Photos: Greyhound racing in Tucson through the years
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Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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Sixty years of Tucson Greyhound Park and Tucson's racing greyhounds from the archives of the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen.
The park announced it was closing for good at the end of June, 2022.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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A greyhound hits full airborne stride as it races down the frontstretch.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Track workers present the greyhounds for last inspection before loading them into the gates for a race.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Track workers present the greyhounds for last inspection before loading them into the gates for a race as spectators size up the field.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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The sky glows a multitude of hues on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Greyhounds tear down the frontstretch on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Alicia Heiserer, track controller, and Eric Baugher, simulcast operator, admire a cell phone picture of the weather atop the roof of Tucson Greyhound Park.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Greyhounds take off out of the gates on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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A greyhound breaks through the spotlight of the finish line on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Track workers bring out the greyhounds for a race on the last day of live racing.
Last night of live racing at Tucson Greyhound Park
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Greyhounds tear down the frontstretch on the last day of live racing.
Greyhound racing in Tucson
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Tucson Greyhound Park, ca. 1950s.
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Tucson Greyhound Park, ca. 1950s.
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Trainers walk their dogs around the track at Tucson Greyhound Park in 1980.
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Handlers with dogs before a race at Tucson Greyhound Park in 1990.
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Robert Fickett checks the weight of one of his 30 racing dogs while helper Mary Montono records the information at the Fickett's 40-acre farm north of Tucson in 1983.
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Robert and Michele Fickett's 200-foot running pens for their greyhounds in Tucson in 1983. The Fickett's owned 150 greyhounds pups raised to racing dogs.
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Michele Fickett gives greyhounds shots and looks after their general health at the Fickett's 40-acre farm north of Tucson in 1983.
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Greyound racing dogs under the care of Robert and Michele Fickett have breakfast in air-conditioned cages in 1983.
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An injured greyhound racing dog recuperates under the a sign of a sprinting dog on the farm owned by Robert and Michele Fickett in 1983.
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Robert Fickett takes some of his greyhounds for a morning run on the family's 40-acre farm north of Tucson in 1983.
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Greyhound racing dogs during a weigh-in at Tucson Greyhound Park in 1982.
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Annamarie Padilla mans the betting counter at Jeff's Pub at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006. The off track betting feed from Tucson Greyhound Park had been blacked out by its provider, Paradise Turf because of contract expiration.
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A dark brindle female greyhound Khaki Katie, 3, is shown to the crowd before racing in the first race, Grade D, at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006.
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Greyhounds run in a Grade D race at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006. The slowest grade of dog race - and one step away from the end of a racing career - Grade D races feature greyhounds that aren't quick enough to win faster races.
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People sit inside and outside to watch the greyhound racing at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006.
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Juan Rocha, center left, Julien Ruiz, center right, and veterinarian Betty Menke, right, check greyhounds before a race at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2006.
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With muzzles off greyhound dogs wait for their food in their cages at the Tucson Greyhound Park. The park had an adoption drive to try and find homes for 200 retired greyhounds in 2007.
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Michelle Swift, an assistant trainer, at Tucson Greyhound Park, brings the dogs back into their cages after they have an opportunity to go outside in 2007.
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A fire at Tucson Greyhound Park in May 1949 caused $100,000 damage. From "Jack Sheaffer's Tucson 1945-1965."
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South Tucson firefighters ascend a ladder to assess the fire situation on the tower at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2009.
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South Tucson firefighters battle a blaze in the tower at Tucson Greyhound Park in 2009.
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Workers at Tucson Greyhound Park hurry to finish the clubhouse painting work and seat installations on the park's new $700,000 starting box before the opening race that night on Dec. 29, 1983.
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Manny Serrato keeps an eye on the odds and the tracks at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 1999 where off track betting is a yearround deal.
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"Greyhound athletes," as they are called at Tucson Greyhound Park, compete for an inside position on the straight during training runs at the track in 2003.
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A group of greyhounds run around the track at Tucson Greyhound Park as customers place bets on the race in 2003.
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Tags, which are used to identify the dog and the race they are in, hand on the wall at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2011.
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Donna Mann pets Mystic Rhythms, a racing greyhound, at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2011.
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Donna Mann, a kennel owner, pets Kotote Rita, a racing greyhound, at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2011.
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Hector Garcia, right, scale clerk and kennel master at the Tucson Greyhound Park, weighs in dogs before the races on a Saturday night in 2000. On Saturday 128 dogs raced.
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Greyhounds break out of the starting box on Saturday night at the Tucson Greyhound Park in 2000.
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Tucson Greyhound Park, shown in 2004, sits in the heart of the city of South Tucson. The city was incorporated in 1940.
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Local greyhound adoption groups are looking for foster volunteers to help transition former racers into pets.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
As featured on
Facility will continue providing off-track betting for now.
After 78 years in operation, Tucson Greyhound Park will close after hosting its last Belmont Stakes simulcast on June 11.
Former South Tucson dog track sells for $9 millionFor Star subscribers: After closing for good last month, the former Tucson Greyhound Park has sold for $9 million.
