Advice On Racing

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Hello all,

I was looking for a bit of general informantion regarding racing. I have a young pup that will be starting schooling next week and I've no idea how she will turn out. She is certianly keen enough but is from coursing stock so may not be fast enough to win at racing - only time will tell.

Basically, I am new to racing and am just trying to learn about how everything works. I am quite keen to get involved in the racing even if its just for fun abd would like to know the structure of the racing championships.

Whats the differance between an open and a WRCA event? how does a dog become a racing champion? does it need to be a club champion to qualify for the WRCA events? or is it open to any dog with a passport?

I'm not trying to get ahead of myself here or get carried away. However, I am genuanly intrested as it would be nice to travel down south and meet people from other clubs etc.

thanks.

 

[June Jonigk]

Hello all,
I was looking for a bit of general informantion regarding racing. I have a young pup that will be starting schooling next week and I've no idea how she will turn out. She is certianly keen enough but is from coursing stock so may not be fast enough to win at racing - only time will tell.

Basically, I am new to racing and am just trying to learn about how everything works. I am quite keen to get involved in the racing even if its just for fun abd would like to know the structure of the racing championships.

Whats the differance between an open and a WRCA event? how does a dog become a racing champion? does it need to be a club champion to qualify for the WRCA events? or is it open to any dog with a passport?

I'm not trying to get ahead of myself here or get carried away. However, I am genuanly intrested as it would be nice to travel down south and meet people from other clubs etc.

thanks.

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Well first of all, well done for chosing to race your whippet. She may not be the fastest whippet coming from coursing stock, but will be sure to give you some fun. If you enjoy racing, you will most likely (as the rest of us have) go for a racing bred pup next time.

The WCRA are the governing body of pedigree whippet racing. Most, but not all clubs are affiliated to the WCRA. To race at an open (put on by the various clubs), or a WCRA Championship, your dog will need a passport. The passport needs to be endorsed by an official of your racing club to say that your dog has passed it's proving trials. This means that it needs to run cleanly with other dogs.

The WCRA run 4 Championships a year, 2 bends and 2 straights. A dog needs to win it's weight group at 2 of these events to become a Whippet Club Racing Champion (WCRCh). Dogs of 6-10 years old can race as veterans - I say 10 years old, but the ruling is that the dog must still be 9 years old on 1st March to be able to run that season. Veterans need to win one weight group final to become a Veteran Crown (VC). There are only 2 Veteran Crown meetings each year, and they are held at the straight Championship meetings.

So, the first thing to do is join a club (if you haven't already :thumbsup: ) There are two pedigree racing clubs in Scotland - you will find details for both under the Pedigree Whippet Racing title - which shows you all clubs. :thumbsup:

Your pup can trial behind a lure from 6 months old, and obtain a passport to race from 12 months old. Some clubs allow the dogs to race with a puppy handicap a little before 12 months (all club rules vary).

Hope that helps - don't hesitate to ask if you need any further info. Good luck with your pup :luck: