Water pooled in pockmarked mud of the Hastings Racecourse late Saturday morning to prompt the track information board to call the conditions 鈥渟loppy.鈥� Another downpour hit right before noon, so heavy that those under site tents double-checked the weather app on their phones and looked to the sky in disbelief. The forecast, however, did call for sun and cloud and that was good news for Hunter who is not a thoroughbred racehorse but a wiener dog 鈥� or dachshund, if you prefer.
The seven-year-old was a ball of pre-race tremors, which owner Richard Wilger blamed on the weather. 鈥淪he does like to run but not in the rain,鈥� he said as he cradled the dog against his beige jacket, which, with his black baseball cap, perfectly coordinated with Hunter鈥檚 brindle-coloured fur. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the thing about dogs and their owners, they just kind of morph into each other,鈥� he said when told, somewhat resigned.
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Hunter was set to run in the third heat of the day at the eighth annual wiener dog races, approximate post time two hours from time of arrival. Wilger figured her chances were good, if the rain did ever stop, and if she didn鈥檛 mind wearing the race bandana around her neck (鈥淪he is a nudist. If you put any clothes on her she turns straight to wood.鈥�) Another consideration 鈥� she might also suffer from distraction. 鈥淎round other dogs, she tends to just submit so you might see her tip onto her back鈥� It鈥檚 not a good racing move, but it鈥檚 pretty good on the cute factor,鈥� Wilger said. 鈥淪o even with the deck stacked against us, I鈥檓 confident she will at least make a good showing. Hunter is super fast so I think she could, you know, take it. I think she could take it all the way, but we will see.鈥�
It was Hunter鈥檚 first official race after last year鈥檚 disqualification due to not having a 鈥淪econd Human鈥� in attendance who is somebody who holds and releases the dog at the start line while its owner, or 鈥淔irst Human,鈥� calls for them about 50 metres away at the finish line. Problem was, last year鈥檚 races were on the same day as the World Cup finals, Wilger said. 鈥淭he World Cup of wiener racing?鈥� joked Hunter鈥檚 Second Human, Joel Berggren. 鈥淭he World Cup of soccer!鈥� corrected Wilger. 鈥淣o, my friends aren鈥檛 soccer fans, I think they鈥檙e more drinking fans,鈥� he added. 鈥淭old them there鈥檚 lots of beer here, so鈥︹��
The disqualification is a shame considering the number of people Hunter is friends with on Facebook, which proves how fickle and flimsy such social media relationships rare.
鈥淪he does have hundreds of followers and she does have more friends than I do,鈥� said Wilger. 鈥淪he knows people I don鈥檛 know. I鈥檝e seen pictures of her with people I don鈥檛 know, people I鈥檝e never seen or heard of.鈥� Wilger spoke the truth; this writer later discovered she has eight mutual Facebook friends with Hunter, some of whom have even dogsat Hunter in the past, and all absent at the sidelines of her inaugural race.
The wiener dog races were scheduled between the horse races. Saturday鈥檚 dog races were moved to the pavement from the track as moving in the thick mud would have been dangerous for the dogs and their improbable design of three-inch long legs supporting suspension bridge-like bodies.
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The weekend is the only time canines are permitted at the track 鈥� horses and dogs don鈥檛 generally get along. Being in a place that was off-limits was obviously a big deal for Joey the dachshund who won the championship for the first four years until his retirement.
鈥淭he owner said the other owners were giving her a hard time, winning too much,鈥� said Hastings鈥� special events assistant manager Christine Hong with a laugh. Hong went on to add she fielded about 100 emails a day from dog owners leading up to the races, which had all its spots filled in four days after registration opened. 听鈥淲e also have a lot of customers asking if we have wagering on the dogs. No, it鈥檚 just for fun.鈥�
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The horse race program for the weekend included the lineup for all 80 racing wiener dogs. In Hunter鈥檚 race, for example, spectators learned she was up against DeeOgee, a fellow 麻豆传媒映画dog that won the championship last year; Dilly who 鈥渓oves to kill rats鈥�; and Tulli whose description humbly stated 鈥渨e鈥檙e just hoping to make it to the finish line.鈥�
It was Max Payne (owned by Devin Payne) that crossed the finish line in a tie with Perdita (Amelia Bentley) to win the third race and $100. Hunter, who was listed as being 鈥渟o fast she was born with racing stripes,鈥� must have lost them as she stuck close to her Second Human when it was go time.
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Clear skies meant conditions were fast for Sunday so the dogs moved to the track. The starting gates swung open for the championship (more for effect than purpose as the dogs could easily pass underneath), and Boris, the muscular black dog who wore a hot pink bandana, was crowned king of the track, much to his owner鈥檚 delight. 鈥淗e鈥檚 obsessed with me,鈥� said Chris Fengstad after he held the pup high above his head after the victory. 鈥淎s long as he knows I鈥檓 there, he鈥檒l come running.鈥�
@rebeccablissett
