| Placing a couple of
quid on a four-legged flyer may not seem like a thrilling
way to spend the evening but you may be surprised at
the fun you could have ‘down the dogs’.
Whether you’re a first timer, novice or regular
high roller, Walthamstow Stadium [map] (as immortalised on the cover of Blur’s Parklife
album) is a great place to enjoy some greyhound racing.
And as with most tracks around the country, Walthamstow
Stadium has a bar and restaurant to help fuel your passion
for the sport.
Greyhound racing has been going on in England for centuries
in some form or another and began life as a sport for
noblemen. Today the sport has associations with the
working class although people from all walks of life
enjoy it.
Normal race nights are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with the gates opening at around 6.30pm, however there’s
also daytime racing on Monday and Friday lunchtime.
Unless you’re particularly interested in dogs, and
specifically greyhounds, then the fun of a night at the
dog track comes from trying to pick a winner. When you
arrive you can get a programme which not only tells you
when the races are, but who is racing in them and some
idea of recent form. Your job is to pick a winner,
by any means necessary - this could be as basic as liking
the look of the dog or picking your favourite number (from
1-6).
In terms of betting, this works in a similar way as horse
racing with punters being able to use straightforward
betting (i.e. betting on the dog to come win or to come
first or second) or the more complicated tri-cast and
accumulator bets. The onsite ‘Tote’ system
usually sets the minimum bet at 20p but if you’re
confident enough feel free to wave your notes at the trackside
bookmakers.
Depending on how daring you are, an evening down the dogs
can be one of the cheapest nights out you can have in
London and if there’s still cash in your wallet
at the end of the evening you can round off your night
at Charlie Chan’s nightclub [map] at the stadium itself.
|
