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Interview with Philip Chandler- Can you tell us a little bit about U.K. greyhound racing?
P: Greyhound racing started in 1927 in the North of England. My grandfather, who was a bookmaker, realised the potential of greyhound racing and built Walthamstow Stadium in 1933, which was the 3rd or 4th stadium to open up in England.
- Does your family only deal with greyhound racing or are you involved in other facets of sports betting?
P: As a family, we are also involved in bookmaking / sports betting shops and we own a nightclub. |
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- Have there been any changes in greyhound racing culture since its beginnings in the 1920fs?
P: The biggest change in greyhound racing has probably been on the catering side. When it first started, the stadium only had a couple of bars and you could get a cup of tea and a sandwich. Now, the catering is the largest part of the business. For example, this evening, approximately 1,000 meals will be served. One of our restaurants is fully booked 2-3 months in advance with seating for 80. We also have four corporate boxes that are always fully booked on Saturdays. |
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- What distances do the dogs run?
- Is greyhound racing broadcasted on TV?
P: Yes, on Monday afternoons and Friday mornings we film for 12,000 betting shops all over the U.K. and for some other European satellite TV channels. The betting TV channel pays us to broadcast at those times.
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- Can you tell us in general, what type of people come to the races?
P: During the week, itfs mainly corporate bookings/events and on the weekend it tends to be primarily a family event.
- Is there an association that oversees the U.K.fs greyhound stadiums?
P: Like the Jockey Club that looks after the horse racing, the NGRC (National Greyhound Racing Club) license and inspect tracks and all the facilities for greyhounds; the welfare and after-care of the dogs.
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All stadiums have very popular retirement kennels where dogs are found homes for. Greyhounds actually have passports! When the greyhound arrives to the stadium in the evening, they are examined by vets and weighed. Then the vets have to make sure that the correct dog is racing by checking their ears which are tattooed with a series of numbers. All the dogfs markings are also included in their passports.
- If we owned a greyhound, how would we get it into competition racing?
P: We provide information in our event programmes on how to own one.
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You have to contact a registered trainer who would then recommend you an adult that you can sponsor or which would be a good puppy to buy. Many of the puppies come from Ireland. The Irish government sponsors greyhound racing so the prize money is significantly more than in England, so some of the better dogs are bred in Ireland.
- Are the dogs racing full-time or can they be family pets at the same time?
P: The dogs are trained and raced throughout their young life and when they retire, they then become family pets. To keep a greyhound for racing, the costs are between 30-45 GBP a week.
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If your greyhound races in a normal graded event and finishes last, you would receive approximately 25 GBP. If it finishes first, then you would receive an average of 150 GBP. So if your greyhound is racing three or four times every fortnight, you will never receive a bill for his upkeep. There is no real initial outlay as each greyhound is being paid appearance money. If you are lucky enough to own a winning greyhound in the Open races, it could earn you more than 1,000 GBP or even 100,000 GBP in the Derby races.
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- Does your family own any dogs/kennels?
No, it is company policy that we are not allowed to own any dogs or kennels.
Walthamstow Stadium
Written by Selph Photo by Anja Parchet
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