Tri-State Greyhound Park is a combination dog track and casino-type entertainment center located in Cross Lanes, West Virginia. Tri-State features some of the very best greyhounds in the United States, vying for some hefty purses that are supplemented by a percentage of the monies that are sent through the slot machines. Tri-State Greyhound Park runs mostly 550 yard sprint distance events with a few 660 yard 3/8ths of a mile races and 770 yard marathons thrown in for good measure. Here is a review of the top twelve greyhounds currently competing at Tri-State Greyhound Park.
Tap To Music is a dark brindle male that was born on Christmas Eve of 2004, a greyhound that made his Tri-State debut last summer. Tap To Music appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary at first, taking six races to win his Maiden, but after his next half dozen contests he was in Grade A. Tap To Music then found himself in Tri-State’s top grade, AA, and was able to score a triumph there from the one hole on October 30th. From that point until December 22nd, Tap To Music failed to win a race, but did come in second five times. When he won a Grade AA event three days before Christmas, it marked the start of a run which has seen Tap To Music win eight of ten times out. This Tri-State speedster has managed to run second both times he didn’t win, and has been in the quiniela an amazing thirteen consecutive races thanks to his ability to beat the rest of the pack to the turn and stay there.
Doc Lee Jones narrowly missed winning the Wugoba Stakes over the 5/16ths of a mile course back in the fall, but since that defeat this 73 pound male has been a factor in several Tri-State sprints. Doc Lee Jones likes to get in front early and when he does he is very hard to catch. However, if he fails to make the lead, the Doctor often will not even hit the board, making him somewhat of an all-or-nothing type of racer. BD’s Haji is an 80 pound male that has been racing at Tri-State for well over a year. Haji wins his share of AA races and has been on a nice little run in 2007, having not run out of the money this calendar year so far.
Lucky Wookie is a red brindle bitch that took her first Tri-State victory in December of 2006 and has proven to be a handful to her competitors since. After scoring by three lengths in just her second time to post at Tri-State, Wookie reeled off seven wins in her next eight starts, including three AA heats in a row until running into a bit of a lull. She has lost three of her last four to cool off a bit but still has yet to be caught once she rushes to the lead at the first turn. Craigie Plush has been running at Tri-State for almost a year, but has never been hotter than he is right now. This red male has been on an absolute tear in 2007, winning six of seven by motoring to the front of the race and easily hanging on.
Of the thirteen times that Bigfoot’s Bust has recorded in her winning efforts at Tri-State since her first race back in September, four of them are under 30.20 seconds for the 1,650 foot sprint distance. The record for the 5/16ths at Tri-State is 29.78, set by Jimbo Acorn in 2002, and Bigfoot’s Bust could make an assault on this standard as the weather warms up. When this white and red 63 pound female makes the front it is light’s out; she has never been overtaken with the lead and as a matter of fact she has never been challenged once she is in that position. One of Tri-State’s steadiest performers for the last eighteen months has been the powerful red male named Sapperator. This 78 pound sprinting machine routinely walks away with AA decisions at the West Virginia oval, and for a stretch last spring and summer was almost unbeatable. Able to come from behind or go to the head of the gang right out of the box, Sapperator has a 29.96 clocking on his resume, a nine length romp right after Thanksgiving that approached the Tri-State record.
Nitro Rudy and Lazy K Wake Rob are two of Tri-State’s best 3/8ths greyhounds, with the latter having won five straight as of this writing and the former always in the mix. Lazy K Wake Rob has a 7/16ths marathon win included in that skein, as the red fawn male has been a stalwart in the longer distance events since shifting to them last St. Patrick’s Day. Magnetic Mike was a dominant sprinter for many months before his late- November shift to 3/8ths, and the white and brindle ticked boy has proven adept over the longer course, winning six of these races by bolting to the front and opening up a big lead. MRL Longbeach has a similar running style over the 1,980 foot distance, and has used it to win five of his last six outings at Tri-State. And although RK’s Heartland doesn’t wind up in the winner’s circle too often, the red female possesses a big enough late kick to keep the rest of these excellent routers on their toes when she gets close enough to them late in a race.
