Wheeling greyhound-racing track beats the odds to thrive
Even with racetracks, location matters.
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack has managed to skirt a trend that caused other gaming centers to close greyhound racing operations.
Tracks in Arizona, Wisconsin and Massachusetts recently ended dog racing, bringing to seven the number of casinos that ceased operation in the past year. The sagging economy was mainly to blame.
Not so at the track in Wheeling, W.Va., about 60 miles south of Pittsburgh. There, crowds remain strong. Even in bone-chilling, 14-degree weather, fans turn out to cheer on the athletic canines as they whip around the track, sometime reaching speeds of 45 mph.
"It's considered the creme de la creme, the ultimate track in racing," said Marci Anderson, president of Steel City Greyhounds, an organization in Shadyside that works to place retired racers with families. Many of the greyhounds Anderson adopts out have raced at Wheeling Island. "If your dog makes it there, he's good."
The track, opened in 1976, has gained a reputation as a premier stop for greyhound racing. Kimberly Florence, the casino's marketing director, credited that in part to the gaming center's lucrative payouts.
Geography and tradition might play a role, some experts say. It's the only dog track within a 300-mile radius of Pittsburgh, and one of the oldest in the country.
"The strongest markets often are those that have had it a long time and have a more-established history," said Marsha Kelly, spokeswoman for the American Greyhound Track Operators Association in West Palm Beach, Fla. "The tracks with financial problems typically are those with a competitor somewhere in the landscape. That's not the case (at Wheeling Island)."
There are 36 racetracks nationally, but none in Pennsylvania. Fourteen are in Florida. Experts say other racetracks might close, perhaps even this year, because the recession crippled them.
Races at Wheeling Island run daily, and twice on Fridays and Saturdays. Although there are no live races on Tuesdays and Thursdays, patrons can bet on televised races simulcast from other tracks. About 150 greyhounds compete on a given day, though as many as 500 are available to run. The Wheeling Island casino houses a regional chapter of Greyhound Pets of America, which places more than 100 greyhounds into homes each year.
Renee and Joe Glover of Peters have been greyhound loyalists since adopting Titus, their red brindle greyhound, a former racer, a year ago.
"He looks like a tiger," said Renee Glover, 37.
Pet adoption agencies in the Pittsburgh area, which take dogs retired from Wheeling Island, expect to be flush with greyhounds as tracks close. That could pose a challenge, because the pool of prospective dog owners has thinned.
"People have had to move, downsize from houses to apartments," said Elaine Pensenstadler, adoption coordinator for Going Home Greyhounds. "It's become harder for some to afford the care that's necessary for (greyhounds)."
Anderson placed 52 greyhounds with adoptive homes last year, tracking with previous adoption years. One of them was Titus.
Pensenstadler's agency in 2009 took in 33 "returns" — greyhounds brought back after families adopted them. In previous years, returns numbered 12 to 15.
Adopting a greyhound isn't like picking a pet at a local shelter. Prospective owners must undergo a series of interviews and read handbooks on animal care. Agencies sometime tour a family's home ahead of time. The process can take a week or two for first-time applicants.
And patience is necessary.
Many greyhounds are raised in warehouses and on tracks, groomed specifically for racing. Teaching them simple tasks, such as walking a flight of stairs or sleeping in bed, can be cumbersome.
"There's a lot to learn about them. ... You can't open your door, let them out and expect them to come back," said Susy Durso, secretary and treasurer for GPA/Three Rivers Greyhounds Inc. in Wexford. "Unless you can run 45 mph, you're not going to catch them."
Additional Information:
About Wheeling Downs
Opened : 1976
Track capacity : 5,000
Track seating : 2,500
Minimum age : None, with parental supervision; must be 18 to place a bet and 21 to enter casino
Track length : 440 yards
Track width : 20 feet
Stretch distance : 522 feet
Straightaway distance : 262 feet
Track composition : Sand, silt and clay
Record attendance : 6,872; Aug. 19, 1995
Source: Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack
