London (Watford) Greyhound Track

Greyhound racing initially began in Watford on 20th October 1928 at Vicarage Road, the home of Watford FC who had taken up residency eight years previous. The racing was under NGRC rules and there could be as many as four race nights per week every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.45pm.

However the provisional NGRC licence was cancelled as early as November 1st forcing the track to race independently.

The racing would continue for many years alongside the football team and was still active for the next forty years before closing on 28th June 1969.

On 14th October 1974 racing returned under NGRC rules under the organisation of the industry’s leading promoter the Greyhound Racing Association. The venue attracted a significant name in that of Derby winning trainer Barbara Tompkins and a BAGS contract was soon established at the track.

The track was very sharp due to the nature of the bend design around the football pitch and this led to criticism within the industry that it was not safe enough.

The only success of a Watford attached greyhound came in 1975 when Houghton Girl won the Buckinghamshire Cup at Slough. The greyhound was trained by Barbara Tompkins.

The return of greyhounds only lasted four years with a final race meeting taking place on 30th October 1978. The last winner was a greyhound called Chad Supreme.

More information about this track is available in the downloadable PDF