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Floodlit greyhound track sweeping into the first bend at dusk

Birmingham · Greyhound Racing

Greyhound Racing
at Perry Barr Stadium

A plain-spoken guide to the dogs at one of Birmingham's best-known racing names — the history of the track, how a race is run from the traps to the line, and how to read the form, for newcomers and regulars alike.

The Perry Barr story How a race is run

Start here

Perry Barr heritage → How a race is run → Reading the form → Software & tools → Greyhound guides →

How a Race Is Run

Read the Race, Lap by Lap

Six dogs, one hare and a run to the line. A few things decide most greyhound races — follow them from the traps to the finish.

Traps · Start 480m · standard distance Finish · The Line
1 2 3 4 5 6

Six in the traps — press start for a virtual 480m.

01 · The Traps

Trap Colours & Draw

  • 1 Red — inside rail. Railers and early-pace dogs
  • 2 Blue — inside-middle. Versatile, needs a clean break
  • 3 White — middle. Often crowded into the bend
  • 4 Black — middle-wide. Wants room off the boxes
  • 5 Orange — outside-middle. Benefits from a wide run
  • 6 Stripes — widest. Pure wide-seed; loves the outside

02 · First Bend

Where Races Are Won

The run to the first bend usually settles a greyhound race. Inside draws that break well can take the rail and dictate the pace; wide runners need a clear gap to avoid trouble in the pack.

Draw read Match each dog's early pace to its trap — not the trap number alone.
Read: reading the form →

03 · The Line · Sample Card

Reading the Form

TrapLast 4BestGrade
11-2-1-328.41A2
43-1-2-128.55A2
52-3-1-228.62A3

Illustrative card — figures show finishing positions, best calculated time and race grade.

Read: form & selection →

The Sport at Perry Barr

All guides →

heritage

Perry Barr & the Birmingham Greyhound Tradition

The Perry Barr name and Birmingham's long association with greyhound racing — the role of the city track in the sport's golden age, and what greyhound racing in the area looks like today.

Read →

form

The Selection Process — Reading Greyhound Form

How to turn a busy race card into a confident selection — form figures, calculated times, the draw, running style and the grade, combined into a repeatable method.

Read →

tools

Greyhound Racing Software & Tools

What greyhound racing software actually does, the kinds of tools punters use to study form and times, and how to judge whether any of it earns its keep.

Read →
A floodlit greyhound track at Perry Barr

Birmingham Greyhound Heritage

The Perry Barr Name

Perry Barr is one of Birmingham's best-known names in greyhound racing — a reminder of an era when the dogs drew large midweek crowds and the local track was a fixture of the city's evenings. The trap colours, the language of the form and the shape of the racing card all settled in those decades, and they are still how the sport is read today.

Read the Perry Barr story

Greyhound Racing — Common Questions

What is greyhound racing?
A greyhound race sends six dogs chasing a mechanical hare around an oval circuit to the line. Each dog starts from a numbered trap and runs a set distance — a standard trip is around 480 metres — with the run to the first bend usually shaping the result.
What do the six trap colours mean?
Each greyhound wears a numbered jacket: 1 red, 2 blue, 3 white, 4 black, 5 orange and 6 black-and-white stripes. The number also marks the dog’s starting box, from the inside rail (1) to the widest (6).
How is a greyhound race graded?
Tracks grade their races so dogs of similar ability meet — from top open company down through graded classes (A1, A2 and so on). The grade, together with each runner’s recent form figures and calculated times, is how you read a card. See reading the form.
Where is Perry Barr?
Perry Barr is a district in the north of Birmingham, long associated with the city’s greyhound-racing tradition. Its story sits at the heart of this guide — read the Perry Barr greyhound heritage.