Page 56 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW SPECIAL ISSUE 7 B

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 5 6

Coat of arms, created by the artist Gerster, from
Riehen, a place near Basel, Switzerland, owner of
the Whippet kennel “vom Mohr,” on the occasion of
the “Ersten öffentlichen Windhundrennen” on
September 14, 1924, in Bern, Switzerland.

In 1934, the first race was organized in which the dogs ran behind an artificial hare. Until

then, they were released at the start and were supposed to run to their owners, who
were standing at the finish line shouting and waving. Needless to say, not all dogs ran as
“hare-fast” as they should have on the (straight) track!

In 1935, the first race on snow took place in St. Moritz, with the dogs still running on a
straight track.

The racing regulations, which were amended in 1953, stated, among other things, that

seven dogs were allowed to start at the same time; for Whippets, this number was even
eight! And that the bend radius of an oval track had to be at least 30 meters (which was
something new).

The first ‘official’ UICL races took place on June 27, 1954, in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Participation was open to Whippets, Greyhounds, and Borzois. There were 44 Swiss, 8
Dutch, and 13 German dogs at the start. The Dutch dogs won 3 of the 6 titles up for
grabs!

In 1956, the photo finish was introduced for the first time, by Longines (a brand that is
still well known today). The fastest dog in the final was awarded the title; previously, it
was the fastest dog of the breed/sex that won. This time did not necessarily have to be

achieved in the final.

In 1960, the UICL board created a new title: UICL champion for beauty and performance.