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39-404: The track opened on September 1, 1997. More than 13,000 attended the track on opening day. The track used several unconventional construction and business approaches. They constructed one of the largest tracks in size in the country but built a relatively small clubhouse. They also built OTBs prior to the opening of the track. The track also struck a deal with Maryland to stop Maryland racing during

78-517: A certain number of consecutive races are subject to being ruled off the track in some countries. Violators are subject to criminal penalties and loss of their racing licenses by state gaming commissions and a permanent ban from the National Greyhound Association . The trainer of the greyhound is at all times the "absolute insurer" of the condition of the animal. The trainer is responsible for any positive test regardless of how

117-699: A dispute between track management and horsemen's groups. Harness racing ended the following year, and all track-affiliated betting sites were closed in April 2015. The track filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia , seeking clarity in recently amended state horse racing laws, but the case was dismissed in the District Court on November 24, 2015. In November 2015, Colonial Downs

156-491: A greyhound racing federation or trade association. The medical care of a racing greyhound is primarily the responsibility of the trainer while in training. All tracks in the United Kingdom have to have a veterinary surgeon and veterinary room facilities on site during racing. The greyhounds require microchipping, annual vaccinations against distemper , infectious canine hepatitis , parvovirus , leptospirosis , and

195-405: A number of racetracks but also owns a number of off-track betting facilities across Canada. [REDACTED] Media related to Off-track betting at Wikimedia Commons Greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing ;

234-493: A vaccination to minimize outbreaks of diseases such as kennel cough . All greyhounds in the UK must pass a pre-race veterinary inspection before being allowed to take part in that race. The racing industry (in several countries) actively works to prevent the spread of doping cases. Attempts are being made to recover urine samples from all greyhounds in a race, not just the winners. Greyhounds from which samples cannot be obtained for

273-427: Is characterized by several criteria (varying depending on country) and can include legalized gambling, the existence of a regulatory structure, the physical presence of racetracks, whether the host state or subdivision shares in any gambling proceeds, fees charged by host locations, the use of professional racing kennels, the number of dogs participating in races, the existence of an official racing code, and membership in

312-679: Is purely amateur and solely for enjoyment. In other countries, particularly Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, greyhound racing is similar to horse racing in that it is part of the gambling industry. Modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing . The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a straight track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon, England , in 1876, but this experiment did not develop. The industry emerged in its recognizable modern form, featuring circular or oval tracks, with

351-828: Is regulated by the American Greyhound Council and the National Greyhound Association . There was one greyhound racing track in Mexico, the Caliente Hipodrome in Tijuana , that hosted races from 1947 to July 14, 2024. There was formerly at greyhound racing track in Vietnam at the Lam Son Stadium in Vung Tau , Vietnam from 2000 to March 2023, but it has since closed. As of 2023,

390-579: Is sanctioned gambling on greyhound racing or horse racing outside a race track . Before the 1970s, only the state of Nevada allowed off-track betting. Off-track betting in New York was legalized in 1970, after years of unsuccessful attempts. By the 1970s there were 100 betting parlors in New York City, and twice that number by the late 1980s. In New York City, the thought was that legal off-track betting would increase revenue while at

429-636: The Caribbean and Central America who entice bettors by offering them rebates on their bets. In December 2010, the New York City OTB closed due to lack of profitability. After years of unsuccessful attempts and public anticipation in Canada, off-track betting (OTB) establishments (also known as 'Teletheatres') were finally legalized on the federal level, in Ottawa on June 29, 1989. Since then,

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468-473: The Greyhound Trust try to ensure that as many of the dogs as possible are adopted. Some of these groups also advocate better treatment of the dogs while at the track and/or the end of racing for profit. In recent years the racing industry has made significant progress in establishing programs for the adoption of retired racers. In addition to actively cooperating with private adoption groups throughout

507-523: The Second World War —for example, attendances during 1946 were estimated to be around 75 million based on an annual totalisator turnover of £196,431,430. The industry experienced a decline beginning in the early 1960s, after the 1960 UK Betting and Gaming Act permitted off-course cash betting. Sponsorship, limited television coverage, and the later abolition of on-course betting tax have partially offset this decline. Commercial greyhound racing

546-629: The Colonial Downs thoroughbred meet, although this later ended. The tract of land on which the track is built was obtained through an eminent domain suit brought by the State of Virginia against an African American/Native American family (Tero Johnson) that had owned the majority of the land since 1863. Until 2005, the track was managed by the Maryland Jockey Club under a complicated agreement with Virginia and Maryland regulators and

