History of greyhound dog racing part 1
The sport of GREYHOUND (DOG) RACING today was derived from the ancient sport of coursing. Coursing in itself means the pursuit of running game with dogs that follow by sight instead of by scent. Such dogs, having exceptional speed, were used in the pursuit of wild game as far back as 5000 B.C. Of these, the greyhound has proven best suited to Dog Racing as it has developed as today's sport. Early racing of greyhounds was also known as coursing and today some of this terminology is used in naming races at a track, such as Flagler Course," "Southland Course," etc.
Greyhound activities can be traced back for centuries through prose, poetry and art. The general appearance of the greyhound and its speed have been consistent characteristics for thousands of years. From drawing and inscriptions found in ancient tombs in Egypt it has been determined that the greyhound was owned and used for the pleasure of the nobility of the era. It is said in some circles that Cleopatra was the "First Lady" of the greyhound.
Apparently the migration of the greyhound occurred in the Middle ages as history places them in Rome and then in the British Isles. One could probably attribute the fact that greyhound racing is known as "The Sport of Queens" to its English ancestry. The first coursing organization was the "Swaffham Club" started in Norfolk, England in 1776 by Lord Orford. A code of laws for coursing was written by Thomas Mowbray, the Duke of Norfolk under the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Coursing increased in popularity and by 1836 the "Waterloo Cup" was established and it became the most widely attended coursing event in the world. With the increased interest in greyhounds, the formation of coursing clubs grew in England and Ireland.
Interest had spread to the United States, or what there was of it at the time, and in 1896 the National Coursing Association was formed. Strangely enough, coursing in this country appeared in the West and Mid-West, not on the East Coast as one might think. The greyhounds were used with antelope instead of rabbits in the first described coursing events. Coursing with thehare or rabbits came into its own in Nebraska and South Dakota where rabbits were plentiful. Public sentiment against killing of rabbits in coursing events brought about the use of the mechanical rabbit or lure. The first attempts to use a mechanical lure were made in England in 1876 and in this country in 1907.
