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The Most Dangerous Bit Of Racing?

I think their is very little wrong with the way we are doing it now the only thing that might be suspect is how long the runout is if you have a long runout the lure driver can slow the lure down but if you have a small runout it is not possible to slow it down.

I went to the sporting champs at the weekend and i thought the runout and the lure driving was second to none they must have had at least 40 /50 yds runout and it was not watered so i think it is important to have as long a runout as possible.
 
It doesn't seem to be a problem Mark, the dog's have slowed on the run off, and do look for the lure, and have a dig at the box, but they don't hit it as it is out of reach by the time they get there. as you say, speeding the lure will be the most challenging problem. I would love to see Ian's idea though. It is good to try out new ideas. I do believe that we should endeavour to facilitate change for the better, you can't do that if no-one is willing to trial a different approach.
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Sadly I await the post's about dog being injured after hiting a daft box at the end of the track.

having raced Greyhounds/Whippets for over 20 years i've seen (and tried) most things.
 
A long run off may give the lure driver an oppertunity to slow the lure, but I'm not sure that slowing the lure, slows the Whippets. With long run off your dogs are running extra distance and if there are 4 rounds this may be significant for the Final.

Any thing on the track (Box or Rag) may not reduce the runner keenest to get to the lure. I have seen races where a fault with the lure has resulted in the lure going round the 'end pully' and off to the lure machine. The dogs tried to jump the netting to get to the lure.

I've also seen (more than once) with the lure machine at the end of the track (no end pully) and the lure runs straight into the machine followed by the dogs - results cut faces. The lure driver may jump infront of the machine and risk a broken leg, but it does not deter the runners.

I've also seen owners pick-up their runners who may have just won a race being hit by runners who are late into the lure. In addition to this you get people at the pick-up with other dogs unmuzzled picking up dogs - not very safe I think you will agree. :blink:

Keep the suggestions coming in - it will make a good article!
 
Rob Rixon said:
A long run off may give the lure driver an oppertunity to slow the lure, but I'm not sure that slowing the lure, slows the Whippets.  With long run off your dogs are running extra distance and if there are 4 rounds this may be significant for the Final.Any thing on the track (Box or Rag) may not reduce the runner keenest to get to the lure.  I have seen races where a fault with the lure has resulted in the lure going round the 'end pully' and off to the lure machine.  The dogs tried to jump the netting to get to the lure.

I've also seen (more than once) with the lure machine at the end of the track (no end pully) and the lure runs straight into the machine followed by the dogs - results cut faces.  The lure driver may jump infront of the machine and risk a broken leg, but it does not deter the runners.

I've also seen owners pick-up their runners who may have just won a race being hit by runners who are late into the lure.  In addition to this you get people at the pick-up with other dogs unmuzzled picking up dogs - not very safe I think you will agree.  :blink:

Keep the suggestions coming in - it will make a good article!

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To be quite honest if you take the amount of races that go on up and down the country every Sunday you do not get that many injured dogs at the finish if you start putting boxes on the track you are asking for trouble as they will run into a box as it was stated by Hannah in a previous thread so in the end imo if it aint broke dont fix it.
 
I can imagine the resistance that the rag-racers put up when someone suggested that dogs chasing a lure would be safer.
 
:- " Mark Roberts,

so do you have a positive suggestion to make??

I'm not being cheeky.

Having read every word and having a junior 4 years experience i don't think there is an answer unless all the dogs could be made to respond the same every time.

which seems unlikely, i feel. :blink:

And every one, Heather's Harry winning is not dangerous but it's a bit worrying for those of us that race at his club cos our dog's are gonna get their arses kicked by the world's best looking whippet!!

lol. Sorry for posting it just got carried away. :b

I've got his sister, who Won't race' by the way. lol

and if she does deign to run... she just skims the lure and run's home so no danger to her which makes me very happy lol

but my boy's are a little over enthusiastic which is why i've followed this thread closely.

But i feel if experienced peep's don't know the answer there prob's isnt a good answer. Sigh.
 
