One of Britain’s very best greyhound stadiums is to be found on the outskirts of Nottingham, only a stone’s throw from the city’s horse racing course. Opened at its present location in 1980, the Colwick Park venue is home to an impressive collection of prestigious events, and is a multiple winner of the “Central Region Racecourse of the Year Award”.
Staging action four days a week, the track is extremely highly regarded, both for the quality of the racing action and the excellent facilities on offer. Those attending any of the excellent meetings at the stadium will find everything they need for a cracking night at the dogs, including a top-class restaurant, a snack bar, and three bars to take on a little liquid refreshment.
What’s On Offer at Nottingham?
Nottingham currently plays host to four meetings a week, taking place on Monday and Friday evenings and Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Gates open at 5:30pm on a Monday and Friday, with the first of 12 races beginning at around 6:15pm, and the last getting underway shortly after 9:15pm. The 12-race afternoon BAGS cards run from 11:06am through to 1:51pm, with gates opening at 10am. Being predominantly aimed at betting shop and online punters, these fixtures tend to attract a much smaller crowd than the popular evening meetings.
Whilst graded class action makes up the bulk of the calendar, several top-class contests are scattered throughout the Nottingham season including the Select Stakes, Select Stayers Stakes, Puppy Classic, Produce Stakes, the Eclipse and the National Sprint.
Track Information
- Circuit Length – 437m
- Run to Fist Bend – 85m
- Sprint Distance – 305m
- Middle Distances – 480m (standard)
- Stayers Distance – 680m – 700m – 730m
- Marathon Distance – 885m – 905m – 925m
What Can You Expect?
Wednesday and Thursday afternoon fixtures provide a good opportunity to experience greyhound racing at a minimal cost. Entry is free to all on both days, with race cards available to purchase for £2.
The Monday and Friday evening meetings are far more popular and provide a greater variety of entry options. Standard admission, priced at £7 for adults and £1 for under-18s, grants access to the trackside area, including indoor and outdoor viewing, bars and a snack bar.
“Winning Deal”
One of the most popular entry options at the evening fixtures is the excellent value “Winning Deal”. Available to groups of six or more, this offer includes entry, a virtual race card, pie and mash, and an alcoholic or soft drink.
Classics Restaurant
The Classics Restaurant provides the opportunity to experience a sit-down meal whilst enjoying excellent views of the track. Offers include £14 for a child’s two-course meal and £26 for an adult’s three-course meal. Entry to the track is included in all Classics Restaurant meal deal prices.
Silver Package
Larger groups meanwhile may wish to hire a directors box for the evening. Available to parties of up to 24, two such packages are available. Priced at £950 – working out at around £40 a head for a party of 24 – the Silver package includes entry, a racecard, a private box for the evening, a three-course meal, six bottles of wine and a race named in your honour. Priced at £1,100, the Gold Package includes all of the above, plus a Champagne reception upon arrival.
How to Get There
The stadium address is Nottingham Greyhound Stadium, Colwick Park, Nottingham, NG2 4BE. Due to its central location, Nottingham benefits from strong transport links to most areas of the country, with the M1, A60, A610 and A606 all approaching the city. From Nottingham, motorists should navigate to the A612 which leads directly to the venue. Once at the track, racegoers will find ample free parking available courtesy of the stadium’s 1,000-capacity car park.
The centrally located Nottingham Train Station is around two miles from the stadium. Taking a taxi or public transport is probably the best option for the final leg of the journey, with the 44 and CityLink 2 bus services both stopping close to the track.
How to Get in Touch
- Tel: – 0115 910 33 33
- Email: – info@nottingham-greyhounds.co.uk
- Twitter: – @Nottinghamdogs
What Else Do I Need to Know?
A city long associated with greyhound racing, Nottingham was previously home to the highly regarded White City Stadium. First opened in 1927, that track closed its doors for the final time in 1970.
Disappointing as that closure was at the time, it wasn’t too long before plans were being drawn up for a new stadium. No doubt these plans were assisted by the fact that several members of the Severn and Trent Greyhound Clubs also held positions with the City Council.
Colwick Park
The site chosen for the new track was that of Colwick Park, just beside the city’s existing horse racing venue, which has been in operation since 1892. Ultimately being built on a patch of land previously used as a car park for the horse racing course, the stadium – originally going by the name of Colwick Park Greyhound Track – staged its inaugural meeting on the 24th of January, 1980.
Over 2,000 racegoers showed up for that initial fixture, with the fans immediately being impressed with the facilities on offer – the £250,000 Panorama Room, complete with restaurant and Tote facilities, coming in for particular praise.
Record Breakers & Famous Races
Quickly growing in profile, the track began to attract many of the most talented greyhounds in the game. Scurlogue Champ, who regularly features in lists of Britain’s top three greyhounds of all time, smashed the track record here in 1985. Ballyregan Bob meanwhile earned his place in the Guinness Book of World Records when winning 32 consecutive contests, two of which came at Nottingham in 1985 and 1986.
The quality of the action continued to improve over the subsequent decades, with Nottingham gaining the Eclipse from Coventry in 1986, the National Sprint from Harringay in 1990, the Select Stakes from Wembley in 1996, and the Produce Stakes from Hall Green in 2009. The ultimate honour was then bestowed upon the track when selected to stage the English Greyhound Derby in 2019 and 2020.
“Central Region Racecourse of the Year”: 1999 & 2002
Crowned the “Central Region Racecourse of the Year” in both 1999 and 2002, Nottingham received a major boost when signing a deal with the Arena Racing Company (ARC) in 2018, committing to staging a regular programme of Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday fixtures.
ARC certainly seem to have been impressed by the track, with the giant of the racing game stepping in to purchase the stadium from Nottingham Greyhound Stadium Ltd in 2020. Now firmly established as one of Britain’s premier greyhound racing venues, the Colwick Park venue is well worth a visit.