London has a rich history in greyhound racing. The Greyhound Derby was run at White City and Wimbledon for many years before those two tracks closed in the capital, but it still has some of the premier tracks in the country.
Here is a look at the closest stadiums for greyhound fans in and around London.
Romford Stadium
Greyhound racing at Romford Stadium in the London borough of Havering dates back to 1929. It remains one of the best greyhound tracks in Great Britain, with several Grade One competitions such as the Champions Stakes, Golden Sprint and Romford Puppy Cup taking place there.
Some of the leading greyhound trainers use Romford to prepare their dogs for the Greyhound Derby competition. Bockos Diamond is the 14/1 favourite in the greyhounds betting for the race in 2025 and he could be seen at the East London venue before then.
In the betting UK scene, greyhound racing is offered daily, including the meetings at Romford. There are six race fixtures a week at the track which ensures it is one of the UK’s most visited racecourses.
Romford’s circuit is 350 metres in circumference. They have races over the distances of 225m, 400m, 575m, 750m and 925m. The Champion Stakes, moved from Wimbledon to Romford in 1988, takes place over 575m. It was won in 2023 by Hollow Man who prevailed in the final with a time of 34.96.
Crayford Stadium
Home to the Golden Jacket, Champion Hurdle and St Leger, Crayford Stadium is also considered one of the premier greyhound tracks in the UK. It is situated in the London borough of Bexley.
Racing takes place at Crayford on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The major competitions tend to take place on a Saturday, which is when the venue attracts their biggest crowds of the year.
Some of the biggest names in the sport are registered trainers at Crayford, including Jim Reynolds, Barry O’Sullivan, Dean Childs and Ricky Holloway. The latter won the Golden Jacket earlier this year at the track with Dazl Rolex.
Harlow Stadium
Opened in 1995, Harlow Stadium is just outside of London in Essex. They hold morning racing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, while there are evening fixtures on Mondays and Wednesdays.
In 2009, then Harlow trainer Mark Wallis won the Derby with Kinda Ready. That helped put the track on the map and it encouraged other big name trainers to join the Essex venue.
Kenton Ten broke the course’s sprint record (238 metres) in 2020 when he clocked an impressive time of 14.52. The standard distance at Harlow is 415 metres and that record was broken in 2002 when Barton Wade finished in a time of 25.50.
One of Harlow’s biggest crowds of the year comes during the festive period of the 27th of December. There are also several Christmas parties at the course in the early stages of December.
You can find the full fixture list along with ticket details of British greyhound racing at the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s official website.