Cheetah Racing
Gandar-Dower returned to England in 1937 with twelve cheetahs with the intention of introducing cheetah racing to Great Britain. After six months' quarantine and six months' adapting themselves to the changed climatic conditions at Harringay and Staines stadia, the cheetahs began to race at Romford Greyhound Stadium, disproving the belief that greyhounds were the fastest animals in the world, as the cheetahs were able to clip seconds off almost every greyhound record, including the best time for 355 yards, which was 20.75 seconds until broken by cheetah Helen, who covered the distance in 19.8 seconds.
However, cheetah racing ultimately failed as the cheetahs were not competitive enough with no interest in pursuing the hare and could not negotiate tight bends. Gandar-Dower also caused uproar at the Queen's Club when he brought a male cheetah into the bar on a leash.
Read more about this topic: Kenneth Gandar-Dower
Famous quotes containing the word racing:
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