How does greyhound racing work

The greyhound may be retired at that point, may go to another less competitive track to continue racing, or if young enough, can still compete in Grade J races. Greyhounds usually race about twice a week in either a sprint race usually about yards , or a distance race in which the distance can vary depending on the track. A common distance race is approximately yards, but can be longer. Most greyhounds do better at one distance or the other, but a few greyhounds are equally good at both distances.

The racing chart will tell you at which distances your greyhound raced. You might notice a break in racing dates, which could indicate that your greyhound was recovering from a minor injury or was being moved to a different track.

The chart will also tell you the time it took to complete the race as well as the registered names of the other greyhounds that competed, which starting box each dog had, and how each dog finished. A greyhound may race in one or many races, but almost all greyhounds are ready to retire by the time they are 4 years old or shortly thereafter.

Many retire sooner and are ready for adoption when they are only two or three years old. The majority of the retired racers that come to us for adoption are in this category. Some greyhounds have little interest in competing or are not fast enough to qualify to race and never actually compete in a recognized race.

Greyhounds that compete at a recognized track usually retire because they have lost a little speed compared to the other greyhounds at their track.

This can be as little as 1 MPH slower than the winner of a race. A greyhound naturally will lose some speed as they get older, and the greyhound will move down in racing grade until they are at the lowest grade for that track, usually Grade D. Greyhounds can also retire when they suffer minor injuries, and their owners choose to retire them at that point rather than wait for the injury to heal and continue racing them. Like other athletes, greyhounds sometimes have career-ending injuries and are retired immediately after the injury.

When a greyhound is retired from racing, we are notified by the racing owner or trainer that a particular greyhound is ready to retire, or it is determined that a greyhound pup is not fast enough or interested enough to qualify to race, and that greyhound comes to us for adoption. You can find many but not all races at www. This is a betting site, which also includes horse races, but you can find a lot of information here, as well as see actual video of races.

A list of races your greyhound competed in will appear, along with the date of each race and the race track. A list of the greyhounds competing in each race as well as the starting box number, and racing silk color each dog wore during the race will also be shown.

The races are quick, only about 30 seconds or a little more. Even the greyhounds that do not win are extremely fast, much faster than we see our greyhounds running in our back yards, and they all try very hard.

It is in their nature, and the speed they can reach in only a few strides is amazing. The photos below show the different colors of racing silks, which correspond with the starting box number. It is amazing to see a group of greyhounds running at full speed, and will give you a sense of what marvelous athletes they are. While to us our greyhounds seem to be laid back and even lazy which they are most of the time , greyhounds have the most highly developed and efficient cardio-pulmonary systems of all dog breeds, and are by far the fastest.

Everything about the greyhound is designed for speed—their extraordinarily large hearts and lungs, long legs, double suspension gallop, strong and flexible backs, and even their ears, which lie close to their head while they run so as to be aerodynamic. Because running at extremely fast speeds takes a tremendous amount of energy, you have probably noticed that your greyhound sprints around your yard for a couple of minutes, then is ready to come in for a nap.

Today, greyhounds are revered around the globe as one of the most beloved of companion dogs. As the saying goes, greyhounds are bred to run, but born to love. Their popularity continues to increase as more and more people are adopting these gentle and loving athletes. This is largely overlooked by most racetrack followers. It is what we refer to as the Risk Management process or Stage 2 of the betting process.

A system developed by John Kelly over 50 years ago is possibly the most popular calculation used by professional gamblers and investment funds for that matter to determine the optimal outlay based on the estimated probability of winning and prices available.

Whilst the original Kelly paper detailing how the formula was derived will be too difficult for most readers to understand, the end formula is quite simply:.

We provide an example excel spreadsheet below and recommend readers experiment with inputs to get a feel for the model. The main caveat with the system, and any modelling system, is that the data input the edge needs to be reasonably accurate.

Garbage in, Garbage Out! We believe the Giddy Up service provides adequate speed maps and pricing for each runner that punters can use as a starting point to help gain an edge. It perhaps works best when Giddy Up's second and third favourites are mispriced by the market because too much money is directed at the favourite.

An example of the Giddy Up screen is shown below. In this example, the fixed odds available for Black Magic Opal are slightly above the Giddy-Up estimate. For more optimal results, the system would likely work better if two parties manage it, one providing the probabilities of winning and the other the Risk Manager entering the data inputs and executing the bet.

This is because the formula can produce outlay amounts that may not be intuitive, especially should your bankroll grow and the outlays for each bet become much bigger. The model will also produce wild swings in balances that can throw a punter's confidence in the system, setting back punters or producing significant short term growth that instils an unrealistic level of confidence in the system which subsequently distorts future inputs.

When this occurs, punters can lack the discipline required and either ignore the recommendation or revise their probability inputs so that a bet can be made. Alternatively, punters can lay the favourite using Ladbrokes. An example excel spreadsheet model of the Kelly Formula can be downloaded here.

Disclaimer: Use at your own risk. The information above is of a very general nature and is provided as a guide only. The usual disclaimers regarding no acceptance or responsibility for accuracy apply, including the use of the sample excel spreadsheet.

The John Kelly Formula is merely a tool amongst many that may be of use to some gamblers. Giddy-Up also provides no guarantee that their service will generate any return in isolation. Giddy-Up is a service we subscribe to and we have no affiliation with beyond that subscription. See here for more information regarding problem gambling. If less than 8 runners, a place bet pays on only 1st and 2nd placings.

Estimates of the number of problem gamblers in Australia are around , Another , Australians are estimated to be at moderate-risk of developing a gambling problem. What's Next? Pet Clinic Construction. New Kennel Photo Album. Meet Our Models. Greyhound Racing. Adoption Process. Adoption Application. NEW Greyhounds. Female Greyhounds. Brindle Greyhounds. Multicolored Greyhounds.

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