So, what does greyhound racing mean in a state that some Illinoisans consider to be their ”national park”?
Not much, from a vacationer`s point of view. Greyhound racing is just another reason to visit Wisconsin, a state that has clean air, bird watching, beer and brats, fishing, camping, hunting, hiking, historic B & Bs, factory outlet and designer shopping centers, water parks, Indian ceremonials, circus parades, lakefront festivals, fish boils, golf, archery, lakes (”15,000 good lakes and two great ones,” the Wisconsin state tourism ads crow), boating and milk and honey.
If all goes as planned, Dairyland Greyhound Park, the nation`s largest dog-racing operation, will open Friday in Kenosha . . . or face a $25,000 per day penalty. Barring flooding rains, the facility will open on time, according to executives on the scene.
That performance bond is just one of the stiff conditions the dog-racing fraternity faced in Wisconsin, which earlier had stolen some of neighboring Illinois` Lotto thunder by tying its own state lottery into a multi-state drawing that could result in a mega-million-dollar pot even bigger than Illinois` $42-million payoff on May 19.
With riverboat gambling on the 1991 horizon in Illinois, Wisconsin legislators acted faster to cater to its gambling adult visitors and residents. Already open and offering daily (except Monday in most weeks)
programs of 15 ”performances” (races with pari-mutuel wagering) are dog tracks in Lake Delton near Wisconsin Dells and in Delavan near Lake Geneva. They are both seasonal.
Kenosha intends to run year-round, relying on its location just off Interstate Highway 94 at Wisconsin Highway 158 to attract mostly Chicago-area players.
Expect 3.5 million
Dairyland`s first-year attendance estimate is 3.5 million, which would mean more than $350 million would be wagered-and taxed by the state. That conservative projection is based on gambling patterns at existing dog tracks where the ”handle” (total betting) averages more than $100 per admission.
Wisconsin racing board officials are in attendance at every track on every racing day. State officials have the final say in certifying the results of each race and ruling on the condition of the dogs and the track.
A state veterinarian, for example, supervises the weigh-in and after-race urine sampling. A change of 1 1/2 pounds either way over the registered racing weight or an injury are two reasons dogs can be scratched from a performance. There are several ways to bet on the dogs. First is the traditional win, place and show for straight bets on first-, second- or third-place finishes. Then there`s the ever-popular daily double (picking the winner of the first and second race on one ticket bought before the first race).
Now the gimmicks begin. To win the quiniela (misspelled quinella by thoroughbred tracks, according to one of the dog-track execs) you must pick the two greyhounds finishing first and second in either order in any single race. At much greater odds (and a resulting heavier payoff), there`s the trifecta, in which the player must pick the dogs that finish first, second and third in the precise order chosen.
The Pick Six requires that the winners in six consecutive races be chosen. Bets are in $1 increments. If no one hits all six, 75 percent of the total Pick Six pool carries over to the next program and 25 percent is divided by the players who came closest. The Pick Six rollovers at each track are expected to create the biggest pools and heaviest play as the seasons progress.
No betting required
A day or evening at a Wisconsin dog track need not involve a single bet. You can just go for the color and action-a 31-second race every 12 minutes or so. Admission is $1 and unreserved grandstand indoor seating is available. Food choices range from Wisconsin brats and walleye to what`s promised to be gourmet dining in the club houses.
”Just-watchers” inside the stands can view the live action, review earlier races, drink in TV-saturated sports bars, read in lounges, play electronic games or go outside and buy drinks and picnic fixin`s for consumption at trackside.
It takes a lot of dogs to make this all go. Because of its purse sizes, Wisconsin had more kennels apply than could be accommodated by its first three tracks. Twenty greyhound kennels of 60 dogs each are maintained adjacent to Dairyland`s mammoth operation. A dog in his or her racing prime will run every three or four days.
Racing greyhounds drop in class one level after three or four consecutive finishes ”out of the money.” (Being in the money means finishing first, second or third in an eight-dog race.) Eventually, of course, there is no level left and non-winners are retired, or go to smaller tracks.
In the past in some states, the end of a greyhound`s racing career has meant ”disposal” (destroying by bullet or gas) of the losers and some lame dogs. That`s not the case in Wisconsin, where the tracks offer on-site adoption centers that screen families who want to provide homes for the
”retired athletes.” (Greyhounds are said to be docile, child-friendly pets who sleep a lot; the muzzles they wear during races are for
distinguishing ”noses” in photo finishes, not because of any tendency to bite.)
Live-lure training banned
Racing-dog breeders and trainers also are under Wisconsin injunction to shun live-lure training, another issue in Southern greyhound states. The lure that is used at Geneva Lakes is a ”bone” nicknamed Bucky that is controlled from high above the track. The bone is kept in sight of the lead dog.
Violating the no-live-lure rule-rabbits are used in some areas-can get a trainer banned for life in Wisconsin. That`s a heavy penalty: Wisconsin will be second only to Florida (which has 18 tracks) in greyhound racing when its fourth kennel club opens Aug. 2 in Kaukauna, between Appleton and Green Bay.
(On July 1, 1991, the fifth Wisconsin track will open in St. Croix Meadows in Hudson in the Minneapolis metropolitan area.)
Here`s what you`ll find at the three kennel clubs:
– Wisconsin Dells Greyhound Park, which opened April 30, provides families with yet another activity in an intrinsically lovely area that has been carnivalized over the years. The $8.4 million track with a 2,100-seat enclosed stadium is on Winners Way, at the intersection of I-90/94 and Highway 12 (Exit 92). For information on dates and post times, call 800-RACING-5.
There are matinee and evening performances beginning at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. through Nov. 18. Promoters say they don`t expect many Chicagoans to be in their audience, but those who find ourselves in the area are welcome to attend.
– Geneva Lakes Kennel Club, which opened May 25 at the intersection of Interstate Highway 43 and Wisconsin Highway 50 in Delavan, is the Rolls Royce of the three tracks. In addition to theater seats, reserved-table grandstand and a tiered clubhouse-all with unobstructed view-Geneva has hundreds of strategically placed TV monitors. And there`s a room with telephone links that allows players to view tapes of any races run this season.
Interiors are finished with hardwoods and fine furniture. For non-race fans, there is a cable-TV sports bar, an electronic game room, souvenir stands and a variety of food sources, self-serve or provided at reserved tables in the grandstand and clubhouse.
An entertainment suite atop complex is available to private parties of up to 45. That may be the precursor of rooftop luxury boxes, if the May 25-Nov. 25 season is successful.
Geneva Lakes (800-477-4552) is open six days a week. It`s closed on Mondays, except for Memorial Day and Labor Day. Matinee (1 p.m.) programs are run on Sundays and Tuesdays, evening (7:30) performances on Wednesdays and Thursdays and matinees and evenings on Fridays and Saturdays.
– Dairyland Greyhound Park, just off I-94 on Hwy. 158 in Kenosha, has more acreage of paved parking, some of it free, than most facilities have in total space. The facility can handle 17,500 patrons. Last Sunday, construction and electronic-installation crews were working to complete the massive interior. For more information, 800-233-3357.
Bus shuttle service to Dairyland from several pickup points in Chicago and Gary and Hammond, Ind., is available on all race dates. Call 800-DOG-TRAK for boarding locations, costs, departure times and other scheduling information.
