Swindon Stadium

Swindon Stadium, also known as the Abbey Greyhound Stadium, is a Greyhound Board of Great Britain regulated greyhound racing track and speedway track located in Blunsdon, Swindon, England.[2] Greyhound racing takes place every Saturday evening, in addition to their three ARC fixtures and speedway normally takes place on Monday and Thursday evenings.

This article is about current existing stadium. For planned new stadium, see Abbey Greyhound Stadium.
Not to be confused with County Ground (Swindon).

Swindon Stadium
Full nameSwindon Greyhound Stadium, The Abbey Greyhound Stadium or The Abbey Stadium
LocationLady Lane, Blunsdon, Swindon, England
Coordinates51.607°N 1.792°W / 51.607; -1.792
Capacity2,000 [1]
Construction
Built1947
Opened1949
Tenants

Speedway

The stadium is home to the Swindon Robins, who compete in the Elite League; the speedway track has a circumference of 363 metres.[3]

Main article: Swindon Robins

Opening

The stadium opened to the public on 23 July 1949 when it hosted the Swindon Robins speedway team; greyhound racing followed three years later on 1 November 1952.[4] Swindon had already experienced two short-lived greyhound track venues, in the village of Wroughton and near the town centre in Edinburgh Street, but both had disappeared by the mid-thirties.[5] The stadium occupied a rural setting south of Lady Lane and was named after the Blunsdon Abbey estate in Blunsdon St Andrew, a Victorian estate which had seen its main house destroyed by fire in 1904.

History

The track initially raced as an independent with 2,000 people attending on 1 November 1952 to watch a greyhound called Don't Care win a 324 yard race in a time of 19.02 secs at odds of 6-1.[6] [7] The stadium came into the hands of the Bristol Greyhound Racing Association, owners of Oxford and Eastville (Bristol) stadiums at that time. This led to the track becoming part of the National Greyhound Racing Club during April 1968. The Silver Plume competition arrived the same year as the track's principal event. [8] Another independent track to the northwest of Swindon opened during the sixties at Common Platt but had little effect on the business of its larger neighbour.[9]

In 1983 ADT (British Car Auctions) purchased the Abbey Stadium and used its large car park as a base for their sales. Other competitions at the track were the Grand National of the West, Pride of the West and the Jubilee Stakes.[10] In 1997 the BS Group sold their Eastville stadium and bought Swindon from ADT. The entire Bristol operation including the racing office, bookmakers, trainers, the Western Two Year Old Produce Stakes and the BAGS contract transferred to Swindon.[11]

The BS Group became Stadia UK and then Gaming International, and after the closure of Walthamstow stadium in 2008 the track hosted the Arc competition. In 2018 the stadium signed a deal with ARC to race a Monday, Wednesday and Friday matinée meeting every week.[12]

Also in 2018 the Arc competition was discontinued due to expected track changes but following the sudden closure of Towcester, leading owner John Turner stepped in to save the Oaks with a late scheduling in December.[13]

Redevelopment

The owners, Gaming International, were granted outline planning permission in 2008 to build houses on part of the site and replace the stadium with a new 'state of the art' stadium. After several revisions, outline permission was again granted in 2015, for up to 100 houses and a care home.[14] Work began in November 2016 with construction of the stadium due to complete in June 2017.[15] Following a significant delay the revised project was due to get underway in January 2018.[16]

During 2019 the original plans to re-position the track were changed and the track was reduced in circumference from 463 metres (which used to be one of the largest in the United Kingdom) by creating two new bends inside the old circumference. The 509 race distance was scrapped.[17] The alleged prefabricated buildings that have been built to replace the existing buildings are still to be moved on site. The local council have refused any further housing additions until progress is made with replacing the existing buildings.[18]

Competitions

British Bred Produce
Main article: British Bred Produce Stakes

The Arc
Main article: Arc (greyhounds)

The Oaks
Main article: Oaks (greyhounds)

Silver Plume
Year Winner Breeding Trainer Time SP Notes
1968 Glory NewtownPrinters Prince – Kilmagoura DaisyColin McNally (Perry Barr)29.18
1969 The Bad DropPrairie Flash – Lady JulianaMrs Kay Lee (Swindon)30.3520-1
1970 Ballybeg FlashPrairie Flash – Knock LateJoe Booth (Private)30.71Track record
1971 Spectre's DreamSpectre – Jockeys DreamHugo Spencer (Portsmouth)1-1f
1978 Lisnastrane LukeSole Aim – Trina AnnHazel Walden (Swindon)28.78
1990 Kilcurley CoalMoneypoint Coal – Victoria RangeJohn McGee (Hackney)29.042-1jf
1992 Summerhill SuperDaleys Gold – Tiny TolcasJohn Copplestone (Reading)28.192-5f
1993 Forever RovingSkelligs Tiger – Roving LindaBill Masters (Hove)28.778-1
1994 Crafty FontanaDruids Lodge – Crafty WinterLinda Mullins (Walthamstow)28.694-1
1998 Trade StyleTrade Official – Biddys StyleCindy Clapp (Hall Green)28.845-1Track record

1968-1974 (550 yards), 1975-1998 (480 metres)

