Historic race day confirmed at Wolverhampton as dual horse and greyhound fixture set to be a UK first
The first combined day of horse and greyhound racing in UK sporting history has been announced by Wolverhampton Racecourse.
Wolverhampton Racecourse, within which Dunstall Park Greyhound Stadium is located, will open its doors to both disciplines six months after Arena Racing Company (ARC) cut the ribbon on the UK’s first brand-new greyhound racing venue in more than a decade.
Seven thoroughbred horse races, including the £60,000 BetMGM Lady Wulfruna Stakes, which will be broadcast live by ITV Racing, will headline the afternoon’s entertainment before hoofs turn to paws in the evening with a 12-race greyhound card starting at 6.20pm.
Much-loved Irish folk band Radio Murphy will keep the tunes flowing between racing in The Ringside Suite to celebrate the occasion, which comes 100 years after greyhound racing was first held in the UK and 138 years after horse racing was introduced to Dunstall Park.
The day will offer horse racing and greyhound racing fans the chance to get up close and personal to the stars of the sand only weeks before Dunstall Park launches its second major greyhound racing competition, the £12,500 Arena Racing Company Laurels - which climaxes on Saturday, April 11.
Chris Black, General Manager at Dunstall Park Greyhound Stadium, said: “Tapping into Wolverhampton Racecourse’s existing customer base and engaging more people with greyhound racing has always been a key part of our strategy.
“It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to showcase both disciplines on one day, and we’re expecting a bumper turnout for what will be a great event.
“Just like racehorses, greyhounds adore their racing. The sport facilitates an opportunity for them to fulfil their primary instinct, before resting their paws on the sofa in retirement which we’re proud to support in partnership with our homing partners.
“We’ll be showcasing this and more on the day, and look forward to welcoming plenty of new faces trackside to our Saturday evening fixtures.”
First held in 2002, the BetMGM Lady Wulfruna Stakes is Wolverhampton’s richest horse race and has been won by some of the sport’s most recognisable names in recent years.
Berkshire Shadow passed the post in front in 2023, two years after winning the Group Two Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot under five-times champion jockey Oisin Murphy.
Another to enter the winners’ enclosure two years after success at the Royal meeting was Mums Tipple, who was guided to the line by Ryan Moore in 2021. Richard Hughes, Jamie Spencer and William Buick are other household names to have won the race.
David Ideson, Executive Director at Wolverhampton Racecourse, added: “The BetMGM Lady Wulfruna Stakes is always a highlight on our racing calendar.
“To add a greyhound racing fixture to this year’s entertainment is a real bonus, and indicative of our vision to create a true, seven-day-a-week, multi-purpose sports, entertainment and leisure hub.
“Adding our St Patrick’s Race Night on the 17th and our first Friday Night Live event on the 20th in partnership with Invades, March is set to be a bumper month.”
Tickets for the UK’s first joint horse and greyhound racing fixture on Saturday, March 7, are available here.
