s ears but cannot get close enough and dies soon after , Odysseus wipes a tear from he’s eye as he confronts he’s next challenge , did Argos create the term Sighthound this is one theory.

Captain cook hit the shores of Australia in 1770 while some men perished on the tough journey 2 greyhounds accompanied the Captain along with Botanist sir Joseph Banks these dogs were a saviour for the crew as once on land they hunted wallaby and other animals for the men to eat , 220 years later we would drink and be merry watching my greyhounds race in the Joseph Banks Hotel in Botany Sydney NSW Australia 🇦🇺

This 1910 painting is by Maude Earl 1864-1943 “The power of the dog” depicts Captain Cook’s 2 hounds from the journey.

Thanks Hounfrenz💙talk soon !

8000 years is a figure that seems agreed on for our majestic breed ,prehistoric canine you could say , what strikes me is that the beast that roamed then , is quite similar to the ones we have today , we have a boy hound at home bred and loved , Hugo ,you will get to know him as time goes on .

Greyhounds are the oldest purebred domesticated dog confirmed.

All sighthounds of today have descended from the greyhound .

Many studies have said that besides the huge heart and lungs ,athletic physique sleek shape etc , another reason they are so fast is they have no mutations.

Blood of a greyhound is said to be superior without getting to technical more red cells, it is valuable in animal hospitals , we can talk bloods plus anatomy in the future when things are quiet, maybe ..

Back to the pharaohs who idolised their hounds , commoners were not aloud ownership, a level of royalty was imperative , the regal dog with its loyal noble and majestic traits was also a hunter an extremely fast one , therefore they were revered and loved to the point that when one died a ceremony would take place ,fasting , shaved heads etc and the hound in many cases would be mummified and placed in tombs of the high ranking pharaohs ,many were seen as gods such was the adoration.

Tutankhamen, thutmose 111 Queen Hatshepsut, Cleopatra V11 are just a few who had the slender hound, well documented drawings are littered throughout history .

When i went to school in the cool late 70’s early 80’s in high school you could only pick history or geography I went for the latter , not realising that racing was going to teach me much geography anyway , so besides 3 unit art I didn’t study much history , what I have read over years is a summary thru my eyes but nobody can tell me they knew anyone who was around at the time to say otherwise .

Before we move on to our next chapter we will lead in with this : I’m not a religious person but the only dog mentioned in the bible is the greyhound Proverb 30:29-31

A greyhound;A he- goat also”

So Hounfrenz we’ll talk again soon there is much to learn 💙

Over the years a few old timers would tell me that somewhere along the family tree , a greyhound enthusiast would find their way out and flourish , it happened to be me as my grandfather and he’s brother had dogs in the 50’s we’ll talk about that in a later chapter, here I want to discuss what’s ahead in the near future .

Once we re live the origins of this majestic beast and it’s evolution we can meet the big 5 dogs who had legendary status that people flocked to over decades , this adoration helped grow the hound sport on a global scale with growth and style..these dogs in particular are forever in our hearts as trailblazers.

We will then continue on with many stories and memories for the greyhound enthusiasts and anyone who likes ,again its hound-bound life thru my eyes some won’t agree but it’s how I’ve seen it over time .

Tks hounfrenz we talk soon 💙

Introduction

I’m about to start something and wing it on my phone for now and see where it takes me .Time has also been on the wing , the last 20 years feel like 10 maximum.

In Australia we are a country who still embrace greyhound racing as the rest of the globe has it in decline ,by the end of this journey who knows when ? I’m hoping to show people the positive outcomes it has had with my life and the many people who could not imagine a life without the longtails.

I have spent many decades involved and have never lost the passion. My intent is to teach people the history of the game and the breed introduce young likeminded people how it all started teach them about the big four (dogs who had legendary status) who enhanced the great sport , many say it’s not a sport well to us it’s a hound sport and if dog is man’s best friend then man was always going to race the fastest dog . Yes there will be backlash that’s a given these days but I look forward to this project. Thank you.