of animals in the entertainment field, such
as circuses.
Derby Lane’s last race was scheduled for
December 27. Davis, a slender man with dread-
locks and a quick smile, was one of scores of
employees whose future was uncertain. He’d
been at the track for 14 years and considered it
his ideal job.
“I love dogs,” Davis said, “and I love being
outside.”
He was not the only Derby Lane employee
wondering what would happen next.
“It’s a shame to have to shut down after 95
years,” said CEO Richard Winning, 64. His fam-
ily has owned Derby Lane since it opened in- With the Florida tracks closed, he warned,
DiMaggio once left Marilyn Monroe in an idling
car while he ran inside to place his bets.
Derby Lane was America’s oldest continuously
operating greyhound racetrack, but in December
2020 it headed for its final stretch. Two years ear-
lier, Florida had more greyhound tracks than any
other state—11 out of 17 nationwide. By the end
of 2020, it was down to three, with about 2,000
dogs still racing. Now those tracks are closed too.
In 2018 Florida’s voters had the chance
to approve a constitutional amendment—
Amendment 13—to ban betting on greyhounds
as of December 31, 2020. The racing industry bet
on Floridians rejecting the amendment, but it
passed by a wide margin, owing mostly to the
growing national concern over the mistreatment
THEY’RE OFF—AND GONE 125