Gone to the dogs (Wimbledon, London)

Member Name: NCG1

Product:	Wimbledon, London
Date:	23/04/02 (457 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairly cheap beer, Fun, 50p bets

Disadvantages: Difficult to get there by public transport

A summer evening in central London. The thought of returning to a hot flat with no garden is unappealing. All the pubs with decent gardens are full to bursting point. Where can you go to chat with your friends and drink cheap beer in the fresh air? To the dogs!

Yes, really. I thought greyhound racing would be indoors and smelly, with loads of very dodgy looking men in macs, and a few desperate-looking people losing more than they could afford. But its not like that at all.

Wimbledon greyhound track provides a fun evening out. There are two sides: posh and not. Getting into the posh side costs £5.50, and the beer is around normal pub prices. Getting into the other side is cheaper (about £3.00 from memory) and the beer is almost at the £1 a pint level. However, on this side there isn't any indoor seating which gives a view of the race so its no good if the weather is bad, and you're on the wrong side of the track to see the finish. Also, the last few times I've been, I've been completely unable to find the entrance to the cheap side (one oval building, two entrances, it really shouldn't be that tricky...).

The entrance fee for both sides includes a booklet which tells you when each race is, and what dogs are running. It even has a key to explain the strange numbers and abbreviations, so if you want to have a serious look at a dog's form (this is before you've taken advantage of the cheap beer) you can. Personally, I usually cheer for the dog with the wackiest name. ;-)

There are 15 minutes between races, which gives you a nice amount of time to look at the information on that race, place a bet, go to the bar or just chat. The lowest bet is 50p on the Tote - so it really can just be played for fun. The Tote is basically everyone's 50ps added together, and its interesting to watch the odds changing as more people put bets in. If you're brave, you can bet with the proper bookies by th
e side of the track, but the minimum bet there is £5, which is a bit more serious.

Before the race, the dogs are paraded in front of the stand, and then they're put in their starting cages (a bit likes the ones used for horses, but smaller, obviously). Then the mechanical hare is started, and whizzes around the track. Once the hare (which, on close inspection, really shouldn't fool any self-respecting dog) passes the start gates, the cage doors are released and the dogs run out. They go surprisingly fast - if you don't keep your eye on your dog (go on five-dog, go on, fiiiive-doooog etc) you will find it difficult to work out how its doing. Sometimes the races involve hurdles, which is particularly fun as the dogs look as though they're flowing over them.

About few minutes after the race finishes, the official results go up on the big scoreboard, and then you can either collect your winnings or go to the bar to drown your sorrows.

If you're there for the whole evening (races are usually 7.00-10.30) you may get hungry, so food is available. Jellied eels are a specialty, though they smell *awful* and I have no idea why anyone eats them. There are also more normal burgers and chips, which are perfectly OK and don't give you food poisoning, though they're definitely not the best I've ever eaten.

Unfortunately, getting to Wimbledon greyhound track by public transport is a bit of a pain. Its right between two stations (Wimbledon and Tooting Broadway). Haydons Road is actually the nearest station, but it doesn't really count because the train service there is awful (the wrong branch of Thameslink) and anyway its still a good 10 minutes walk. I would recommend going to Wimbledon and getting a taxi, unless you have a map and feel like a longish walk (20 minutes on pavements, going briskly). By car, you just need to look at a map - the building itself is easy to spot and there's plenty of par
king.

The people who go to the dogs are a big mixture - right through from families with small kids (who learn about odds surprising quickly when their pocket money is involved) to groups of friends. The atmosphere is pleasant, although if you're bothered by some swearing its probably not ideal. I'd highly recommend it as a summer evening expedition with a group a friends/ family.

Summary: