Lurcher racing

[stunsworth]

This afternoon

M8, 28mm Elmarit

L1012482-lurcher.jpg

[vdb]

Great moment. Greyhounds?

[stunsworth]

Lurchers, they a cross between a whippet and a greyhound. Personally I'd have called the breed a grippet.

[semrich]

Steve, I like how you captured the expressions of the owners and the blurred motion of the dogs as they start. I've never heard of this type of race before, it makes me wonder what keeps them in line until the finish.

[stunsworth]

Richard they chase a lure that's attached to a wire. The wire is wound in from the finish line and the dogs chase it like crazy.

[andybarton]

I hope you've more of this Steve, because this is really interesting.

I saw something similar about 30 years ago in Bucks but that was just a stmble across

Where was this?

[stunsworth]

Andy, it was at a place called Gin Pit which is only about two miles from where I live. It's a pit village that no longer has a pit, but after some bad times in the 70s it now appears to be on the up. The racing is in the grounds of the old miners' welfare club. There are some old photographs here...

GinPit Village Community Website Old GinPit Pics

I'd actually gone to meet a friend at a motorcycle show at another former coal mine a mile of so away at a place called Astley when I saw the signs for the show. I didn't take too many photographs at the dog racing because it started raining heavily about 20 minutes after I arrived.

Here's another shot from the dog show and a photograph of my friend Alan - he doesn't dress up like this all the time, honest!


L1012468-lurcher-02.jpg


L1012411-mask.jpg

[stunsworth]

Another shot from the dog racing...

L1012461-ferret.jpg