Nostalgia at demise of Preston's Greyhound track
Twenty years after the closure of Preston Greyhound Stadium, historian Keith Johnson looks back at memories from the track...
It is 20 years now since Preston Greyhound Stadium in Acregate Lane closed down after 55 years of racing drama.
Despite the passage of time, the days when greyhound races were held at the venue two or three times weekly are still recalled locally with much fondness.
Alex Ostranica, 60, of Moor Nook, trained greyhounds, taking them for long walks when he got home from his work as a hod carrier.
The dogs raced at the Preston track up to three nights a week from the mid-70s until it shut down.
He said: "It was matter of getting home from work and walking about eight miles every night.
"The track was full of characters which was part of the enjoyment of it all. It was us against the bookies, we wanted to pull one over on them.
"There were a lot of dishonest things. One bloke had a big, white dog and if he didn't want it to win, he would walk it to Blackburn and tire it out."
Greyhound racing began in this country in 1926 when the first track opened at Belle Vue in Manchester.
The sport soon became popular in Preston and particularly at Christmas with its Boxing Day meeting, so there was disappointment in 1936 when the Christmas holiday meeting had to be cancelled due to sickness in the kennels.
A typical night of greyhound racing on Boxing Day 1947 started at 7pm and eight races followed at 15 minute intervals, with such grandly named dogs as Shamrock Jubilee, Oak Tavern and Slow Ranger taking part.
Former greyhound racer Mick Cunliffe, 63, lives in Cemetery Road, just a few minutes walk from the track.
He said: "I got quite a few winners at Preston. We used to have Race of the Month. All the best dogs entered and we managed to win it with Gold Bar, the first dog we had.
"He only came in on reserve. Another dog turned up late so he entered and won.
"It won 200 which was a lot of money in those days."
The sport certainly flourished in Preston and a 10-race calendar became the normal fare with meetings held three times a week on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
It was a fast and furious way to lose your money with races taking barely 30 seconds to complete and spectators watching from the windows of the licensed lounge.
In the early days, the greyhounds ran on a grass track with straw, hay or peat put down during the winter months. Eventually a sandy surface was installed for the four-legged contestants.
When a winter freeze halted the horse racing, the greyhound bookies often enjoyed a flourish of betting because the track did not ice up.
Helen Wallace, 41, of Waverley Road, used to parade the greyhounds at the track with her friend Samantha.
She said: "It was a really good job.
"We lived nearby in Crompton Street and three nights a week we would be at the track. It was great in the summer, there would be a big crowd there, but it was cold and wet in the winter."
The owners got relatively little monetary reward for victory with a top purse of 40 and most winning dogs earning a 25 prize.
In fact, owning and racing a greyhound was not cheap 20 years ago with feeding bills of over 10 per week and the cost of a greyhound varying between 100 and 3,000 depending on its pedigree.
One well known local owner was Bob Nightingale who had three dogs, one of which was valued at 2,200.
The Preston track was run by the Boyle family of St Annes whose lease was due to expire in 1990.
Stadium owner David Webb said that the sale of the lease had been up for a year with no interest shown and consequently plans were submitted for a housing development on the site.
Following the final race meeting, the Preston Greyhound Racing Association kept up pressure to stop any housing plans being approved.
However, in July 1989 the bulldozers moved in ending any hopes of a return to greyhound racing.
Preston Council had been in favour of the racing restarting but months of neglect at the old stadium, along with vandalism, meant that the end was inevitable.
The days of gloriously named hounds like Rag Tag, Devitt's Pearl and Rainbow were over and the die-hard dog racing fraternity saw their beloved sport end its association with Preston.
Mick said: "It's a shame that the track has gone. I had a lot of friends who had dogs.
"We went to Blackpool after that ... but then that shut down too."
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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