Apart from hydrobathing (for soreness reasons) the day before maybe, I never thought of washing a dog on raceday. This may be where I went wrong for all of those years. I do remember someone (4 or so decades ago) hydrobathing their dog (was to become an outstanding dog) several times on raceday as part of a process to get it beaten that night. They had another one in it (not in their name) that they backed. Yes, the "deaden" did after having its muzzle squashed into its mouth when being put into the boxes, clearly miss the start but it still managed to circle the field and win by 6 lengths. The other one, they backed, was unplaced. I didn't know about this before the race and backed the winner that blew from 7/4 to 5/1. I found out immediately afterwards when I was momentarily happy (for them) but they were not.

Yuthapinaboy mate,

I have been following greyhounds since 1966 and have seen many things and heard many things especially back in the early days.
I thought that having a greyhound back then was cool (as they say in todays world) But knowing what trainers were doing to their dogs to either win or lose sorta put me off.

Times have changed and the sport has gone to the TAB under the control of the government, and things have got somewhat better. Thats why I now have my first dog knowing that I sorta have an equal chance and I like it that way and are very happy.

coops

Coops, what you have said sounds fair enough to me. Always being essentially an enthusiast, this sort of activity is not something in which I have ever participated: have never "fire along" a dog or "pulled up" one. However, I have been the victim of having a dog 'knocked off" in the raceday kennels (staggered around tailed off) and also having the hare driver try to beat a dog by suddenly slowing the hare down on a sharp turn (she almost fell losing significant ground but still won). It is the stuff in the immediately preceeding sentence that, to say the least, really @&##%d me off. Fortunately today, with more frequent swabbing, improved kennel security and in the case of hare driving, filming of all races, this sort of activity, I expect, is virtually non-existent. From your perspective, Coops, you are participating in the right era so I say, "good on you, enjoy every minute of it".

in this day and age there is no such thing as "running dead" the feed and travel bills are to expensive and its very hard to get a decent bet on with the lack of bookmakers and the one's who still attend meeting arnt obliging to a decent bet. here in vic its hard enough to get a run,you hear storys about well perfomed dogs going to quallies just to built there form up. Another example is geelong monday half money races, you have grade 5 dogs running 25.60s for $300 because they cant get a run any where else.

I wasnt around in the good old days but storys ive been told blow my mind....something's do not change tho,"running dead" is finished but running "topped up" is still well alive.

Nick, I honestly can't comment one way or the other about the "topped up" thing these days but you are spot on about the other stuff. No bookmakers and betting on the TAB make it not viable to be messing around with regard to "deadens". It was only a matter of 5 or so months ago that this old bloke (older than me) was trying to tell me at the Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club that he had, quote "been watching Mantra Lad in his recent starts (on Sky Channel 1000 kms away) and that the trainer had definitely been messing with him". This was the night when he murdered the opposition in the Vic Final of the National Stayers Championship in a track record equalling performance. As an enthusiast I was excited to see him perform so well, I like Mantra Lad, good dog. There was no way you could even reason with this idiot as to why the connections would mess around with such a wonderful dog and in races that carried first prize money such as $25,000 and where would you get enough money on anonymously in future races, to make it worthwhile or get the appropriate "sling" from bookmakers. It made no financial sense in the short or the long-term and I was aware that the trainer had been having cramping problems with the dog. You just can't reason with people like this, they don't know what they are talking about.

Yes nickg you are right in saying "topped up" is still alive, but not to the extent of what it was back in the old days. It's like eveything else, the authorities will catch up with the unswabable stuff soon. In the meantime me and me dog are good mates and having heaps of fun trying to beat our rivals in a truley great sport.

coops