# Swindon Stadium

Swindon Stadium, also known as the Abbey Stadium, is a Greyhound Board of Great Britain regulated greyhound racing track and former speedway track in Blunsdon, Swindon, England. Greyhound racing currently takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday as part of the ARC fixture schedule.

## Speedway

The stadium was home to the Swindon Robins, who competed in the SGB Premiership until 2021. The speedway track has a circumference of 315 metres.

## Opening

The stadium opened to the public on 23 July 1949 when it hosted the Swindon Robins speedway team; greyhound racing followed three years later on 1 November 1952. Swindon had two earlier short-lived greyhound track venues, in the village of Wroughton and near the town centre in Edinburgh Street, but both had disappeared by the mid-thirties. The stadium occupied a rural setting south of Lady Lane and was named after the Blunsdon Abbey estate in Blunsdon St Andrew, a Victorian estate which had seen its main house destroyed by fire in 1904.

## History

The track initially raced as an independent, with 2,000 people attending on 1 November 1952 to watch a greyhound called Don't Care win a 324-yard race in a time of 19.02 secs at odds of 6–1. The stadium came into the hands of the Bristol Greyhound Racing Association, owners of Oxford and Eastville (Bristol) stadiums at that time. This led to the track becoming part of the National Greyhound Racing Club during April 1968. The Silver Plume competition arrived in the same year, as the track's principal event. Another independent track to the northwest of Swindon opened during the sixties at Common Platt but had little effect on the business of its larger neighbour.
In 1983 ADT (British Car Auctions) purchased the Abbey Stadium and used its large car park as a base for their sales. Other competitions at the track were the Grand National of the West, Pride of the West and the Jubilee Stakes. In 1997 the BS Group sold their Eastville stadium and bought Swindon from ADT. The entire Bristol operation including the racing office, bookmakers, trainers, the Western Two Year Old Produce Stakes and the BAGS contract transferred to Swindon.
The BS Group became Stadia UK and then Gaming International, and after the closure of Walthamstow stadium in 2008 the track hosted the Arc competition. In 2018 the stadium signed a deal with Arena Racing Company to race a Monday, Wednesday and Friday matinée meeting every week. Later in 2018, the Arc competition was discontinued due to expected track changes, but following the sudden closure of Towcester, leading owner John Turner stepped in to save the Oaks with a late scheduling in December.
The stadium signed a new media rights five-year contract extension with Arena Racing Company to run from January 2025.

## Redevelopment

A redevelopment has been planned since June 2007. The owners, Gaming International, were granted outline planning permission in 2008 to build houses on part of the site and after several revisions, outline permission was again granted in 2015, for up to 100 houses and a care home. Work began on housing in November 2016 but the stadium plans were delayed. In 2019, the original plans to reposition the stadium and track were scrapped, and the track was reduced in circumference from 463 metres by creating two new bends inside the old circumference, making way for housing. The 509 race distance was also scrapped. The planning authority disallowed any further housing additions until progress was made with replacing the existing buildings.
The stadium and track, therefore, remained in its original position with plans to install prefabricated buildings in place of the existing buildings. From 2021 to 2023, the speedway team did not enter the British leagues due to uncertainty surrounding the ongoing changes. In December 2022, the stadium continued to experience a stand off between the council and builders Taylor Wimpey over perimeters and expected redevelopment. Clarke Osborne of Gaming International issued a press release for a call for sites, which states that it wants to find ground for a 5,000 capacity stadium to host speedway, karting and car racing. However similar statements had been issued in previous years by Gaming International/BS Group for Milton Keynes Greyhound Stadium, Reading Stadium and Eastville Stadium.

## Competitions
### Former
#### The Arc
#### Silver Plume

Extended content :
| Year | Winner | Breeding | Trainer | Time | SP | Notes |
| 1968 | Glory Newtown | Printers Prince – Kilmagoura Daisy | Colin McNally (Perry Barr) | 29.18 | | |
| 1969 | The Bad Drop | Prairie Flash – Lady Juliana | Mrs Kay Lee (Swindon) | 30.35 | 20–1 | |
| 1970 | Ballybeg Flash | Prairie Flash – Knock Late | Joe Booth (Private) | 30.71 | | Track record |
| 1971 | Spectre's Dream | Spectre – Jockeys Dream | Hugo Spencer (Portsmouth) | | 1-1f | |
| 1978 | Lisnastrane Luke | Sole Aim – Trina Ann | Hazel Walden (Swindon) | 28.78 | | |
| 1990 | Kilcurley Coal | Moneypoint Coal – Victoria Range | John McGee (Hackney) | 29.04 | 2-1jf | |
| 1992 | Summerhill Super | Daleys Gold – Tiny Tolcas | John Copplestone (Reading) | 28.19 | 2-5f | |
| 1993 | Forever Roving | Skelligs Tiger – Roving Linda | Bill Masters (Hove) | 28.77 | 8–1 | |
| 1994 | Crafty Fontana | Druids Lodge – Crafty Winter | Linda Mullins (Walthamstow) | 28.69 | 4–1 | |
| 1998 | Trade Style | Trade Official – Biddys Style | Cindy Clapp (Hall Green) | 28.84 | 5–1 | Track record |

