On your own
The whole bill, and every decision. A direct line to the kennel about everything that matters.
- Cost
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The money, plainly
What it costs to own a racing greyhound
Most people asking this question cannot find a straight answer anywhere. So here is how the money actually works, with the awkward bits left in.
The monthly bill
Start with the kennel fee
Owning a racing greyhound is a monthly commitment, not a purchase. The dog lives in a kennel, is fed, exercised, groomed, treated when it needs treating and taken to the track. That is what the monthly fee pays for.
Ivanhoe Kennels charges a day plus VAT per greyhound, which works out at roughly a month.
Across the sport, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain puts kennel fees at £7 to £11 a day plus VAT. Over a month that is somewhere between £210 and £330.
Those are sport-wide figures published by the GBGB, not ours. Ask us what we charge and you will get a straight number, not a range.
Whoever you go to, the fee is the floor. It is the one cost that arrives whether the dog has had a good month or a quiet one.
The sum that matters
The bill is not what you actually pay
A greyhound that is running is also earning. Prize money goes to the trainer and comes off your bill, so the figure that leaves your account is smaller — often much smaller — than the headline.
A real month at Ivanhoe Kennels
How the sum works
Take a month where your greyhound runs three times. Using the sport-wide figures above:
- A month of kennel fees
- £210 to £330
- Three runs, at £30 to £50 a run
- minus £90 to £150
- Left to find, before any win money
- roughly £120 to £240
Win a race and the gap closes further — sometimes to nothing. That is the honest shape of it: a quiet month costs you the full fee, and a good one can very nearly pay for itself.
Run money is typically £30 to £50 depending on the track and the grade (GBGB). Prize money at Romford varies by grade — ask us and we will tell you what your dog would be running for.
Prize money at Coral Romford Stadium
What a greyhound earns, by grade. Prize money goes to the trainer and is set against your monthly bill.
Starting out
What you pay before the dog ever runs
The greyhound
The one that varies most. The GBGB puts it at anywhere between £1,000 and £50,000. Most first-time owners are at the bottom of that, and a sensible trainer will steer you there rather than up.
Registration
Registering as an owner with the GBGB costs £73 the first time, then £36 a year. You will need photo ID and proof of address.
The retirement payment
A £210 payment into the Greyhound Retirement Scheme, made when the dog is registered. It is there to fund your greyhound's retirement, years before you need it.
Note the retirement payment is now £210. A great many websites still say £200, which was the old figure.
The rest of it
What else lands during the year
Veterinary care. Budget £500 to £1,000 a year. Routine care, the occasional knock, and the physiotherapy that keeps a racing dog sound. Some of it is predictable and some of it simply is not.
Travel and entries. Getting to meetings, and entry arrangements. Ask any trainer whether this sits inside the weekly fee or on top of it — the answer varies, and it is a fair question to ask before you commit.
Retirement. The £210 payment is released when your greyhound goes to an approved homing centre. If you rehome privately instead, you do not get the GBGB's matching contribution — a detail that catches people out. If you keep the dog yourself, you can still claim it back, but only with a vet's invoice showing neutering and any dental work. The whole scheme is explained here.
Sharing the cost
You do not have to carry it on your own
Most people in this sport do not own a dog outright. Splitting it is normal, and it is how nearly everyone starts.
A partnership
Up to four people sharing one greyhound, the costs and the race nights between them.
- Cost
- POA
A syndicate
A wider group taking a share each. Across the sport, shares commonly run at £50 to £150 a month per person. Ask us what we can arrange.
- Cost
- POA
The part nobody likes saying
Prize money rarely covers costs over a season. Plenty of good greyhounds never win a thing. A dog can be injured in its first trial and never race at all, and you will still have a dog to look after and a bill to pay.
Anyone who tells you ownership is an investment is selling you something. Go into it for the mornings at the kennel, the five minutes when the traps open, and the dog that sleeps on your sofa for ten years afterwards — and the money looks like what it is, which is the cost of a hobby you will enjoy.
What we will promise is a straight number before you commit, an honest account of what your dog is doing, and no surprises on the bill.