A Day at the Dogs in the Rain Distance, Is a Hypothetical Question
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7 Days 27 October 1971 sport Cindy is a fast black bitch with a nose for easy money. She spends a lot of her time chasing hares. Just over three years ago, she came into the White family’s life, and since then she has brought them a total of £40,000, most of it last year. “Cindy” is better known to grateful punters and angry bookies as Dolores Rocket, the fastest and cleverest greyhound since Mick the Miller, some say the greatest racing dog ever. The four White brothers, John, Bert, Len and Arthur, came to own “Cindy” through sheer luck. Until 1967, they were just bored decorators who shared a small and unsuccessful business. The most money they ever had in their joint bank account was £ 1,000 — more often than not there was hardly anything at all. The brothers are from the East End, having spent their childhood in West Ham. The decorating partnership was an attempt to break with the drudgery and poverty of their past. Ten years ago, they moved to Brookwood, a post-war town on the outskirts of Woking, but they quickly found that doing up suburban, middle-class houses was both boring and very hard work. Down in the doldrums, and pissed off with things, they decided that they needed a hobby — to take their minds of the plaster, buckets, and ladders. Naturally, their minds turned to the docks and dogs of their West Ham days. Their father, who had been a boiler man on the ships, was a keen spectator at the local dog track, and greyhound racing had been ingrained in the brothers’ lives since they were kids. So, just four years ago, they went to the The White family and their hardware David Reed Hackney dog sales and bought themselves a cheap bitch called Glencorby Carol. Nothing went right with her. She broke her toes in a trial, even before was expecting a brood of puppies. Part of the deal greyhound racing. The value of thè silver in the lot. Together, they picked up £2,800 from the she could be entered for a proper race. That meant was that the former owner should have the pick of trophy cabinet in the Whites’ living room is put at bookies alone — never mind the prize money. Len saving up for another year to get the next dog. the young bitches. When the puppies arrived there £2,000. Puppies from subsequent litters by “Come says “That night we drank champagne. It was the Bert admits that during this time he wondered if were five dogs and three bitches. One of the latter on Dolores”, the half brothers and sisters of the first time that I had ever tasted it. We had never they had not picked on the wrong hobby. A was white and brindle, the other two ebony black. wonder bitch, are worth at least £500 at birth. been able to afford that sort of thing before.” Bert greyhound cost £3.50p a week to keep in food as The former owner rang up to say that he wanted There were 14 of them playing in a pen in the added reverently, “Racing has always been a they have a. penchant for eggs and choice cuts of the larger of the black ones. The puny one turned Whites’ back garden when we visited them — family affair for us.” steak, and even broken-toed greyhounds have to out to be Dolores Rocket. £7,000 worth of little dogs. When “Cindy” is Two days after the Derby, they put “Cindy” in be fed. Just before the Greyhound Derby final this eventually retired from the race track, probably for the Essex Vase. All the wise guys told them However, the brothers say that they learned in year, the brothers turned down an offer of £7,500 around the middle of next year, her own litters not to do it. But she came from the wide outside, West Ham not to give up easily, and the next for her. She is now worth at least £12,500. On the will be worth even more. And, on top of all this, to the inside and shot on to win by 10 lengths, year’s dog did a lot better picking up £800. They dog-track, she has won £16,000 outright, more there is the bonus which the Whites have picked breaking all previous track records. spent £375 of that on “Come on Dolores”, who than any other dog in the entire history of up from the bookmaking fraternity. All the know-hows in the business had to admit Whether or not Mick the Miller could have that the Whites had got a super-dog. “Cindy”, beaten “Cindy” over 700 yards, her favourite unbeaten at 700 yards, is almost as smart over A Day at the Dogs in the rain distance, is a hypothetical question. sprints as well. Greyhound racing is full of flash But what is certain is that Dolores Rocket has guys who spend £ or more on a single dog, A cold wet day at Hackney; drizzle beating down Saturday, because he doesn’t get on with his wife of 2,000 course. She doesn’t know he comes here, so we brought her owners more cash than they could trying to get their hands on the best animal on the stadium: there are only 500 people in the ever have hoped to get in 50 years of painting and around. Dedicated breeders put in years of their can’t take his picture. crowd — mostly local working men: They all say plastering. Life at the Whites has, of course, been lives, trying to crack the Greyhound Derby 12.08 Tip the Hat is easily favourite on the the same: “Why do you think I come. To get away transformed by Dolores Rocket. formula with the pedigree books. None of them Tote Board. The bookies set up their frantic, from the wife of course.” “I don’t go to work on Granny White, who lives with the brothers at would have given much for “Cindy’s” chances. A shortlived betting market, and the blower boys in Saturday morning, I prefer the dogs to my old Little Paddocks, Victoria Farm, now has colour bitch when dogs tend to win the main classics a little box start sending the prices back to betting woman.” “When you get to my age, there’s no TV to watch. There’s a new car outside the front owned, bred and trained by a family of amateurs, reason to hang around in bed at weekends ...” shops up and down the country. door, and they are thinking of moving to a bigger undersized and unimpressive to look at, keyed up 12.09 Tip the Hat comes in at evens, and goes place because there is not enough space on the for her races in impossibly cramped quarters — out, through 11 to 10 to 5 to 4 . I take that price, farm for them and the dogs. Granny White’s “Cindy’s” chances were dismissed by the experts then there’s a lull in the market. Seconds before grandchildren have all become enthusiastic players as remote. the off, it picks up again, and the favourite shoots of “Odds On” — the new greyhound racing board out to 9 to 4 against. game. 1 2.10 The hare’s running. They’re off, round Granny sits in the front room whilst sleek the last bend in a flash, and passed the winning greyhounds slide in and out, or curl up in front of post in 525 yards and 31 seconds flat. Trap 4, Fleadh the coal fire. Most of the dogs are related to Silver, is an easy winner. Tip the Hat finishes “Cindy”. The family of pedigree dogs seems somewhere at the back of the field. inextricably wound up with the White’s own And now? “They don’t say they are jealous”, Somebody in the crowd collusively informs me family life. “They are so intelligent. ” murmurs Bert explains. “But I know that they are. I mean that the trainers fixed it all. “You’ve got to be in Granny, as one of them crawls onto her lap, “so four years ago, we couldn’t get near a track to give the know you see”. Mr. T. Jones, Fleadh Silver’s intelligent, they are just like humans.” our dogs a trial. But after “Cindy” won the Puppy owner, picked up £14 prize money for the dog’s “Cindy”, of course, is the favourite topic of Oaks last September in 28.15 seconds round trouble. The second got £3. The others £1.50. conversation. She is treated with doting adoration, Wimbledon, they was ringing us up, and asking us The kennel girl tells me that some owners like a child from a working class home who if we wanted to give the dog a trial. I mean its don’t even know their own dogs. She is deeply suddenly passed all the right exams. “Won the big always like that, isn’t it. If you ain’t got nothing, shocked by this fact. double easy she did,” says Granny, “and she you won’t get nothing! 12.05 The dogs are parading for the second leg We drink two cups of weak tea together in the would have won the Cesarewitch, too, if she Cindy is on heat now, and she has injured her of the Quinella Pool. The 15 year old school-girls dirty canteen. A group of local boys are plotting handn’t banged her leg.” leg, but in the new year, she will be back on the in white raincoats who lead the animals earn £1 betting strategy over ragged newpapers.