When you think of iconic sporting arenas and venues around the world where history, and indelible memories have been created, there is literally a cavalcade of names to choose from.
From my personal favourite, the Sydney Cricket Ground, to its southern companion, the “G”; Wembley and Lords; Yankee Stadium and Churchill Downs; St. Andrews and Wimbledon; they can all stake claim to having been home to the most memorable moment in sports history, which of course is purely subjective and of a personal choice.
For many greyhound racing fans, Wentworth Park is their mecca.
Just a 5-minute drive from the bustling metropolis of the Sydney CBD, ‘Wenty’ has long been in the sights of the local council and State Government – they appear to be steadfast to reclaim the venue when the current Greyhound Racing lease expires in 2027 and return it to the wider community in the form of parkland.
The longtails have been an institution there since 1932, and in those 90 years since, thousands upon thousands have witnessed a plethora of canine champions literally, fly through the air. But it is not just ‘the dogs’ who have created history at Wenty.
In 1908, the foundation year of what is now the NRL competition, the Glebe ‘Dirty Reds’ played most of their home games there and in 1910, an Australasian Rugby League team defeated Great Britain before a crowd of 18,000.
The daredevils of the Speedway, which was an enormously popular spectator sport of its time, roared around the outside of the track from 1928 to 1936, while Wenty was also used as a base for community functions during WW1 and as a camp for American Soldiers during WW2.
My recollection of Wenty stretches back nearly 50 years, when life was much simpler, advances in technology were at a snail’s pace in comparison to today, but the memories created, indelible.
Some of those greatest recollections come as a 16-year-old, in 1976, when I was employed by a bookmaker who was plying his trade in the Paddock enclosure to sprint across to the Ledger, which was located on the opposite side of the track, with a fistful of cash and try to ‘lay-off’ on a dog that punters had backed with us.
In those days, communication between the Paddock and the Ledger was literally word-of-mouth and whoever had the fastest legs – bets of $5,000 and $10,000 were not uncommon when Sydney was seemingly awash with cash, and speed, both on and off the track, was the difference between a winning and losing night.
And like so many others, I too have great memories of some of the culinary delights of Wenty. The Ice Cream Van, which has long been a staple, has been enjoyed by human and canine alike.
Who could ever forget the Kebab stand at a time when our tastebuds were changing to accept foreign delights? And what about the Hot Potato Van? By God, those hot jacket potatoes with sour cream, bacon and chives were often worthy of a 3 Hat Michelin rating.
History will again be made at Wenty tomorrow night with the running of the world’s richest greyhound race, the Million Dollar Chase, and it seems fitting that what is the spiritual home of greyhound racing to so many, is also the home of a greyhound race which is life changing.
One…Million...Dollars...forget the monetary value, there’s just something about those three words that are totally captivating and all encompassing.
What’s more, the Million Dollar Chase is the ‘people’s race’ – it’s not one of these ‘Johnny-come-lately’ Slot Races where you need to stump up a hundred grand just to get a start – no, the Million Dollar Chase is a race where dreams and fairy tales are made and realised, and it costs you nothing, other than a fast dog, to get a start.
It’s a race where a 19-year-old rookie Trainer from the bush (Jai Opetaia based at Orange, has Agland Luai engaged in the final) can line up his charge against the likes of leading mentor Peter Lagogiane, who has already established the remarkable feat of winning two of the four Million Dollar Chase’s already run.
What’s more, Lagogiane has won both his Million Dollar Chase’s with greyhounds that have been adorned by the Black rug of Box 7, and yep, that’s the rug that his greyhound, French Martini, will wear in Saturday night’s decider.
We are closer to the end of creating memories at Wenty than we are to the beginning.
I still get excited every time I walk in there – I’ve been lucky enough to be up close and personal to witness some of the most memorable feats ever staged on the hallowed racetrack, and yet, if I close my eyes, I can so easily be transfixed back to the 1970’s, when thousands of punters of punters would take on a hundred bookies at a venue that was one of the ‘go-to’ places in Sydney.
The end of Greyhound Racing’s tenure where ‘the stars race under the stars’ may be nigh, but there’s still time for you to be a part of history and say you were there.
