Towcester Greyhound Stadium
 View of Towcester Greyhound Track from the main grandstand | |
| Location |
Towcester Racecourse, Watling Street, Towcester, Northamptonshire |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°07′25″N 0°58′12″W / 52.1237°N 0.9701°WCoordinates: 52°07′25″N 0°58′12″W / 52.1237°N 0.9701°W |
| Field size | 420 metres (1,380 ft) |
| Surface | Sand |
| Opened | 6 December 2014 |
Towcester Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track located within Towcester Racecourse at Towcester in Northamptonshire, England.[1]
Opening
Towcester opened on 6 December 2014 becoming the first track in Britain to open since the 1995 openings of Harlow and Sittingbourne. The idea of a track inside the horse racing course was created by Lord Hesketh the racecourse owner and Chief Executive Kevin Ackerman. Former Walthamstow Racing Manager Chris Page, Deputy Racing Manager Andy Lisemore and Steve Cale were recruited to run the operation. [2]
Construction
At a cost of £1.5 million the 420 metres circumference circuit was created by laying down 60,000 tonnes of soil so that the greyhound racing surface met the horse racing home straight at a level setting, resulting in a six-metre rise. The bends are very wide which assists the occasional eight dog race. The kennels were constructed inside unused horse stables and new trainers included five times champion trainer Mark Wallis, 2011 champion trainer Chris Allsopp, Kevin Hutton and Matt Dartnall. The distances are 260, 480, 655, 686 and 906 metres and the first race was won by 4-1 shot Fairest Royal trained by Wallis. [3] A big screen situated on the home straight is new feature to greyhound tracks.
Achievements
- Trainer Kevin Hutton won the prestigious Trainers Championship in March 2015. [4]
- Hutton retained the title in 2016 joining a select group of trainers to win more than one title. [5]
- The track was crowned the BAGS National Champions at Perry Barr Stadium in December 2015. [6]
Track records
| Distance | Greyhound | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 260m | Cloudbursting | 15.00 | 01.02.2015 |
| 480m | Forest Twilight | 27.59 | 22.08.2015 |
| 500m | Mossvale Ace | 29.24 | 24.05.2016 |
| 655m | Billys Bullet | 38.90 | 08.02.2015 |
| 686m | Vanrooney | 40.97 | 08.02.2015 |
| 906m | Droopys Cottage | 55.17 | 08.08.2015 |
| 485mH | Razldazlnewstalk | 28.41 | 18.08.2015 |
References
- ↑ "Track Search". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
- ↑ "Towcester opens greyhound track in £15m redevelopment". BBC Sport.
- ↑ "Results". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
- ↑ "Chelsea Glass GTA Trainers' Championship - Sittingbourne". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
- ↑ "Hutton again". Greyhound Star.
- ↑ "Towcester are the champions". Greyhound Star.
- ↑ "Track records". Greyhound Data.