HALL GREEN – INTEGRAL TO GREYHOUND RACING SINCE 1927

Tonight sees the final meeting staged at Hall Green. After being granted planning permission, the site owners have decided not to renew their contract with promoter Clive Feltham who must now hand over the keys of the stadium.

The following is a mixture of assorted events plucked from out archives. It isn’t designed to be a concise history of the place, just a collection of memories, of some of the people and hounds who have influenced the near 90 years.

There are quirky and funny stories, tales of hope and growth, decline and failure, not to mention the comings and goings of double Derby winning trainer Tony Meek. . .

 

1927 August 24. Hall Green opens for racing. Loch Latham, a fawn and white dog by coursing sire Jamie, wins the first race at the opening meeting at Hall Green. The Edinburgh trained dog is contesting the first round of an inter-track event where all the runners in the race are confined to one track. Each race is worth £20 to the winner (£987 at current values). There are another four inter-track races – one for local dogs, plus teams from Liverpool, Manchester and London. There are also three heats of a hurdle competition, the fastest of which is won by the first ever Grand National winner Bonzo

1936 Forecast pools are introduced for the first time at Hall Green.

1946 Hall Green takes a two month winter break from December 28. All racing dogs will be kept free of charge in the stadium kennels.

1949 Prize money (with inflation linked equivalent) at Hall Green. Bottom grade win £7 (£233), second £2 (£67), top grade handicap win £14 (£467), second £4 (£134), third £3 (£100).

1951 British bred Rushton Smutty produces arguably the performance of the year when breaking Hall Green’s 14 year old 500 yard track record. Mr and Mrs Johnson’s dog took 26 spots off the previous best when clocking 28.04.

1952 The following article appeared in an unidentified newspaper article in 1952.’Hall Green Greyhound Racing Stadium has on its staff four trainers whose combined length of service with the Greyhound Racing Association, including time spent in H.M. Forces and other national services, amounts to 98 years. This record has no counterpart in the provinces and probably not in the whole of the country. The trainers are Roger Harris, Cliff Ogden, Wally Hancox and George Parry, all of whom have spent the greater part of their lives in the service of greyhound racing. Roger Harris born and bred in Warwick, began his career in 1927 at the White City, London, being seconded to several tracks before getting his first training appointment at Harringay in 1932. He cam to Hall Green in a similar capacity in 1936, went back to London for 12 months, and then returned to the Birmingham track where he has since stayed. Comparing modern racing with the former days, he said: “Tracks have greatly improved throughout the country and, of course, so have the times. The breeding of greyhounds is on a better plane, too. In the early days the dogs were bred primarily for coursing, but now they are bred almost exclusively for racing and are getting better with each generation. Roger does not think a dog reaches his peak, until it is two years old, nine months are they are eligible to run in public. “The hardest job in training a greyhound is to make them follow the hare,” he said The dogs love to run but are apt to race between themselves unless trained properly. That is the reason why dogs are muzzled during races – not because they are vicious, but in the excitement they may bite the dog running alongside.” Yorkshire-born Cliff Ogden, began his association with the G.R.A. in 1927 at Belle Vue, Manchester, moving to Hall Green in 1933. Except for a three months spell at Harringay, he has been at York Road since. Cliff thinks that the sport was at its peak shortly before the war. “This sport is now rapidly approaching its pre-war standards but I find rather alarming the lack of ‘genuine’ dogs; the dog with high breeding. Greyhound racing is more of a working man’s sport than ever before. Consequently there are more dogs owner, but on a smaller scale.” Third member of the long-serving quartet is Wally Hancox, who has been associated with dogs since he became a member of the staff of private kennels when he was 15. Wally agreed with his colleagues that the best performances are given by two to three-year-olds and regarding the decline in the number of owners of large strings he said: “Whereas in former days an owner would have a string of 15, the exception rather than the rule these days is about four.” To complete the “team” is George Parry, a farmer’s son from |Cheshire, who left coursing to join Kings Heath on its inception in 1928, and after several other appointments came to Hall Green in 1943.

He believes that the training of greyhounds is a good career for a young lad if he is prepared to make sacrifices and to have an inborn love for dogs.

