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Prague,
August 18, 2011
Hello,
we are preparing
another article on greyhounds and greyhound races.
It
should be a little more general character.
Therefore
I would like to ask you, as an expert t, a few questions:
1) At what age greyhounds begin racing (I think it's in seven months)
and in what age do they usually end?
What
happens to them after their racing careers ends (in some countries are left to
sleep ... as it is with us?)
According to the code of the
Czech Greyhound Racing Federation (CGRF), which is based on the rules of
professional code of racing tracks together in the World Greyhound Racing
Federation (WGRF), our greyhounds begin to collect his first racing experience
after the age of 15 months.
They
train and race on a track 87
m long, and then run on a 300 m long. At the age of 18 months they train and
race on a 300 m and 525 m. They train on these tracks and race to the end of
their 5 years.
Greyhounds in good condition practice and
race on the track 300 m long, up to their 8 years.
Then greyhounds end racing and
spend time with their owners. Greyhounds guard a garden, an apartment and perform the difficult task - a companion of man.
From my own experience I know that Greyhound hears
anyone walks around the villa and he reliably warn the owner. Greyhound is a
great guard dog with an extremely excellent hearing and a great companion at
the home.
Owners of dancing dogs,
draft dogs, hunting dogs, etc., when dog is older and serve no longer hearing or eyesight, they cannot get rid of
their dogs.
If the owner cannot dance with his dog,
the male continues his companion.
Similarly, owners of racing greyhounds
associated in the Czech Greyhound Racing Federation stay with their dogs after
racing career and do not relieve the greyhounds and they are still their beloved
home companions.
I know from the media that
in some countries are animals in detention centres or shelters they left them sleep,
when they cannot find owner for them. I think I even saw this happening on the
television report in Slovakia.
My oldest greyhound Naya lived to the
venerable age of 15 years and my old friend. Andy from Měňany will be 11 years
old and in the Praskacka he runs as a youth.
The condition is excellent, you can still try it.
As a senior, of course, he runs only as his strength on
the track just 87 m. And without using a mechanical lure - just call Andy and
he start happily running to the finish line.
2) What kind of people the greyhound breeding and racing pays?
Because I'm greyhound racing
breeder and the Czech Greyhound Racing Federation don’t associates greyhound
breeders, but the greyhound owners, I know what type of people dedicated to
breed greyhounds.
In our organization is racing greyhound
owners represented in the professions: lawyer, company director, athlete,
worker, technician, entrepreneur, saleswoman, etc. The ownership of a greyhound
is a hobby, not a profession or social status of the owner.
A certain limit is enough free time and money, the only
limit on our ability to then the owner of a greyhound follow our rules that
allow only one running at a greyhound track per day.
And it is a
bsolutely necessary love your dog and don’t prefer of
your ego before your greyhound health.
3) What is the best feed and usually costs much (about CZK 100 000)?
Most greyhounds in the Czech
Greyhound Racing Federation whether racing or already not running, enjoying
some form of feed produced by the Irish Red Mills manufacturer, which is specialized
in racing animals - dogs or horses.
We use food Red Mills Racer, Red Mills
Tracker and Red Mills Excel.
Prices of
greyhounds are different.
In the domestic market are prices for
greyhound puppies ranging from 10.000, - CZK to 25.000, - CZK abroad (eg USA,
Australia, Ireland, etc.) are prices for greyhound puppies from 10.000, - CZK
and above. In the greyhound auction you can pay astronomical sums even
exceeding 100.000, - CZK.
4) What is the best breed?
Because I am not the breeder
but the owner and trainer, I cannot answer for breeding of greyhound.
But my own greyhounds or greyhounds of my friends that
are from the federation feel like in cotton. Greyhounds have a good race track
with sand tilted turns that save their joints. Near by the tracks they have
their houses, the racing paddock, where they can rest in peace before or after
the race.
Greyhounds also have their great
wellness facilities, which include bubble bath on feet, magnetic-therapy, and
so on they also use the treadmills.
Some members of the federation, including
me,
indulge to their greyhounds relaxing
swim in the pool.
