GREYHOUND RACING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20472, 28 July 1928, Page 16

GREYHOUND RACING.

OVERCOMING BETTING BAN. LIVE INSTEAD OF TIN HARES. Greyhound racing with live hares replacing the electrically-propelled imitation animal may be witnessed at Mascot at an early date, says the Sydney Morning Herald. This decision has been arrived at by the Australasian Coursing Club, and building operations are in progress at the ground to conduct the races under the proposed new system. The decision of the Full Court declaring that the pursuit of a mechanical hare , by dogs was not coursing was followed by the Government’s decision that after July 7 betting would not be permitted at greyhound racing fixtures. Since then the metropolitan and country clubs have decided to continue their meetings, but it is recognised that without betting the attendances must decrease. At Mascot the directors of the Australasian Club decided that liN'e hares might be utilised to overcome the difficulty, and if the trials were satisfactory the fixtures at that arena would be coursing meetings within the meaning of the Act, and betting thereat would be legal. It is proposed to shorten the distance of races to less than a quarter of a mile, and the hares will be trained until they have mastered the idea of racing to the escapes. They will be given a long slip, and the chances of being caught will be very remote. If, however, an animal is run down before it reaches the escape, the heavy muzzles to be worn by the dogs w'l prevent them biting the hare, but attendants will be necessary to prevent injury to the hares. Instead of the dogs being placed in a cage, as at present, they will be released in a somewhat similar manner to that prevailing at live hare 'coursing' meetings, the eight dogs being slipped simultaneously by the release of a clip attached to the collars. The tests will be of speed alone, and the winners will be the dogs first past the post or leading when the hare is caught. The escape will be a short distance beyond the judge’s box, and as the hare disappears underneath into an enclosure the dogs will travel overhead, and be guided off the course t the centre of the ground. There may be some delay in commencing the venture owing to the shortage of hares. At the recent Liverpool Coursing Club’s fixture many of the hares cam# from Geelong, Victoria, but great diffi- ; culty was experienced in getting th e anij mals accustomed to their new surrounding I and some could not be used. At Kensington there has been considerable mortality ; among the hares, due to the excessive movement at that ground, which ha* , affected them, for it is generally recognised that the hare is eof the most timid of animals. The Australasian Club has arranged for a supply of hares from Kensington to conduct the preliminary trials but the demand cannot be met, and officials of coursing clubs have offered high prices for hares without securing the number required.