Smith, who was moved by the grim deaths of the rabbits to come up with an alternative. Queen Elizabeth I loved it-hence greyhound racing’s nickname, the “sport of queens.”ĭog racing as we know it today originated with an American inventor named Owen P. The King James Version of Proverbs 30:29-31 cites them as “comely in going.” (Scholars say the original Hebrew refers to Afghan hounds or salukis.) The king’s translators knew about greyhounds because of a then popular sport called coursing, in which two greyhounds race to catch a rabbit. Winning says greyhounds are the only dog breed in the Bible. He remembers when the regulars included rakish gamblers named “the Flicker” and “Champagne Tony,” the track restaurant served a 37-ounce prime rib, and a live band played between races. He started at the track 45 years ago, collecting half-dollars from the turnstiles. The gray-bearded Winning is a born storyteller. “Florida really was the industry,” Theil says. This is the one thing on which he agrees with Carey Theil, whose Massachusetts-based advocacy group Grey2K USA spearheaded the drive for Amendment 13: Shut down Florida’s tracks, and there goes the industry. “In 20 years, will anyone even remember what greyhound racing was?” With the Florida tracks closed, he warned, tracks elsewhere undoubtedly would follow. His family has owned Derby Lane since it opened in 1925. “It’s a shame to have to shut down after 95 years,” said CEO Richard Winning, 64. He was not the only Derby Lane employee wondering what would happen next. “I love dogs,” Davis said, “and I love being outside.” He’d been at the track for 14 years and considered it his ideal job. Davis, a slender man with dreadlocks and a quick smile, was one of scores of employees whose future was uncertain. The racing industry bet on Floridians rejecting the amendment, but it passed by a wide margin, owing mostly to the growing national concern over the mistreatment of animals in the entertainment field, such as circuses.ĭerby Lane’s last race was scheduled for December 27. In 2018 Florida’s voters had the chance to approve a constitutional amendment-Amendment 13-to ban betting on greyhounds as of December 31, 2020.
By the end of 2020, it was down to three, with about 2,000 dogs still racing. Two years earlier, Florida had more greyhound tracks than any other state-11 out of 17 nationwide. Joe DiMaggio once left Marilyn Monroe in an idling car while he ran inside to place his bets.ĭerby Lane was America’s oldest continuously operating greyhound racetrack, but in December 2020 it headed for its final stretch. Babe Ruth and entertainer Sophie Tucker were visitors.
Back then, the stands would be packed with fans in suits and hats. Back when the dogs were running last year, you could still get a hint of the glamour and excitement of the track’s glory days in the 20th century. Their paws toss sand in the air as they gallop around the oval for 30 seconds, hitting speeds of up to 45 miles an hour.ĭerby Lane, which opened in 1925, was once hailed as the Churchill Downs of greyhound racing. The doors fly open, and the greyhounds burst onto the track in a blur of acceleration. A mechanical rabbit named Hare-son Hare zooms past, squeaking and shooting blue sparks. Next, Davis, 41, and the eight handlers he supervises put the dogs in the starting box.
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