Downing - Greyhound Racing's Greatest Star

The Leader of the Pack

In greyhound racing circles, almost thirty years later, the name of Downing evokes memories of unparalleled greatness. Downing, who was the dog who ran in the toughest stakes race of his era with just two official starts under his belt. Downing, who won major stakes races at three different distances. Downing, who reduced the next best dog of his time into an afterthought. And Downing, who would become a huge presence in the world of breeding champions.

Downing was born in March of 1975, out of Big Whizzer and Hookers Flower. He began his racing career at Hollywood, one of Florida's premier dog tracks located in Miami. After winning his Maiden race and a grade D contest, Downing was entered into the $115,000 Hollywood World Classic, at the time the "Super Bowl" of the greyhound world. Downing going into this race with so little experience would be the equivalent of a high school pitcher coming in to pitch the seventh game of the World Series, but Downing was unfazed by the steep competition. The World Classic was a laborious affair, with nine separate rounds of eliminations before the finals. Downing won his first round heat in a mercurial 30.41 seconds clocking, and never looked back from there. Downing won eight of the nine rounds, paying as low as thirty cents on the dollar at the betting windows. In the final, Downing breezed to victory over a tough field that never really was running for anything but second place, as it turned out.

After this spectacular debut, Downing turned his sights on the rest of the stakes race schedule. Downing captured the Hollywood Futurity, another race run over the five-sixteenths mile course. Downing won 16 of his 20 Hollywood starts in 1977 to be named the track wins champion. Then it was on to Biscayne, where Downing took the Irish-American crown, running over a distance that was several yards longer than his familiar five-sixteenths. After that, he traveled to Boston, where he annexed the Wonderland Battle of the Ages title.