[Other Sport] Hove Greyhounds

[Lenny Rider]

Just seen that Crayford Dog Track had its last night of racing last month and the site is being sold for redevelopment.

To my shame haven't been to Hove Dogs since before Covid, used to love a night out there, and back in the day the restaurant was booked up almost a month in advance.

Had some great Albion themed nights down there, 40 Note fund* and both Kerry and Gary H had greyhound nights as part of their benefit seasons.

Anyone on here been recently?


*This was back in the day when I was working for someone else, one of my bosses took the company credit card and we ended up in The Pussycat Club in Hove, the next morning another one of my bosses got a call from the credit card company querying 'unusual spending patterns' in the Hove area after Midnight.

 

[PeterT]

I‘d go if Ballyregan Bob was running……

I’m actually amazed at how that place keeps running. A prime site in Hove, worth millions with planning permission, sparsely attended events. Surprised that an Archer/Stanley/Bellotti type combo haven’t come in and taken the wrecking ball to it, or similar. Glad they haven’t, but maybe it’s only a matter of time.

 

[Questions]

I used to love their soup in a basket cheap meal deals and free bet nights.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Haven’t been for a few years and was always a good night down there

Wonder if Chaz Miller is still going?

 

[dstanman]

Used to be a good night out, some beer and food and a £1 bet on each race. Not been for years

 

[amexer]

Like the rest on hear used to enjoy going. In fact was go to place for our family gathering on Boxing day when it was packed out. Good to hear from anybody who goes now to know if still well attended and quality of food. If I remember right somebody came to your table while eating and took bets.

 

[East Staffs Gull]

Like the rest on hear used to enjoy going. In fact was go to place for our family gathering on Boxing day when it was packed out. Good to hear from anybody who goes now to know if still well attended and quality of food. If I remember right somebody came to your table while eating and took bets.

The Tote girls did table service in the restaurant.
I had various jobs there in the late 1970’s.

 

[Chicken Run]

Like the rest on hear used to enjoy going. In fact was go to place for our family gathering on Boxing day when it was packed out. Good to hear from anybody who goes now to know if still well attended and quality of food. If I remember right somebody came to your table while eating and took bets.

Went for a sit down meal in the restaurant before christmas, no waiting list like there used to be to be, not packed, place was full of roudy spivs/chavs and the food was shocking, apart from that a great night!!

 

[Eeyore]

Hove dogs used to be a fantastic and cheap night out when I went in the early 90s. A few bets, scampi and chips in a basket, and you'd come home with change to spare.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I live just down from it.

You still see a decent procession of people walking up from the Hove Park Tavern on a Saturday evening. You also do get animal welfare protests outside from time to time.

Also the adjacent Corals gym is currently being demolished, with as far as I know no plans for building anything else there. With the number of flats going up in Hove, the pressure to sell that land when the lease expires must be huge. Dog racing isn't my thing, but at least it's a community public facility.

But you could build a lot of flats there and sell, or more likely rent them out, for a lot of money

 

[Johnny Byrne superstar]

Went for a sit down meal in the restaurant before christmas, no waiting list like there used to be to be, not packed, place was full of roudy spivs/chavs and the food was shocking, apart from that a great night!!

Sounds like it is going to the dogs...

 

[Charles 'Charley' Charles]

Attendances there are down, however a lot of the running and openings are subsidised, or paid for by betting companies who need races and events for people to bet on. Having worked there many years ago, and still have family employed there who've been there literally decades, the numbers are obviously nowhere near what they were attendance wise, but there are other streams of income that weren't there before.

 

[jackalbion]

Still a decent cheap night out I think, good fun!

 

[Brovion]

Yeah, add me to the list of people who used to love a night at the dogs but haven't been for years. Just worked it out and it's about twelve! Didn't realise it was that long. Used to go loads back in 'the day'.

My brother was a big dog racing fan. He was whatever the dog-racing world equivalent of a 'groundhopper' is. (A 'trackhopper'?) I remember him saying sadly a few years ago that nearly all the tracks he'd visited were now closed.

It isn't obviously nearly as big a sport as it used to be. A Fun Fact for you: at the 1966 World Cup all the matches in Group A (England's group) were scheduled to be played at Wembley, however the game between Uruguay and France was played at White City. The reason? It was scheduled for a Friday night, and Friday night was Wembley Stadium's dog racing night, and World Cup or not nothing took priority over dog racing.

 

[timbha]

Attendances there are down, however a lot of the running and openings are subsidised, or paid for by betting companies who need races and events for people to bet on. Having worked there many years ago, and still have family employed there who've been there literally decades, the numbers are obviously nowhere near what they were attendance wise, but there are other streams of income that weren't there before.

Yes. The big betting companies need something for the Asian markets to bet on every few minutes of the day and therefore pump money into places like HGS

 

[nsclurker]

I went a few months ago, and it's still a decent evening out but I can't pick a dog for love or money these days. I used to be the King of the reverse forecasts and combination trios, but that skill has gone. They still do the Tote service at the table, though, so I can give them my money more easily...

 

[Chicken Run]

Sounds like it is going to the dogs...

It was a load of Trap

 

[North of Robertsbridge]

But you could build a lot of flats there and sell, or more likely rent them out, for a lot of money

Hare today, gone tomorrow

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Used to go regularly as a kid, Dad would send me off to play in those strange concrete tunnels by the top bend. Was always a good night out in the 80's and 90's but I think the last time I went for the night out was about 10 years ago with a group from work and the food was pretty poor.

My last visit there was for a Speed Awareness course held in the lounge. I was surprised to find afternoon dog racing taking place on the same day so when we got a 15 minute break, while everyone else grabbed a coffee, I popped outside and managed to have a winning bet on a race! Didn't win enough to pay for cost of the Speed Awareness course though.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I used to work there as a teenager, as a steward in the car park - which for evening meets was always rammed.

We'd have to cone off a block of 4 spaces to allow access to the emergency gates. We'd always block out an extra few spaces on the same pretence, then take £5 bribes to remove them to allow late-arriving GEEZERS to park their big mercs.