Thoughts On Banning Jumps Racing

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Getting back to the point, we have established that in some way or another greyhounds know where the winning post is with some degree of accuracy based on how experienced they are, and that (whether my theory is correct or not) there is at least something which is giving them incentive to try and cross the line ahead of the other dogs and that this does not seem to be entirely related to the lure that is being chased.

I know how silly all of this sounds, and I am sure I am going to get laughed at for these suggestions, but can you honestly think of a better explanation for why a dog will put on a sudden burst of speed in the last 30 yards of a race?  I don't think it is sufficient to say that it is simply a case of the leader slowing down, because there is clear evidence that the dogs which are following speed up, and not only do they do that, but they often do it at precisely the right moment.

Brief sensory overload is known to induce a sense of euphoria and calm (hypnotists have been using this method to put people into a quick trance, and it is the principle employed by "envangelists" to make people appear to swoon during healing sessions (which I believe to be simply a form of hypnosis which is even more effective because it is combined with strong faith)). 

Sustained sensory overload can be very harmful, even leading to death.  But for some reason, in small doses, we seem to derive some pleasure or benefit from the momentary disengagement of the conscious mind.  If you know what a flashbang is, then you already have at least some familiarity with my subject matter here.

Thus in the case of the racing greyhound who crosses the line ahead of the pack we have the combination of the smell of the lure and the other dogs (who are all perspiring and exhaling stinky dogfood breath!) combined with the roar of the crowd and a brief over-exposure of the visual purple of the retina courtesy of the flash from the photo finish camera.  A nice little cocktail to induce momentary sensory overload!

I don't think horses have the same motive, but it is certainly possible.  There are some very big differences between dogs and horses.

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