The Born to Run. Ryan Reed

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СКАЧАТЬ selling the racetrack or dismantling it, the lumber entrepreneur kept the facility—an ownership that has remained in the Weaver family ever since.

      By 1930, five Greyhound racetracks were operating in Florida, including the Seminole Kennel Club in Jacksonville, the Biscayne Kennel Club in Miami, and the Miami Beach Kennel Club in nearby Miami Beach, along with the racetracks in St. Petersburg and Tampa. None of them was officially sanctioned by the state; nor were the competing Thoroughbred racetracks. To legalize pari-mutuel wagering in the state and thus prevent local sheriffs’ departments from raiding and shutting down the racetracks, operators of both sports teamed up and pushed for a bill, which was signed into law in 1931.

      On December 1, 1934, the Hollywood Kennel Club, located just south of Fort Lauderdale, held its grand inaugural race in subfreezing temperatures normally associated with places like North Dakota and Minnesota. A fledgling operation at first, the racetrack had an opening-night wagering handle (the collective amount wagered by patrons) of just under $14,000—a low figure by most standards. By 1940, however, the racetrack would be earning purses several times higher than realized in its founding days.

      Less than a year after the inaugural race, on November 4, 1935, a Category One hurricane known as the “Yankee hurricane” made landfall near Miami Beach, causing significant damage to the Hollywood Kennel Club track, as well as to several kennel buildings nearby. At the racetrack, a nearly 100-foot-tall sign collapsed from the wind, roof sections were blown off the grandstand, and several windows were broken. The worst damage was inflicted on the kennel buildings, where some fifty dogs perished in the storm, leaving breeders and trainers heartbroken for years afterward.

      World War II brought significant challenges to the sport of Greyhound racing in the Sunshine State; these included gas rationing, the departure of breeders and handlers to either fight in the war overseas or work in essential industries, and a general downturn in gambling, all of which had a strong negative effect on Greyhound racing. The Sarasota Kennel Club simply shut down for the duration of the war. The other Florida-based racetracks, including the St. Petersburg Kennel Club, struggled to stay open during the war. Out of necessity, they found innovative ways to bring patrons to the grandstands. Because of gas rationing, the only realistic means for people to reach the St. Petersburg racetrack was to ride a bus that, unfortunately, stopped a mile away from the facility. As a stopgap solution, racetrack officials rounded up a small fleet of open and covered wagons powered by horses or mules and even a pair of electric carts to transport patrons to and from the bus stop. Other than walking the long distance, these wagons were the only means of transportation to the racetrack. The effort not only helped the racetrack keep grandstand seats full, but more importantly, it also allowed patrons a means to enjoy themselves with a night of racing.

      With World War II finally over, stabilization came to Florida’s Greyhound racetracks as America transitioned out of its wartime economy. The Sarasota Kennel Club was reopened by Jerry Collins for the 1945–1946 seasonal meet. In 1949, Derby Lane—formerly the St. Petersburg Kennel Club—demolished its original 1925-era wooden grandstand to make way for a new one constructed of steel and concrete. Almost three decades later, in 1977, the racetrack replaced its original veranda clubhouse with an additional enclosed grandstand.

      Topiary, the art of fashioning living plants into ornamental shapes, was a popular feature at the Tampa Greyhound Track. The racetrack opened for business in 1933 and operated until 2007. It was a strong community supporter; during 2003, it donated over $250,000 to local charities.

      Derby Lane continued to flourish in more recent decades. On March 4, 2006, it hosted the first annual Derby Lane Million—the richest stake race in Greyhound-racing history. A total of 9,343 patrons jammed their way into the racetrack to watch two-year-old Grey’s Calibrator win by a nose. On March 3, 2007, two-year-old Flying Stanley won the second annual million-dollar stake by less than a half second. Today, fourteen Greyhound racetracks continue to operate in Florida—far more than in any other state.

      With more Greyhound racetracks than any other state, Florida understandably has a large number of adoption organizations working to find homes for retired racers—roughly thirty groups in all. The Greyhound Pets of America network includes seven chapters ranging from the Pensacola area, peppered throughout the pan-handle, to West Palm Beach in the south.

      At the Palm Beach Kennel Club, the racetrack works closely with volunteers of the Greyhound Pets of America’s Florida/Southeast Coast chapter as well as with the Greyhound Adoption League. The Greyhound Adoption League has found homes for several hundred retired racers to date while the GPA’s Florida/Southeast Coast chapter has seen several thousand Greyhounds pass through its adoption program during its long history. With so many Greyhounds ending their racing careers at Florida racetracks, many retired racers are transported out of the area to adoption organizations as far away as the Pacific Northwest.

      A VISION OF SUNSHINE | photogallery

      Best known for its two champion Greyhounds, Talentedmrripley and Cayman Went, the Bahama Mama breeding farm raised roughly sixty puppies each year—enough to fill a racing kennel—until shutting down its operations in 2006. The breeding farm, which was owned by Donna Moore and Francesca Field, was built near Ocala, Florida, from the ground up in 2002.

      Greeting each other like the old friends that they are, Donna and eight-year-old Oneco Littlefoot share a moment inside an enclosed pen. During his rookie year, the 64-pound speedster won eleven races and was a finalist in the 1997 Gold Trophy Juvenile stake race at Derby Lane. After retirement, Oneco Littlefoot remained with Donna and Francesca to live out his life as a beloved pet.

      When Sugar, who was never registered with a racing name, was three months old, her front leg was broken—probably from her mother’s stepping on it—and had to be amputated. Instead of being put to sleep, Sugar was kept at the breeding farm as a pet. She is able to run at high speed with other Greyhounds and function normally in every regard. Sugar acts like any of her four-legged counterparts, even hogging a couch when it’s time to relax.

      Six-month-old puppies whelped from Oshkosh Slammer and Libby’s Star waste away the afternoon in their own private canine clubhouse at Suncoast kennels after a morning full of running and playing. On the wall in the background, a well-placed waterspout works similarly to a drinking fountain for pups wanting a cool drink.

      Just down the road from Plant City, Florida, and situated in lush green surroundings is the aptly named Suncoast kennels, owned by Randy and Deneen Ward, who started the breeding farm in the summer of 1989. Of the 140 Greyhounds that call Suncoast home, thirty-five are retired racers being cared for until adoption organizations can take them.

      Deneen makes her rounds with a box of large dog biscuits for all 140 Greyhounds—racing and retired alike—exhausting the entire box in less than fifteen minutes. After eating his treat, three-year-old retired racer Eeyore (Atascocita Quake–OR, SO) shows Deneen his appreciation by pressing his nose against hers while showing off his big smile. Eeyore’s sweet СКАЧАТЬ