5) How is it with comparison with other countries?
What
races are there and how they response among people?
In the Czech Republic
Greyhound Racing we operate on an amateur basis.
We cannot compete with the
countries where the greyhound races national sport is.
It is a broad topic, which cannot express one or two
sentences.
In the countries where is
this national sport there can be in
stadiums
10
- 20,000 visitors.
In
the Czech Republic are audience mostly relatives and friends of greyhound
owners.
6) What about the construction of the stadium in Prague?
How
much will it cost, approximately?
Multi-purpose sports stadium
in Prague - Motol is built for different kinds of sports and will also include
greyhound racing oval.
Building investor is a Moravian joint-stock
company and its investment costs will be exceeding more than 300 000 000
CZK.
According to the
representative of the contractor's work, the company Berger Bohemia, Inc.
from Pilsen would be acceptance in December of this
year.
I learned that this building will compete in design competion “Building of
the year”.
7) What led you directly to the greyhounds, how long will it spend and
how many you own?
I have always been an active
competitor, athlete and artist.
I've always liked animals.
Greyhound Racing meet all the aforementioned criteria.
They are competitors, they love sports and they are beautiful
art of nature.
I own several greyhounds and I devote them
more than 25 years.
As t
he president of the Czech
Greyhound Racing Federation (CGRF) I have employed since 2003.
The greyhound racing track is in Praskacka I personally
attend all the workouts and races from 2004 to nowadays.
I come there in the season, sometimes twice a week from
Prague.
If it is needed at the
racetrack I perform various functions, such as racing manager, moderator,
starter, wire baits, techniques, editing tracks, etc. Physically, I'm working
on the racetrack and in the cultivation of technical, eg import a new sand,
etc.
I personally own three greyhounds
and my wife another.
However, I have the same warm
relationship with all greyhounds even if they are the property of other owners.
I think it is somehow also as their own, because I
always personally present their first steps on the track, their growth and
their performance, also the celebration. After races I watch to race
records from single camera to sanother that stay along the oval. Then I can help other greyhound owners. From my
instinct aroused several songs about greyhound racing, in which occur the names
of the greyhound that are racing on the track Praskacka.
I could have put there only the names of my dogs or my
closest friends dogs, the reality is that the author of the text to my songs
ideological design, said: "I get there almost everybody according to your
wishes."
8) Do you have some competition in the CR?
If
so, there is more rivalry among themselves or working together?
In the CR there are several
organizations involved in of racing greyhounds. These organizations do not
cooperate.
However, if necessary, we can help.
Eg.
after the floods and flooding race course
in Lednice our racing organization has contributed financially greyhound
organization in Lednice breeders association to renew their turf, and also
support a foreign organization that small amounts of financial and some of our
members.
When they came for me,
representatives of the racecourse in Mlada Boleslav, with a request to examine
and weigh the possibility of starting boxes before their supreme racing
championship in MB, I said "Come on, gentlemen. Our path is yours."
I did not and still do not
consider other racing clubs as the competition.
We only have a different racing philosophy. Eg.
our racing rules allow only one running at a greyhound
track per day, some clubs allow greyhound more runs per day.
We endorse only runs greyhound racing track in sand,
other clubs on a grassy track.
Czech greyhound breeders, greyhound owners and trainers from other
organizations we also helped with our federation by our achievements and the
financial support of the Czech book market appeared Czech version of English versions of the book written by professional
trainer of greyhounds Mark Sulliwan.
This book was given the name CR
Greyhounds - Greyhound Unbeatable.
It is a nonfiction book, which in our
book market lacking.
Members of other clubs and
competitive knowledge-it can draw.
The owners of this wonderful publication
sent us many letters of thanks.
Our racing organization is a
rarity in the Czech Republic, since it is not a member of the Czech-Moravian
Canine Union (CMKU), or any other canine organization in the CR, but it is a
globally active member of the World Greyhound Racing Federation (WGRF), which
deals with professional racing sport.
Thank you very much for
helpfulness and for answering questions
Sincerely
Vladimir Pohorecký
ČTK
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