Top Sunderland Greyhound Betting Sites

If you prefer to do your betting from home, the table above contains a selection of some of our favourite bookmakers. All of them feature Sunderland greyhounds. As a new customer, you can pick up a great bonus at these sites. Every bookie is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. Before signing up, ensure you read the terms and conditions on any promotional deals.

Facilities in the Stadium

Don’t let the initial build date of 1940 fool you, the Sunderland greyhound stadium facilities offer everything you would expect. 1990 was the date of the last major refurbishment, which saw executive facilities added to the venue.

A highlight of the venue is the Trackside Restaurant. While restaurants at many tracks we have visited offer great views, their location, often on the first floor has the adverse effect of taking you away from the action. Here at Sunderland, the track is almost eye-level and adds to the experience. Booking a table reserves that table till the event finishes and a Tote runner will place bets and bring any winnings back.

Sunderland, at the weekend, never sleeps till late and just because the racing stops, it doesn’t mean you have to. The venue offers a late night bar and disco after the dogs on Friday night. The ‘Classic Racenight’ package is worth considering if you are planning on a late night. For under £10 you can get two drinks, £1 jackpot bet, pie and peas supper, admission, racecard and also entry to the disco.

Sunderland Greyhounds Track Events

Sunderland has one of the greatest number of meetings per week of all the tracks we have reviewed. Meetings take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The venue door opening, first race and last race details of Sunderland dog racing are as follows;

• Tuesday, doors open 13:00, first race 14:08 and last race is 18:11.
• Wednesday, doors open 17:45, first race 18:15 and last run is 21:25.
• Thursday, doors open 10:00, first race 11:03 and last run is 13:51.
• Friday, doors open 18:20, first race 19:25 and last run is 22:35.
• Saturday, doors open 10:30, first race 11:11 and last run is 23:58.

*Days and times are correct at time of writing and could be subject to change. If you are planning on visiting, always check with the venue before travelling.

One thing you’ll never struggle to find at Sunderland is top quality events with the William Hill Puppy Derby, William Hill Gold Cup, William Hill Grand Prix, William Hill Classic and the William Hill Northern Puppy Derby all being held here.

Part of what makes betting on Sunderland greyhounds so interesting is the unusual distribution of winners, with no trap showing a significant benefit. Of the first 1,144 races in 2019, all traps had a 17% success rate except trap 5 on 16% and 6 with 18%. This was broadly in line with the 2,881 races in 2018. With traps 5 and 6 again showing the most deviations. This data tells us that the starting trap offers little in the way of advantage/disadvantage.

Interesting Facts about the Sunderland Greyhound Stadium

If George R. R. Martin ever needs inspiration for his next book, he could do a lot worse than study the long past of this historic venue. What the story lacks in dragons and sword fighting it makes up for with tales of in-fighting and a feud with the National Greyhound Racing Club that would see the track remain independent for over 40 years.

It’s challenging to think of a better location for a track than Sunderland. If horse racing is the sport of kings, then greyhound racing is the sport of the working class, and fewer regions encapsulated what it was like to be working class than Sunderland. Primary employment in the area was from the local coal-mines, an industry that saw a boom in demand during the war years. So despite Britain entering the war a year earlier, the Boldon Greyhound Stadium was built at the cost of £60,000 (equilivilant to about £250,000 today). While other tracks were closing during this time, Sunderland was thriving and in fact was at the peak of its popularity in 1946, a year after the end of the war.

While peace was breaking out in Europe, hostilities with the highly influential National Greyhound Racing Club at home came to a head in 1951. A refusal to change race meetings to accommodate the needs of the locals, many of which owned and raced dogs at the stadium, led to Sunderland becoming independent. Recent events have seen the stadium turn full circle, but we’ll discuss that shortly.

Racecourse Information:
First Held:	1940	Sunderland Racecourse The view of the Sunderland track
Max. Race Distance:	828m
Surface:	Sand
Top Event:	The Classic
Average Temperature:	14.9°C
Grandstand Capacity:	N/A

While many other stadia in the history of the sport have struggled since becoming independent, Sunderland had no such issues. While never quite reaching previous heights, the stadium’s facilities, which included a ballroom, continued to attract the crowds. Racing took place usually on Thursday and Saturday evenings and offered generous prize money, especially for an independent track.

In the mid-sixties, the stadium took the fight to the NGRC. The venue already held the Vaux Trophy and Milburn Trophy, but it was the increase of prize money to £75 that worsened relations between the pair. It was a figure that far surpassed the purse available at many NGRC races.

The stadium was in a state of disrepair by the late seventies, and it was no surprise when the venue closed in 1980. It laid dormant until Newcastle trainer Harry Williams took co-ownership in 1988. A considerable refurbishment, acquiring of sponsorship, and even a newly acquired NGRC license in hand, racing returned in 1990.

Knowing how close the stadium’s links with the local community were historically, it is probably the most recent chapter that is most surprising. In 2019, owners William Hill sold both Sunderland and neighbouring Newcastle to ARC racing. As this took ARC’s (Arena Racing Company) track tally to 12, it placed a track that had prided itself on independence, into ARC’s portfolio.

The Best Site for Sunderland Dog Racing

Exciting times are taking place on the track in Sunderland. The Grand Prix that started in 2007, alongside the Classic is greyhound’s equilivent to Aintree’s Grand National. The £25,000 prize fund on offer for the Classic alone ensures that interest in the race continues year on year. The Puppy Derby and the Gold Cup are also high-quality events that are worth following and make Sunderland greyhound betting worth it alone.

Sunderland is one of the busiest tracks in the UK with five race meetings a week. A late night disco at the venue makes the stadium a perfect place for team meetings or family parties as well as stag and hen dos.

Before you bet on Sunderland greyhound track races, why not read some of the reviews we have on our homepage? We are 100% unbiased and impartial, and we can help find the right deal that suits you.