As I write this, it’s 4 degrees outside with a stiff wind. I know I’m going to have a hard time getting myself out to the car to go to the track, but I’ll do it. I’ve gone over my program and there are a few good bets on it worth braving the cold for.
When I took MY dog out this morning, she took as little time as possible to do what needed to be done and then raced back in to lie in front of the wood stove. That got me thinking about how winter weather has an effect on the dogs I bet on.
1. Like me, dogs have a harder time getting started when it’s cold. Dogs who break may not break as fast. Cold muscles aren’t as quick to react as ones that have been warmed up.
2. Dogs who close may not close as well. Like the dogs who break, the closers are handicapped by muscles that are fighting the cold as well as fatigue at the end of the race.
3. The wind can have a big effect. If the wind is blowing toward the dogs, it can slow them down. If it’s blowing with them, it can help them. So if you know that the wind blows against the dogs in the stretch at your track, expect closers to be a little slower. If the wind blows with them at the break, expect breakers to have the edge.
4. Wind creates noise. It blows things around like papers and other debris. Because greyhounds are sight hounds, they can be distracted by these things. A piece of white paper or a bouncing foam coffee cup blowing across the track can look like prey and take their mind off the lure for a second. Sometimes, this is enough to make the difference between winning and losing.
5. Extreme cold can aggravate old injuries, blow dirt into greyhound’s eyes and chill them due to their lack of body fat. Greyhounds are like any other athlete. They’ll give it their all, but it’s harder to make the effort when it’s extremely cold and they’re uncomfortable.
So, what can you do with this information? Should you stay home from the track for the winter? Bet on Florida tracks until spring comes to your part of the country? Not necessarily.
I still use Graded Greyhound Handicapping to pick dogs in the winter, but I keep an eye on the weather too. I know that cold weather can have an effect on the dogs’ performance, so I take that into consideration when I bet on breakers or closers.
If I think they’re in top condition, I bet them as usual. If I have any reason to think that they’ll be affected by the weather, because of something else that’s going on with them, I pass. I also tend to lean toward younger dogs when it’s a toss-up between two dogs. Like me, the older dogs are more likely to be affected by the cold.
