Greyhound racing in Ireland
Greyhound racing is a hugely popular sport in Ireland and is also mainly responsible for breeding the greyhounds that are sold to UK racing.
There are 22 stadiums in Ireland, they have a Parimutuel betting tote system with on-course and off-course betting available.[1]
History
Greyhound racing as it is seen today has evolved from a sport called coursing. The sport of greyhound racing in Ireland takes place mainly in Southern Ireland but is also popular in Northern Ireland.
Stadiums
- Ballyskeagh
- Clonmel
- Curraheen Park
- Derry
- Drumbo Park
- Dundalk
- Dunmore
- Enniscorthy
- Galway
- Harolds Cross
- Kilkenny
- Lifford
- Limerick
- Longford
- Mullingar
- Navan
- Newbridge
- Shelbourne Park
- Thurles Park
- Tralee
- Waterford
- Youghal
Competitions
There are many types of competitions in Ireland [2] but the primary race is the Irish Greyhound Derby held at Shelbourne Park. Along with the English Greyhound Derby and Scottish Greyhound Derby they are considered the big three in greyhound racing.
A new recent addition is the Northern Irish Derby that was inaugurated in 2010, it is not considered as prestigious as the Irish Greyhound Derby.
Other major races include the Easter Cup, Irish Cesarewitch, Dundalk International, Irish Grand National, Irish St Leger, Irish Laurels, Irish National Sprint, Irish Oaks, Irish Produce Stakes and the Trigo Cup-Ulster Derby.
Graded Racing
This is any minor race staged at a track, and prize money is varied. This kind of racing is the core of most stadiums.
Racing Jacket Colours
Greyhound racing in Ireland has a standard colour scheme.
- Trap 1 = Red with White numeral
- Trap 2 = Blue with White numeral
- Trap 3 = White with Black numeral
- Trap 4 = Black with White numeral
- Trap 5 = Orange with Black numeral
- Trap 6 = Black & White Stripes with Red numeral
A racing jacket worn by a reserve bears an additional letter 'R' prominently on each side.
References
- ↑ http://www.igb.ie/
- ↑ Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.