Track records

Current

Distance
metres		 Greyhound Time Date Notes
285Jimmy Lollie [19]15.9030.09.2009
460Pindi Express27.3311.02.2004
480Shaneboy Alley [20]28.1801.05.2013Arc final
480Johnnys Star [21]28.1805.07.2013
509Sawpit Sensation [22]29.4301.05.2013
685Shelbourne Star40.9411.02.2004
737Ballymac Swift [23]44.2901.05.2013
932Ballymac Swift [24]59.1222.05.2013
480 HGreenacre George28.9303.09.2002

Former (post-metric) [25]

Distance
metres		 Greyhound Time Date Notes
275Fearless Swift16.2819.08.1985
280Mollifrend Tom16.1905.10.1988
285Leaders Highway16.2310.06.1998
285Everton Cheetah16.2312.03.2003
460Droopys Clay27.5403.09.2002
476Money Matters [26]27.8903.08.1988
480Dave's War28.491979
480Clonee Bill28.2618.10.1982
480Peasedown Julie28.2609.11.1983
480Trade Style28.8423.05.1998Silver Plume Final
480White Santa28.6312.06.1998
480Three Wells28.6011.04.2001
480Dalcash Invader28.5703.09.2002
480Westmead Joe28.5019.07.2006British Bred Produce Stakes semi-final
480Rhyzome Wizard28.4421.10.2006
480Troys Expert28.2925.07.2009British Bred Produce Stakes final
480Mark My Words28.2809.07.2011British Bred Produce Stakes heats
480Mark My Words28.2615.07.2011British Bred Produce Stakes 2nd round
480Sids Dream28.2024.02.2012
509Greenfield Fox [27]March 1977
509Westmead Gold29.9801.07.1987
509DarraghCommet29.9404.07.1988
509Broadacres Butch29.8504.04.2001
509Rhyzome Wizard29.7326.08.2006
509Pine Isle29.7016.09.2009
509Little Jig29.6530.09.2009Pride of the West final
509Crusty Crab29.5910.11.2010
530Greenfield Fox31.581977
685Bright Cut42.381976
685Black Port41.7218.07.1984
685Droopys Kovac41.8631.05.2002
685Streaky Luvs Men41.6413.07.2002
695Miss Linsey45.4217.06.1985Jubilee Stakes semi-final
695Go Go Tiger45.3717.06.1985Jubilee Stakes semi-final
695Jet Streamer45.3106.11.1987
737Wailea Flash44.6203.08.1988
737XamaxAyam Zaman45.1303.09.2002
737Streaky Luvs Men45.1111.07.2003
737Wise Maldini44.8620.09.2003
943Eternal Mist60.181980
943Tartan Sarah58.5223.07.1984
476 HGizmo Pasha29.4013.06.1990
476 HFaoides Country29.1118.09.1991

Former (pre-metric)

Distance
yards		 Greyhound Time Date Notes
520Glory Newtown29.181970
520Houghton Ryp1972
520Houghton Herald08.1973
550Snobbish Flash31.371969
550Buff Bauhus31.3110.1969
550Ballybeg Flash30.7129.06.1970Silver Plume Final
575Legane Glory32.441970
740Bishops Miss42.931970
gollark: Maybe I should writing.
gollark: Thank you.
gollark: It should work. This is inexcusable. If this continues I may be forced to do a neck transplant.
gollark: Also, this spare phone keeps running out of RAM and Discord keeps using 12-hour time somehow.
gollark: Mostly fine, although for some odd reason my neck hurts slightly if I turn it left.

References
  1. http://ukgreyhoundracing.com/swindon-greyhound-stadium
  2. "Track Search". Greyhound Board of Great Britain. Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  3. http://www.speedwaystar.net/Swindon-Robins-t8/
  4. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 134. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
  5. "Greyhound Racing for Wroughton, Saturday 19 July". Swindon Advertiser & North Wilts Chronicle. 1930.
  6. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 134. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
  7. "2,000 watch the greyhound racing - 3 November 1952". The Evening Advertiser. 1952.
  8. Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing, page 81. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.
  9. Furby, R (1968). Independent Greyhound Racing, page 61. New Dominion House.
  10. Genders, Roy (1990). NGRC book of Greyhound Racing, page 59. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7207-1804-X.
  11. Hobbs, Jonathan (2002). Greyhound Annual 2003, page 143. Raceform. ISBN 1-904317-07-3.
  12. "Arc Schedule Released". Greyhound Star.
  13. "Oaks to be run in December". Greyhound Star.
  14. "S/OUT/14/0833 - Abbey Stadium Lady Lane Swindon SN2 4DN". Swindon Borough Council - Planning. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  15. Humphreys, Chris (11 November 2016). "Work starts on new £5m stadium for Swindon". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  16. Amphlett, Floyd (24 January 2018). "AT LAST! THE NEW SWINDON READY TO PROCEED". Greyhound Star.
  17. "Produce Stakes Last Event Before Swindon Switch". Greyhound Star.
  18. "DECISION DELAYED ON MODIFIED PLANS FOR STADIUM". Insider Media Ltd.
  19. "2009 track record result". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
  20. "2013 track record result". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
  21. "result". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
  22. "result". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
  23. "737 track record". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
  24. "932 track record". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
  25. "Track records". Greyhound Data.
  26. "Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When 1988) August edition". Greyhound Star.
  27. "Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When 1977) March edition". Greyhound Star.
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