Greyhounds
There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
Clapton
Park Royal
Stanford Bridge
Clapton was a tube to Manor house and a bus to Clapton Pond and a little walk where you would pass a park and you would pay for the cheap enclosure at the first entrance.
Nice long run to the bends for the starts both for spints and long distance races.
400 yards for the sprints and need a bit of help here for the distance races and I am sorry to say I have forgotten.
Banked bends with a net covering the track above so nobody could lob something on it.
I have seen old photos taken just after the war where they would get 1000s attending.
Park Royal
Stanford Bridge
Clapton was a tube to Manor house and a bus to Clapton Pond and a little walk where you would pass a park and you would pay for the cheap enclosure at the first entrance.
Nice long run to the bends for the starts both for spints and long distance races.
400 yards for the sprints and need a bit of help here for the distance races and I am sorry to say I have forgotten.
Banked bends with a net covering the track above so nobody could lob something on it.
I have seen old photos taken just after the war where they would get 1000s attending.
sort by:
Show
per page
Replies: 92
|
By:
Clapton.. now were shall we start.. tremendously strong betting market in all the Rings.. Top class dogs were trained there.. The Scurry Cup was run there when that competition was really prestigious and classy... in wet weather it really favoured the outside boxes.
Distances were 400yds.. 575yds...760yds...934yds.. and always a tremendous atmosphere.. I wish I was going there tonight. Getting there.. Taxi from Sidney Street, 5 in a cab for Half a Crown each , or a nearby coach that went there. |
|
By:
I totally agree Clapton
It had some of the best dogs in the country Park Royal one of my favourite BAGS tracks Monday and Friday afternoons, when I could get time off work also on way to Wembley for evening meetings same nights |
|
By:
ebulGery.. wasnt it a great time for the game..miss it terribly .
|
|
By:
yes I agree Clapton
 ..there was a choice of tracks all over London great days |
|
By:
Clapton had 5 derby winners in about 8 years during the 60s.
|
|
By:
Sorry 4 winners in 6 years.
|
|
By:
Park Royal hosted the guineas run over 400 yds and the longer distance was 570 yds I believe.
|
|
By:
sounds about right sparrow ..memory hazy
|
|
By:
Park Royal was one of the first tracks covered by off course bookmakers in the afternoon. I always remember the first race being timed at 2.30 and always seemed to be off at 2.31.
Stamford Bridge was also covered in the early days by the extel service. |
|
By:
saw a 11/10 shot called woodford alan
it got beat the locals set fire to the straw that was on the track outside the hare rail [ it was during the winter ] |
|
By:
The old Coke-Braziers went on.. remember it well.
|
|
By:
I remember Woodford Alan a railer if I remember rightly, but for some reason missed that particular race.
|
|
By:
Bang-on Sparrow it was a railer.. a Black Dog.. I recall it being an Odds-on chance
|
|
By:
clapton was the first to have video recordings
|
|
By:
Introduced in the mid 60s I think, mad dog man.
|
|
By:
yes mdm..black and white
|
|
By:
Fortunes changed hands in the Ring... mind you in those days it seemed much easier to get a few Quid.. unlike today when everybody is nailed to the floor, and have not got any moves !!
|
|
By:
http://www.gettyimages.ie/detail/news-photo/greyhound-racing-at-clapton-stadium-in-london-17th-may-1937-news-photo/109744387
Not sure if this will work, but an excellent picture of Clapton Stadium in the 1930s. You can of course get the picture from Google images. |
|
By:
yes very easy to get bets on..most tracks tbh
being an on course bookie was a good game then |
|
By:
When I first went to Clapton in the 60s, the bookmakers stood in both rings and on the bend as well!
AS has been said, fortunes changing hands. |
|
By:
you'll have pf moaning again if you dont stop this now!
 |
|
By:
 |
|
By:
and I loved the all grass tracks
..well more like a ploughed field on inside in winter |
|
By:
I would have thought he had enough to moan about, in the present climate.
|
|
By:
youve still got another 3 or 4 hours till he rambles in
|
|
By:
Sparrow just seen that.. amazing crowds and thats on the bend !! looks like they are coming off the last bend... Incredible to think that the last couple of months at the Stow it was banged out as well.. in the enclosures anyway .....
|
|
By:
clapton, When I lived in London I rarely went to the stow, every race in those days 3/1 the field just like BAGS racing now.
|
|
By:
Sparrow same here... I never went to Walthamstow either in those days.. much to hard.. but got to love it in recent years, as it became so punter friendly.
|
|
By:
i used to go there in a ford popular
|
|
By:
Clapton was the 4th london track to open on the 7th april 1928
|
|
By:
do you still use it mdm
 |
|
By:
pmsl
|
|
By:
South Shiels and Warrington were also controlled by clapton stadiums ltd
|
|
By:
Never knew about those 2 tracks Spot the dog, only Slough.
Were they licensed tracks or flappers? |
|
By:
A link for more info on the track at Warrington
http://forum.warringtonguardian.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=398 |
|
By:
did a trainer by the name of cox train at slough ?? i saw him one night at portsmouth dogs...he must of
had one of the biggest noses on the circuit. !!  |
|
By:
Greyhound racing at Redheugh Park (south shiels) commenced in 1937, which brought a boost to the Football Clubs financial status and subsequently eased the burden for the upkeep of the stadium. However the inclusion of the Greyhound track reduced the size of the playing area, the terracing at either end of the ground and subsequently the capacity.
With the loss of Football League status in 1960 and the Football Club's subsequent continual slide down the leagues, a further heavy blow was dealt with the cessation of greyhound racing at the stadium in 1966. |
|
By:
GLASGOWCALLING yes cox trained at portsmouth and slough both tracks being owned by the GRA
|
|
By:
john cox he also trained at wembley and his dad trained at hendon
|