## Current track records

| Metres | Greyhound | Time | Date | Notes |
| 262 | Impact George | 15.10 | 11 December 2022 | |
| 476 | Queen Joni | 27.53 | 14 September 2023 | Produce Stakes semi final |
| 682 | Ballymac Mags | 41.18 | 2 March 2023 | |
| 896 | A Mystical Love | 56.43 | 21 September 2023 | |

## Former track records

Extended content :
| Metres | Greyhound | Time | Date | Notes |
| 275 | Fearless Swift | 16.28 | 19 August 1985 | |
| 280 | Mollifrend Tom | 16.19 | 5 October 1988 | |
| 285 | Leaders Highway | 16.23 | 10 June 1998 | |
| 285 | Everton Cheetah | 16.23 | 12 March 2003 | |
| 285 | Jimmy Lollie | 15.90 | 30 September 2009 | |
| 460 | Droopys Clay | 27.54 | 3 September 2002 | |
| 460 | Pindi Express | 27.33 | 11 February 2004 | |
| 476 | Money Matters | 27.89 | 3 August 1988 | |
| 476 | Cadburys Hero | 27.86 | 31 August 2019 | |
| 480 | Dave's War | 28.49 | 1979 | |
| 480 | Clonee Bill | 28.26 | 18 October 1982 | |
| 480 | Peasedown Julie | 28.26 | 9 November 1983 | |
| 480 | Trade Style | 28.84 | 23 May 1998 | Silver Plume Final |
| 480 | White Santa | 28.63 | 12 June 1998 | |
| 480 | Three Wells | 28.60 | 11 April 2001 | |
| 480 | Dalcash Invader | 28.57 | 3 September 2002 | |
| 480 | Westmead Joe | 28.50 | 19 July 2006 | British Bred Produce Stakes semi-final |
| 480 | Rhyzome Wizard | 28.44 | 21 October 2006 | |
| 480 | Troys Expert | 28.29 | 25 July 2009 | British Bred Produce Stakes final |
| 480 | Mark My Words | 28.28 | 9 July 2011 | British Bred Produce Stakes heats |
| 480 | Mark My Words | 28.26 | 15 July 2011 | British Bred Produce Stakes 2nd round |
| 480 | Sids Dream | 28.20 | 24 February 2012 | |
| 480 | Shaneboy Alley | 28.18 | 1 May 2013 | Arc final |
| 480 | Johnnys Star | 28.18 | 5 July 2013 | |
| 509 | Greenfield Fox | | March 1977 | |
| 509 | Westmead Gold | 29.98 | 1 July 1987 | |
| 509 | DarraghCommet | 29.94 | 4 July 1988 | |
| 509 | Broadacres Butch | 29.85 | 4 April 2001 | |
| 509 | Rhyzome Wizard | 29.73 | 26 August 2006 | |
| 509 | Pine Isle | 29.70 | 16 September 2009 | |
| 509 | Little Jig | 29.65 | 30 September 2009 | Pride of the West final |
| 509 | Crusty Crab | 29.59 | 10 November 2010 | |
| 509 | Sawpit Sensation | 29.43 | 1 May 2013 | |
| 530 | Greenfield Fox | 31.58 | 1977 | |
| 685 | Bright Cut | 42.38 | 1976 | |
| 685 | Black Port | 41.72 | 18 July 1984 | |
| 685 | Droopys Kovac | 41.86 | 31 May 2002 | |
| 685 | Streaky Luvs Men | 41.64 | 13 July 2002 | |
| 685 | Shelbourne Star | 40.94 | 11 February 2004 | |
| 695 | Miss Linsey | 45.42 | 17 June 1985 | Jubilee Stakes semi-final |
| 695 | Go Go Tiger | 45.37 | 17 June 1985 | Jubilee Stakes semi-final |
| 695 | Jet Streamer | 45.31 | 6 November 1987 | |
| 737 | Wailea Flash | 44.62 | 3 August 1988 | |
| 737 | XamaxAyam Zaman | 45.13 | 3 September 2002 | |
| 737 | Streaky Luvs Men | 45.11 | 11 July 2003 | |
| 737 | Wise Maldini | 44.86 | 20 September 2003 | |
| 737 | Ballymac Swift | 44.29 | 1 May 2013 | |
| 932 | Ballymac Swift | 59.12 | 22 May 2013 | |
| 943 | Eternal Mist | 60.18 | 1980 | |
| 943 | Tartan Sarah | 58.52 | 23 July 1984 | |
| 476 H | Gizmo Pasha | 29.40 | 13 June 1990 | |
| 476 H | Faoides Country | 29.11 | 18 September 1991 | |
| 480 H | Greenacre George | 28.93 | 3 September 2002 | |
| Yards | Greyhound | Time | Date | Notes |
| 520 | Glory Newtown | 29.18 | 1970 | |
| 520 | Houghton Ryp | | 1972 | |
| 520 | Houghton Herald | | August 1973 | |
| 550 | Snobbish Flash | 31.37 | 1969 | |
| 550 | Buff Bauhus | 31.31 | October 1969 | |
| 550 | Ballybeg Flash | 30.71 | 29 June 1970 | Silver Plume Final |
| 575 | Legane Glory | 32.44 | 1970 | |
| 740 | Bishops Miss | 42.93 | 1970 | |