There Swifty goes!

Wonderland's last card end of an era

REVERE - There Swifty goes... and he's probably not coming back around the track.

Wonderland Greyhound Park is slated to hold its final 12 races tonight (post time is 7:25 p.m.) after voters passed a state ballot measure in 2008 ending dog racing in the state.

Wonderland opened its doors 74 years ago and soon after became one of the top nightlife attractions on the North Shore.

But time took its toll on the Route 1A complex, its customer base dwindled, entertainment choices widened and the voters' decision to ban dog racing served as the final straw.

After the final card, Wonderland's greyhound racing season ends and another won't be allowed to start next year as all dog racing in the state must end by January of next year.

Supporters of greyhound racing in the state say nearly 1,200 people will lose their jobs once the ban takes effect. Opponents say the ban already has been approved by voters and claim some track workers already are being trained for other jobs.

So it appears it's the end of an era for Wonderland, although there are several key efforts afoot at the State House level in support of Wonderland and its employees.

Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, who represents the Revere ward in which Wonderland is located, has long been a vocal supporter of slot machines at the state's race tracks, labeling them the "initial threshold" to any upcoming expanded gambling legislation, including a resort casino plan.

Last week, supporters of greyhound racing packed a State House hearing in support of a bill filed by state Rep. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, that would delay the racing ban for two years. Another bill, filed by state Rep. David Flynn, D-Bridgewater, would allow the two tracks to continue to take wagers on simulcast races.

Constructed on the site of the old Wonderland Amusement Park, the oval opened on June 12, 1935 when approximately 5,000 watched Pansy Walker win the oval's first-ever race. The parimutuel handle for the first card was $58,462, a princely sum in Depression-era America.

Greyhound racing took off on the North Shore and, just 17 cards later, the handle topped $100,000 and never went under that figure for the remainder of the initial 100-card meet.

Shortly after the World War II conflict ended in Europe, Wonderland hosted 22,607 fans on May 16, 1945, its single-card attendance record.

According to its Web site, Wonderland has featured more All-American greyhounds than any other track in the country. 35 All-American recipients have competed there, including 18 Derby Champions.

Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park in Raynham, the state's only other dog racing track, holds dog races year-round and will continue to hold live races until the ban officially takes effect in four months.