Greyhound jockey
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Greyhound jockeys or monkey jockeys are capuchin monkeys trained to ride racing dogs for sport over a 5/16 mile course.
The use of monkeys as jockeys in greyhound races was recorded in Sydney at the Shepherd's Bush Race course in Mascot, in Sydney, Australia in 1927.[1] and 1928.[2] Monkey jockeys were still being used in greyhound races in Victoria Australia in 1938.[3]
In the United States, monkey Greyhound racing is claimed to have begun as a fad in Palm Beach, Florida in 1930 with the concept conceived by Loretta and Charlie David. The couple obtained 12 female capuchin monkeys and over a period of two years trained them to ride Greyhound racing dogs in specially designed saddle harnesses. The craze continued in America until the late 1930s before the public lost interest.[4]
References
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald, 19 December 1927, p.11
- ^ National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3308231
- ^ Argus, 11 May 1938, p.3
- ^ Joan Dillon, "Racing for Peanuts; Monkey Jockeys of the ’30s" http://greytarticles.wordpress.com/historical/racing-for-peanuts/