[SIZE=21pt]MARION[/SIZE]

But i feel if experienced peep's don't know the answer there prob's isnt a good answer
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Exactly, this is something thats been gone over many times, the best answer so far is the large sheet for the lure to run under but thats far from perfect but it helps and isnt an object stuck up for the dogs to hit at 30mph (can you imagine the amount of broken legs and dislocated shoulders you'd see if clubs started useing a box to cover the lure! even a well padded 1.

unfortunatly people new to the sport come into it and immediatly look for ways of changing things, they often think they can adapt greyhound racing ideas over to whippet racing? with some things you can but Greyhounds/whippets have a totaly differant drive instinct and although 99% of greyhound will pull up safely when a box is placed over their lure 99% of whippets wont and will hit the box as hard as they hit the lure.

(thats not to say new people to racing cant/dont bring some good ideas into the sports)

in reality very very few serious injuries are actualy caused at the lure stop point, mostly the odd scrapped pad or a slight limp from a knock untill the dog walks it off.

I can see far more serious injuries caused by the use of a box/tube ect than we currently see now.
 
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Personally I don't think a sheet or blanket works very well either. There is still a pile up of dogs looking for the lure and unless its a good long way past the line it can change the result because quite a lot of dogs slow up as soon as they see it. Others don't slow up though and they just plough into the dogs that have.

Now how about if all the dogs wore velcro boots and we had a big sheet of it on the ground after the line. Or velcro race jackets and a skate board ramp thingy covered in the stuff which we ran the lure up. You could just peel your dog off at the end. :lol:
 
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(w00t) (w00t) Brillant idea Judy, that would also stop dogs running back !!! The imagination is in overtime picturing all of them stuck until they were picked up (w00t) (w00t)
 
Judy said:
Now how about if all the dogs wore velcro boots and we had a big sheet of it on the ground after the line. Or velcro race jackets and a skate board ramp thingy covered in the stuff which we ran the lure up. You could just peel your dog off at the end.  :lol:
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:lol: Love it

I really like the idea of multiple lures at the end of the track - are any clubs prepared to try this and report back?
 
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Mark Roberts said:
[SIZE=21pt]MARION[/SIZE]
But i feel if experienced peep's don't know the answer there prob's isnt a good answer
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Exactly, this is something thats been gone over many times, the best answer so far is the large sheet for the lure to run under but thats far from perfect but it helps and isnt an object stuck up for the dogs to hit at 30mph (can you imagine the amount of broken legs and dislocated shoulders you'd see if clubs started useing a box to cover the lure! even a well padded 1.

unfortunatly people new to the sport come into it and immediatly look for ways of changing things, they often think they can adapt greyhound racing ideas over to whippet racing? with some things you can but Greyhounds/whippets have a totaly differant drive instinct and although 99% of greyhound will pull up safely when a box is placed over their lure 99% of whippets wont and will hit the box as hard as they hit the lure.

(thats not to say new people to racing cant/dont bring some good ideas into the sports)

in reality very very few serious injuries are actualy caused at the lure stop point, mostly the odd scrapped pad or a slight limp from a knock untill the dog walks it off.

I can see far more serious injuries caused by the use of a box/tube ect than we currently see now.

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Can someone tell me what is wrong with the way we have been doing this thing for years.
 
