Page 5 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW SPECIAL ISSUE 7 B

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 0 5

Greyhound Racing on the Continent
Here are 4 photographic shots by A. Pitcairn-Knowles
by A.P.K

A novelty in the field of sports—the first continental sighthound races—recently
took place in Ostend. The success exceeded all expectations, and from now on,
the sports-loving promoters of this world-famous seaside resort will hold large
international meetings every year, which are intended to bring the competitive
sighthounds from all parts of the world to compete on the green lawn. In
England, this sport is famously held in such high regard that the winner of the

Waterloo Cup, which could be called the derby of sighthounds, sometimes wins
the respectable sum of 50,000 marks. However, this is not an ordinary race over
a set distance, but the so-called “coursing,” which consists of two dogs
simultaneously beginning the chase of a hare and whoever is first to take hold of
its prey is declared the winner. A similar event is currently being planned by the

Belgians, who have very capable sighthounds and show great interest in this
sport. About a year ago, under the name "La Société du Club du Lévrier," a club
was formed that, hand in hand with the "Société Royale de Saint Hubert," aims
to promote both Greyhound sport and the breeding of these dogs. With their
first major event, these two associations achieved a brilliant success, and there
is no doubt that the demonstration of sighthound racing in an international
seaside resort like Ostend will result in such dog races becoming fashionable
elsewhere on the continent over time. It should be noted that we are dealing

here with a serious sport, not a mere pastime, like the experiments conducted
in Berlin at the time, where Dachshunds and, who knows what else, were
allowed to participate. There are actually very few dogs that are capable of
racing and training, and these primarily include Greyhounds and the so-called
Whippets, a mix of Greyhound and Terrier; in addition, at most, Borzois and

Terriers are also considered. In England, this area of the sport is already so
developed that, for example, in Whippet races, the dogs must be handicapped
according to their weight and the times are recorded precisely. In short,
everything is handled with the same accuracy as in horse racing, and the results
are generally at least as reliable as those in horse racing.

The Belgian sighthounds made their debut with a meeting that consisted of flat

and hurdle races. At the same time, they also wanted to test the racing talent of
the Borzoi and organized some competitions for this dog breed.