Stadium went to the dogs 30 years ago
THIRTY years ago, the stadium that hosted greyhound racing in the city for more than 50 years was knocked down.
It had been built on the site of the former County Gaol in Vernon Street, which had been demolished a few years earlier, leaving only the curtain wall and the imposing entrance.
Greyhound racing began in 1933 when Preston Greyhound Racing Association Ltd opened the stadium. The new track boasted two “very palatial” clubs, one on the grandstand side and one on the popular side.
Meetings were held three times a week, Mondays being the quietest night. Wednesdays and Saturdays sometimes attracted more than 1,000 people who passed through the turnstiles to pit their wits against the odds. The first and last races were regarded as the easiest to find a winner and were nicknamed Appetiser and Getting Out Stakes.
The sport quickly became very much part of the entertainment scene in Derby. A flutter on the dogs could often provide beer money for the night, or a lot more, depending on how knowledgeable, or lucky, you were.
Initially, the dogs came mainly from Ireland but soon many Derby folk joined them as owners. The stadium was unique in that it was the only one in the country that held handicap races, with hares running on the inside rather than the outside of the track.
About 100 greyhounds were kennelled at the stadium and some of them became great favourites with punters. The most popular was Keeper’s Remorse, which won 102 races from 409 starts and was runner-up on 98 other occasions.
In the post-war years, dog-racing boomed at tracks around the country. Even in the 1960s, attendances were still growing. But the heydays did not last.
The stadium hosted its last greyhound race in 1988. Despite much opposition, it was demolished but the Greek Doric facade was retained and now forms the entrance to an up-market development of offices and homes.