Spot on Rob, almost all injuries that result in long term lay-of or retirement occur at the finnish. I was lucky enough to own two very fast Pedigree whippets in my time in pedigree racing 1970-83. namely flying Scott and Arctic scott. Both wewre finnished racing before thay wwere three years old. Flying scott retired due to two toe amputations and four other toes that kept dislocating, I kept him as a pet untill he passed on at 13 years old. however Arctic scott was put to sleep before he was 30 months old. Fying scott was completely crazy for the lure and would do umteen sumersaults at the finnish tring to stop on a sixpence, hence the toes. However Arctic Scott was a lot safer on the lure as he used to over run then come back, this is how his racing days were ended. I took him to Wokingham for a handicap meeting and Jed got in the final at 19lbs. the red box weighed 30 lbs. we were of levels, I knew Jed would win the race, but was worried that he would over run and the big dog would hit him comming back to the lure as he finnished, so i asked the lure man to check the lure if my dog was way in front. The ends result was he was way in fron he did not check the lure, and the big dod did hit Jed head on comming back. This resulted in a complete shoulder dislocation and all nerves severed. I took him to Provessor Poll at Potters bar, after six months in a body harness I tried Jed again he ran two races. One in the feds at Oxford on the straights at 18lbs his lightest ever, he made the final and came third I think, next race his shoulder came out again, and I had him put to sleep rather than amputate at two years old. What a sob story, but I had grat days with both dogs before the injuries. Getting back to the finnish, the only way to stop the dammage is look at greyhounds the lure is shot on 60 yards in front of the dogs at the race end, hence the dogs almost walk over the line, and they are at the end off thier limit, finnishing slowly, we stop the lure when our dogs are flat out.
 
looking at MARIONS post, new commers changing things. no serious injuries, its obvious you have not had a dog that has pace and a brave heart. Secondly greyhounds do run longer distances. but they only run once so a second race is never given a thought. so they can run farther, resulting in slow finishnig dogs. We run 3-4 even 5 with reruns so we are looking at the less we overun at the end the more we save the dogs energy for the next race, end result even after 4 runs our dogs are finishing at the lure to fast to stop in the distance without being injured. Fact. Marion I wish you luck and hope you get a open class winner that has a long racing life, you will be one of the very lucky if you do.
 
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Just to make my point clear if you ran a race over 150 yards with greyhounds not only would they hit the box at the end they would probably run over the fence into the crowd killing hundreds hence the long run off.
 
Scotty said:
Just to make my point clear if you ran a race over 150 yards with greyhounds not only would they hit the box at the end they would probably run over the fence into the crowd killing hundreds hence the long run off.
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ernie and i have been racing whippets for over 25 years and some of you know our dogs are usually mad for the lure - we had one called lets go and he was the maddest dog for the lure that we knew - he raced at wokingham as well as finsihed his career at the grand old age of 12 and lived to the ripe old age of 16 - he sustained no toe injuries - nor if fact have any of our dogs - most of the injuries at the finish are usually caused beforehand with lots of free running and then made worse with the pull up at the finish or sometimes the injuries are caused before the finish - who is to know really - any way we have never had any worries about the finish - only maybe sometimes the pull up is a bit short - but if anyone thinks its too short then u have the choice whether to run or not.

o:)
 
well said chris neil and i remember lets go verywell . like you said he was mad for the lure. has was our sciroco star .spent many a night at the pickup trying to get the muzzle from around her teeth and gums .i dont know if we were just lucky :luck: but has you know we ran at least 4 or 5 dogs on a friday night. and in all our years raceing we only had 1 dog foxy lady that had to retiire due to toe injuries at the pickup .neil also worked with greyhounds for many years and dosent think you can compare the two.must admit like judys idea :)
 
Now how about if all the dogs wore velcro boots and we had a big sheet of it on the ground after the line. Or velcro race jackets and a skate board ramp thingy covered in the stuff which we ran the lure up. You could just peel your dog off at the end. laughing.gif
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LOL ....Now that could actually work :lol: ........Carmel and myself have a cunning plan up our sleeves ......Just have to see if it works :D
 
Scotty said:
looking at MARIONS post, new commers changing things. no serious injuries, its obvious you have not had a dog that has pace and a brave heart. Secondly greyhounds do run longer distances. but they only run once so a second race is never given a thought. so they can run farther, resulting in slow finishnig dogs. We run 3-4 even 5 with reruns so we are looking at the less we overun at the end the more we save the dogs energy for the next race, end result even after 4 runs our dogs are finishing at the lure to fast to stop in the distance without being injured. Fact. Marion I wish you luck and hope you get a open class winner that has a long racing life, you will be one of the very lucky if you do.
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(w00t)

I didn't post that lol o:)

that was him replying to me. :thumbsup:

I think the box idea is daft and i wish we had a bigger field so that we could have the long run off cos that,s the most sensible idea on here :cheers:
 
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