History was made at Dunstall Park Greyhound Stadium on Friday night as the UK’s first brand new track to be built in more than a decade opened its doors to the public for the first time.
Racegoers turned out in force to be part of the venue’s first customer fixture, years after Arena Racing Company announced plans to build a new track and months after ground was first broken on the multi-million pound facility.
Simon Deakin’s She Can Dance won the first of 12 races on the night after pacing up well to the first bend to clock 28.67 seconds over the track’s standard 480m trip.
There was significant interest before racing too as Irish superstar Droopys Kathleen trialled a fortnight before the £20,000 Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks begins. The May ’23 white and black bitch clocked 27.82 – more than half-a-second faster than the present track record – and will likely return next week to run in a trial stakes.
Chris Black, General Manager at Dunstall Park Greyhound Stadium, said: “It’s great to finally welcome racegoers trackside.
“This development has been years in the planning and underlines Arena Racing Company’s commitment to the future of greyhound racing in England.
“We have a busy few weeks planned with the prestigious Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks starting in a fortnight where Droopys Kathleen is likely to headline a star-studded line-up. We’d encourage anyone yet to experience the thrill of the chase to join us trackside and be part of our exciting launch.”
Among those with winners on the night was veteran trainer Robert Hall.
The 64-year-old Overseal handler has been attached to greyhound racing since turning 12 and now cares for 70 greyhounds with the support of a team of full and part-time staff.
He watched Antigua Lumiere win the second race and Glenrock Ace take race four.
“It’s brilliant to be up and running,” said Robert. “The track is fantastic and the facilities for the greyhounds and ourselves are great.
“Some of the greyhounds have taken to the new track like a duck to water, for others it will take a bit more time.
“But they’ve all been running the bends well and we’re delighted to be part of the story.”
Bookmaker Richard Dunn was trackside too and was delighted to be part of launch night.
He said: “It’s great to be involved, and it represents an exciting time for the sport.
“We saw a lot of faces from Perry Barr, and new ones from tracks we’ve visited previously. Obviously the Oaks headlines the first month and Droopys Kathleen’s run in the pre-meeting trials caught everyone’s eye.
“We’ll be here through the competition which will hopefully pull a decent crowd in.”
Greyhound racing continues at Dunstall Park on Wednesday and Friday evenings through 2025 with general admission slashed to £5. All U18s attend for free.
Further information is available online via www.dunstallpark-greyhounds.co.uk