585-672: The General Strike of 1926 looming, the two men scoured the country in an attempt to find others who would join them. Eventually they met Brigadier-General Critchley , who introduced them to Sir William Gentle . Between them they raised £22,000, and like the American 'International Greyhound Racing Association' (or the I.G.R.A.), they launched the Greyhound Racing Association , holding the first British meeting at Manchester 's Belle Vue Stadium . The industry

624-852: The Maryland-Virginia Racing Circuit. The track was fairly successful and offered good summertime turf racing in the traditionally poor three-year-old turf division. The track ran two legs of the annual Jacobs Investments Grand Slam of Grass . This event consisted of the Colonial Turf Cup and the Virginia Derby from Colonial Downs, the Secretariat Stakes from Arlington Park and the Breeders' Cup Turf . The track requested 25 thoroughbred dates in 2009, down from 45 in 2008. After negotiations with

663-487: The United Kingdom, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has introduced measures to locate where racing greyhounds reside after they have retired from racing and as from 2017 records have been available to the public. Several organizations, such as British Greyhounds Retired Database, Greyhound Rescue West of England, Birmingham Greyhound Protection, GAGAH, Adopt-a-Greyhound and Greyhound Pets of America, and

702-586: The anti-drug policies. All off-track betting in Ontario is licensed by the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) and is responsible for the integrity of the industry in the province. They are also responsible for distributing racing licenses, keeping a horse registry and running a problem gambling group. To apply for a license the operator would need to purchase a permit from the ORC. If accepted,

741-406: The banned substance has entered the greyhound's system. A series of research papers have indicated that the greyhound racing industry played an important role in the rise of drug-resistant hookworms . Greyhound farms tended to treat greyhounds with dewormers even when the dogs did not have an active infection, thus enabling worms, which are constantly exposed to drugs, to develop immunity against

780-495: The bulk of its assets, including Colonial Downs, to Churchill Downs, Inc. The track has a 1¼-mile dirt oval, a 7½-furlong inner turf oval and a 1⅛-mile outer turf oval. The track featured an autumn harness racing meet. Colonial Downs was the only 1¼-mile track in North America with harness racing and features a one turn mile. The horses start from a chute on the backstretch. Harness racing times at Colonial Downs were

819-442: The construction of a modern racetrack using the mechanical lure, described in the press as the "automatic rabbit." The first race at the new park was on Saturday, May 29, 1920. The oval track and mechanical hare were introduced to Britain, in 1926, by another American, Charles Munn, in association with Major Lyne-Dixson, a Canadian, who was a key figure in coursing. Finding other supporters proved rather difficult, however, and with

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858-588: The control of Rásaíocht Con Éireann (GRI) which is a commercial semi-state body and reports to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine . The vast majority of greyhounds racing in the UK are imported from Irish breeders (estimated 90%). In the greyhound industry Northern Irish tracks are considered to be in the category of Irish greyhound racing and the results are published by the GRI. They do not come under

897-878: The control of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain . Racing in New Zealand is governed by the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) in accordance with the Racing Act 2003. Greyhound racing in Great Britain is regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and accredited by United Kingdom Accreditation Service . In the United States, greyhound racing is governed by state or local law, however, as of 2023 only two racetracks in West Virginia continue to operate. Greyhound care

936-532: The country, many race tracks have established their own adoption programs at various tracks. Greyhounds Australasia was formed in 1937 (as the Australian and New Zealand Greyhound Association) and consists of governing bodies in Australian states and New Zealand, which regulate greyhound welfare and living conditions. Greyhound racing is a popular industry in Ireland with the majority of tracks falling under

975-459: The drugs among the surviving worms. The rise of drug-resistant hookworms poses a threat to pets and humans more generally. Generally, a greyhound's career will end between the ages of four and six – after the dog can no longer race, or possibly when it is no longer competitive. The best dogs are kept for breeding and there are industry-associated adoption groups and rescue groups that work to obtain retired racing greyhounds and place them as pets. In

1014-575: The fastest in racing. On October 11, 2008, the world trotting record was set during the $ 100,000 Patriot Invitational. It was set by Enough Talk. The trotter became the first in harness racing history to break the 1:50 barrier with 1:49.3. The following Graded events are held at Colonial Downs Grade I Grade II Grade III The following graded stakes were formerly run at Colonial Downs: Off-track betting Off-track betting (or OTB ; in British English , off-course betting )

1053-565: The industry has flourished nationwide, with hundreds of off-track betting facilities across the country. This industry is federally regulated by the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA). The CPMA makes regulations in respect to pari-mutuel betting, and is responsible for ensuring the integrity and fairness of betting systems in Canada. Among the responsibilities of the CPMA include administering drug tests to horses to enforce

