The Daytona Beach Greyhounds dog track !

Posted in Americas, Florida

I am in that mood again, feeling nostalgic of all those spots been in my life all dear all full of experiences that will lingered forever even more now in retirement in my belle France, While going to Univ studies and later living in the wonderful City of Daytona Beach, one of my curiosities took to the greyhound dog track, This was an event there then in the late 70’s and early-middle 80’s , I like to have something on it in my blog even if back then was not into pictures ; therefore this post will be in my black and white series, no pictures, Let me tell you a bit on the Daytona Beach Greyhounds dog track ! Hope you enjoy as I

The now there is the Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club (DBKC) ,but initially was founded as the Volusia County Kennel Club in 1948, with the facility originally located adjacent to Daytona International Speedway, which was renamed the Daytona Beach Kennel Club in 1997, A bit of the chronological story goes as follows : 1948: Volusia County Kennel Club opens on June 2, 1948, 1958: John Masoni of Cleveland, Ohio, buys the facility and renames it Daytona Beach Kennel Club (as I knew it),1960: Daytona Beach Kennel Club sponsors winning stock car in Daytona 500. Local mechanic Ray Fox built the car and motor in a shop on Mason Avenue. Driver Junior Johnson wheeled it to victory !! 1987: Delaware North Companies buys the kennel club from Masoni, 1997: DBKC opens a poker room, 2008: DBKC moves from original location next to Speedway to Williamson Boulevard, 2017: DBKC changes its name to Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club.

A bit on the history of greyhound racing in the USA tell us that the first greyhound was registered in 1894, and the oval form of racing with a mechanical or artificial hare was started by Owen Patrick Smith in 1912. California was the first state to introduce an oval greyhound track in May 1920, it was the first mechanical lure oval circuit in the world.

Daytona Beach Greyhounds saw the end of an era March 28 2020 when the Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club  960 S. Williamson Blvd  discontinues live greyhound racing at its track with the hopes of placing these thoroughbred dogs in adopted homes. Daytona Beach has been a home to greyhound racing for 71 years, but Florida Constitutional Amendment 13, approved by a landslide 69% of the vote on Nov. 6, 2018,in a watershed. that banned the sport as of Jan. 1, 2021. The other Florida greyhound tracks that closed after the amendment passed : The Sarasota Kennel Club, which had been around for about 90 years, ended racing in 2019, The Palm Beach Kennel Club near West Palm Beach, which had been running for 88 years, ended racing in 2020,  Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Racing and Poker in Bonita Springs ended racing in 2020, The Pensacola Greyhound Track & Poker Room ended racing in 2018, St. Petersburg’s Derby Lane ended racing in 2020, The Orange Park Kennel Club, south of Jacksonville, ended racing in 2020, Miami’s Magic City Casino ended racing in 2019 and the Big Easy Casino (formerly Mardi Gras Casino) in Hallandale Beach ended racing in 2018, There are only two operational dog tracks remaining in the United States, both in West Virginia. Commercial greyhound racing is illegal in 42 states.

The greyhounds dogs were put up for adoption by a local group called the Box to the Wire Greyhound Adoption Inc. , and the support of the group  Greyhound Pets of America and the National Greyhound Association , together they were able to get adopted all 570 retired greyhounds into forever homes. 

The new facilities you see there was openned in 2008, the Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club (passed by on my last visit in 2009 but again no pictures!);thisis a contemporary, award-winning, entertainment complex. This unique, 53,000 square foot, LEED Gold Certified gaming facility features a plush poker room, 300 wall-to-wall LCD flat screen televisions, displaying simulcast Thoroughbred racing, Harness racing, Greyhound races and Jai-Alai, from premier tracks across the country ; personal betting screens and private betting carrels. 55 Table Poker Room features 5-card stud, 7-card stud, Hold ‘Em, and more. No pot limit. State-of-the-art green-certified facility. Play the most exciting $5 minimum table games in Florida,  

A bit on the owners : This is the Delaware North group, one of the most innovative gaming operators in the USA, operating regional casino destinations with slot and video gaming machines, table games, poker rooms, racetracks, racing simulcast centers, restaurants, lounges, nightclubs, sports bars, event centers, retail shops and hotels. Delaware North owns and operates entertainment destinations in New York, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, West Virginia, Arkansas and Ohio. A global leader in hospitality and food service.

The official Delaware North group owners : https://www.delawarenorth.com/where-we-are/

The official Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club : https://www.daytonabeachpoker.com/

The Daytona Greyhound track info last run results March 20, 2020 : https://www.trackinfo.com/results-print-all.jsp?trackcode=GDB$&racedate=2020-03-20&raceperf=E

The official National Greyhounds Association : https://www.ngagreyhounds.com/about

Always fun memorable moments in my bag on my dear Florida ,away maybe not seen again ,but always in my heart, this is Florida, the Sunshine State. Do read my several posts on it in my blog for the whole story of my life! Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Daytona Beach Greyhounds track as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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