Greyhound racing conjures up drizzly nights with flat-capped old men with roll-ups dangling from their mouths, yelling at mangy old dogs hurtling around a bleak, gloomy stadium.

But that image is changing and greyhound racing is catching up with the world of horse racing, its more glamorous cousin, and reaching out to a wider, more diverse audience. Some of the best dogs are worth up to £100,000.

And the people of Sunderland have a chance to experience the excitement of a night at the dogs as the city is the venue for the prestigious UK festival of greyhound racing, which began on June 28.

The festival, which is being hosted by the Tetley's Sunderland
Greyhound Stadium, boasts the second biggest greyhound race in England,
the William Hill Classic, where the winner can get their hands on £40,000 prize money.

There are six dogs in this year's final, which will take place tomorrow night, including Sunderland favourite Bower Keane.

The dogs will race over 450 metres, which will be over in a flash as these dogs go like missiles.

To help me understand the significance of this race, Ian Walton, assistant operations manager at the stadium said: "These are the Ferraris of the greyhound racing world.

"The best dogs are coming from all over England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland to compete for a place in final of the William Hill classic."

He was clearly excited about the festival and was keen to encourage new people to come along to the race track.

"Greyhound racing is not just for old men – it is for everyone, and tomorrow night you will get the chance to see some of the fastest dogs in the country."

After speaking to the trainers, I learned that theses dogs were not your run-of-the-mill pet.

The greyhounds racing at this event are worth between £20,000 and £100,000 and they get spoiled rotten thanks to those price tags.

And due to the large sums of money on offer for tomorrow night's final you can expect to see some big crowds.

"It is only the second year that we have hosted the festival at Sunderland," said Ian, "But it is a massive event in the greyhound world.

"If you have never been before, tomorrow night's final is best event to go to if you want to experience it at its best."

The minimum bet is £1 so you don't have to spend a lot of cash if you don't want to.

Before the dogs race they are paraded in front of the crowd and introduced as though they are celebrities. They seemed to be enjoying it as much as the spectators.

For the novices like myself, inside the night's race programme is an easy guide to betting.

Even if you don't have money riding on the race, it's still a buzz watching the dogs line up and then tear around the track. It was clear that you don't have to be a greyhound fanatic to enjoy the thrill of the races.

* For more information on the UK Festival of Greyhound Racing at Sunderland Stadium visit www.subnderlanddogs.com or call: 0191 568 6200.


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