1092-523: The invention of the mechanical, or artificial, hare in 1912 by an American, Owen Patrick Smith. O.P. Smith had altruistic aims for the industry to stop the killing of the jack rabbits and see "greyhound racing as we see horse racing". In 1919, Smith opened the first professional dog-racing track with stands in Emeryville, California . The Emeryville arena was torn down in February 1920 to make way for

1131-457: The latter is now banned in most countries. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of the greyhounds on a rail until the greyhounds cross the finish line . As with horse racing, greyhound races often allow the public to bet on the outcome . Animal rights and animal welfare groups have been critical of the welfare of greyhounds in the commercial racing industry for many years which has contributed to

1170-401: The nearby urban locations of the tracks and the evening times of the meetings. Betting has always been a key ingredient of greyhound racing, both through on-course bookmakers and the totalisator , first introduced in 1930. Like horse racing , it is popular to bet on the greyhound races as a form of parimutuel betting . Greyhound racing enjoyed its highest United Kingdom attendances just after

1209-414: The parlor a surcharge taken directly from the winnings. Bettors in New York can avoid paying the surcharges by placing their bets via an off-track betting corporation's account wagering service or at so-called super branches or teletheatres that charge a daily admission fee. Other jurisdictions such as Pennsylvania do not levy a surcharge on winnings. Most booked bets are now placed with licensed services in

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1248-465: The reforms of the industries in recent years. A greyhound adoption movement spearheaded by kennel owners has arisen to assist retired racing dogs in finding homes as pets, with an estimated adoption rate of over 95% in the United States. In the UK, under the GBGB retirement scheme (introduced in 2020) greyhounds are ensured an approved GRS homing centre after racing. In many countries, greyhound racing

1287-412: The same time decrease illegal gambling activity, but one effect of the legalization was a decrease of revenue at racetracks. The 1978 Interstate Horseracing Act struck a compromise between the interests of horse tracks and owners, the state, and OTB parlors, and stipulated that OTB revenues were to be distributed among the tracks, the horse owners, and the state. Another stipulation was that no OTB parlor

1326-486: The site operator receives no profit from the betting exchanges—they make money from the increased traffic of customers and other creative methods. (i.e. cover charge, selling racing programs) There are approximately 70 off-track betting facilities that have been licensed in Ontario. There are also a number of racetracks located in Ontario. The Woodbine Entertainment Group is the most prominent organization, that owns

1365-528: The track and at off-track betting parlors, in an effort to make it economically viable to reopen the track. Weeks later, the track was purchased by Revolutionary Racing (later named Colonial Downs Group), a Chicago-based partnership that included gaming executives and Peninsula Pacific Entertainment , for a price of over $ 20 million. Peninsula Pacific later bought out the other investors, taking full ownership of Colonial Downs. The track held its first race since 2013 on August 8, 2019. In 2022, Peninsula Pacific sold

1404-531: The track's horsemen and the Commonwealth of Virginia, the track ran 40 thoroughbred dates. The schedule originally ran from June 12 to August 4, 2009, but was later moved up one week. This allowed the track to run live racing on Belmont Stakes day, June 6. The fall harness meet ran 36 dates, from September 8 through November 7. The harness meet was timed to end on Breeders' Cup weekend. Colonial Downs stopped scheduling thoroughbred racing from 2013, due to

1443-527: Was allowed to operate within 60 miles (97 km) of a track. Revenues at the track indeed lessened, but rather than fight off-track betting, the industry sought to increase its income via new ways of gambling, betting on the OTB potential, and came up with "exotic wagers" such as exacta and trifecta . Thus the industry's revenue increased even as the number of spectators at the track went down. At legal off-track betting parlors, if bettors win, they have to pay

1482-537: Was denied 2016 racing dates by the Virginia Racing Commission. In rendering their decision, commissioners stated that Colonial Downs "displayed callous disregard for the industry" when it surrendered its unlimited racing license in 2014. A spokesman for Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. said that all options to keep the track open have been exhausted. In April 2018, Virginia enacted a law to allow historical racing machines (similar to slot machines) at

1521-454: Was successful in cities and towns throughout the UK – by the end of 1927, there were forty tracks operating. Middle-class reformers were outraged, and the working-class delighted, with the emergence in the late-1920s of Greyhound racing as an entertaining new sport and betting opportunity. At first it seemed modern, glamorous, and American, but the middle class lost interest when working-class audiences took over. The working class appreciated

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