Page 31 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW SPECIAL ISSUE 7 B

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 3 1

France

In France, too, sighthound racing had a difficult start, but the sport developed more and
more from 1920 onwards. The first race was organized by Eugène Chapus in Bagatelle on

November 28, 1879. The first coursing club was founded in 1890 in Boulogne-Billancourt.
A highly readable article from 1929 in L'Illustration provides an insight into the sport in its
early years (this issue page 8). Pay particular attention to the description of the Sloughis!
The article also makes a clear distinction between sighthound racing and coursing. The
latter is a sport only for amateurs and would not be understood by the inexperienced
French public…. Unlike in England, betting on these races was not (yet) permitted in

France in 1929. The description of the electrically powered hare, attached to a steel cable
(!), makes today's enthusiasts frown. As well as the fact that the hare first completes a full
lap, once the dogs have been placed in the starting boxes, before they are allowed to
start! And 8 boxes instead of the 6 of today.

In the 1920s, there was a growing interest in sighthound racing, which resulted in the

creation of several societies (Le Lévrier- Club of France in 1925, the Encouragement
Society in 1928, for example) wishing to benefit from the same organization as horse
racing companies in order to organize pari-mutuel betting at their dog track. It was the
project to create a credit fund for local authorities, they would benefit from the betting
by a levy rate of 11%.

In 1933, a decree authorized pari-mutuel betting on greyhound racing was in place. Only
one group was authorized to organize pari-mutuel betting at the only greyhound track to
be developed in Courbevoie, and for only 18 years, and was approved as the "parent"
society for greyhound racing: the Society for the Encouragement of Sighthound Racing in
France and the Colonies.

1920-1930 Art deco era, “Flat racing” bronze trophy
medal by C. Charles