Goodwood House Oregon
Sight Hound Racing!
I went to my first (for fun) sight hound straight race on June 27th, 2009
I am sooo attracted to this sport! The dogs LOVE it!
Here are some pics of my day...
On the left is my friend Ann Chamberlain who
knows all about fun racing.
She is an east coast transplant who is trying to
get racing to be popular on the west coast.
I used to work for the Oregon
Racing Commission for wagering racing. This is nothing like that.
This
is purely for fun and points for the dogs.
This is the race on paper. Each color
represents a breed. There can be 4 dogs maximum per race.
The breeds
are all sight hounds. The gate position is done by double lottery.
The dogs are drawn by one person and the starting position by another. We had Borzoi, Greyhounds, Salukis, Silken Wind
Hounds, Italian Greyhounds
Whippets, Ridgies, Scottish Deer Hounds and Pharaoh
Hounds all playing today.
On the left is a 9 year old Saluki bitch who still loves to race and on the right is Diva, a young smooth Saluki bitch.
A young Ridgie bitch. Here is what Ann Chamberlain says about Rhodesian Ridgebacks:
RR's were originally bred to guard the farm
from people, go hunting, and when needed, act as cattle drovers. They really
did not go after lions or leopards unless asked to do so by the farmer, and then
only when it was a nuisance animal. The idea that they were used frequently for
lion-hunting is greatly exaggerated! Only a few ever did that and then it was
because the lion was molesting the cattle in the kraals. If your RR was outside
at night, believe me, it didn't last long! The RR's track and bring to bay
and smartly wait for the hunter to arrive with the big guns!
A gorgeous venue! People were able to camp in a beautiful meadow. There were wildflowers everywhere.
The front of the box. It's just like at the Greyhound track but tiny!!!
The back of the box.
Once trained, any size
dog can be started from the box.
Until then, they are released with a slip
lead.
This is the view from the lure. The track
is 200 feet long.
There are plastic bags tied to the line to make the line
more visible to the dogs.
A close up of the lure. This is made of
all artificial fur!
There is a squeaker inside that makes noise as it travels
along the grass. It's about 1 foot long.
Heeeeeeere's Rusty! Oops, that is what
they used to say at Multnomah Greyhound Park.
This is a homemade machine that
pulls the line in as the dogs chase it.
The line is heavy weight fishing line. It
is strung through a series of eye hooks for a LONG way!
In this case, about
300 hundred feet.
Here is the veiw from the box. You can see it's a LONG way down the track! This is the lure's starting point.
View from the judges' chairs toward the starting gate.
The couple who own this fabulous property get
around on a Gator.
Here everyone gets ready to run some dogs.
The "Line Judge" on the left in the covered
chair checks for the order of finish.
The "Foul Judge" on the right checks for dogs
bumping into each other purposely during the race.
There are always an even number of
judges.
These are Scottish Deer Hounds going
back to their setups after their race.
Look at these totally cool chairs! I must get one! Great for sun!
The woman on the left is pulling the lure back
to the starting gate.
This must be done after each race.
The woman seated
on the right is another foul judge who covers the 1st half of the race.
Heeeere come the Ridgies! They are powerful and determined, and yet so lovely as they run!
The following 4 pictures were taken by a
wonderful photographer, Shannon Phifer.
www.thatlldo.photoreflect.com
Check out her work!
These are of Anne's young "Girlie"
Great
name for a lovely bitch!
The dogs run with muzzles on just like in
professional Greyhound racing.
It's funny to watch them try to take them off
with their paws after the race.
These are Silken Wind Hounds. They are a
breed developed in Texas. They are a cross between a Borzoi and a Whippet.
They are lovely creatures and can they run!
This Italian Greyhound WANTS this lure!
What a cutie!! He jumped all the way down the track!
This was a terrific day for me. I had a ball!
Thanks to Ann Chamberlain for introducing me to this wonderful sport!