So there they are – four men whose skill, collated over years of experience, do much to ensure an enjoyable meeting.’

1957 Hall Green owner Mrs Sarah Heath and her husband are to end their association with the track and pursue their interest in coursing. Mrs Heath is the daughter of Prime Minister Harold Mamillan.

1963 The National Greyhound Racing Society make a formal objection to the BBC over a televised play “Last Race Ginger Gentlemen”. The storyline centre around a greyhound track (an unnamed Hall Green) featured plenty of violence including the “splattered blood, use of knuckle dusters” and “waitresses stirring drinks with their fingers in cracked ups”

1963 Hall Green trainer Sid Masters has his licence withdrawn by the NGRC following the improved form of grader Jamaican Resort. The inquiry reports “it was decided to accept the recommendation of the local stewards that trainer S Masters licence be withdrawn”

1964 Westpark Quail sets a new 700 yard track record at Hall Green for trainer Noreen Collin. The big fawn records 39.59 when winning an open by just under 11 lengths. Six weeks later he was to win the Dunmore (late Sean Graham) 700.

1970 Winner’s prizes for minor opens. Hall Green 500 & 700yds-£50, Wimbledon 500-£75, Brighton 550-£40, 725-£75, Belle Vue 500-£40, Romford 500-£45, 650-£50. To equate to 2014 figures, multiply by 13.5.

1970 Selection of track records Hall Green 500y – Kilbeg Kuda (27.79), 700y-The Grand Canoe (39.42),

1970 September: Work is underway at Hall Green track to accommodated six-dog racing from five. More than 300 tons of topsoil has raised the outside of the track 18in higher than the inside rail, and 1,500 square yards of turf have been laid to the banking of the bends.

1972 Police were called to restore order at Hall Green after dozens of punters stormed onto the track in protest over the result of a hurdle race. It was claimed that two of the handicap traps had opened late.

1972 August 19 The Midland Flat Championship at Hall Green over 500 yards, with a first prize of £1,000 plus Challenge Trophy to be held for one year, sees a titanic battle between R White’s Shortcake (fw b The Grand Silver-She Is Landing, Sep’69) and Miss L Phillips’s Fiery Copper (f d The Grand Silver-Kate The Copper, Aug’70). The pair are near inseparable in the betting, evens Shortcake and 5-4 Fiery Copper. The race is a head-to-head all the way with Shortcake just getting up by half a length in 27.50.

1972 Sid Mann, the GRA’s longest-serving trainer, announces his retirement early in the New Year after 45 years in the sport. He started at Hall Green in 1928 as head lad to trainer A Cashmore. Then he got his own kennels in 1930 and stayed until 1933, when he moved to the new track at Stamford Bridge and trained there until it closed in 1969 .

1973 Trainer Natalie Savva sent out five open race winners at four different tracks on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. Westmeads Hall and Mia won at Hall Green – the latter breaking the 700 yard track record. Drynham Rocket won at Hackney, Dallas Harmony was successful at Southend and Vals Nip did the business at Willenhall.

1973 17 month old Miles Apart (Monalee Gambler-White May, Feb 72) is sold for 450 guineas at Shelbourne Sales. He goes on to break the 465m, 485m and 510m track records at Perry Barr and twice break the 474m clock Hall Green.

1973 30 year old Bob Rowe is appointed the new racing manager at White City. A son of a former Bristol trainer, Rowe had racing office experience at Wandsworth, Leicester and West Ham, prior to his appointment as grader at Hall Green. He will take over from Charlie Birch who is to run the GRA’s kennel complex at Northaw. The Hall Green position goes to ‘Jeff’ Jeffcoate.

1973 The new grandstand at Hall Green is taking shape opposite the original winning lin. It will hold 4,000 racegoers with a restaurant with 500 covers. A new computerised tote indicator board measuring 113ft by 22ft, using 9,000 lamps, will now be able to accommodate six dog races. GRA’s CEO Charles Chandler says: “This is one more step in our policy of rationalised greyhound racing.”

1974 January 17th Gale force winds brought chaos to greyhound tracks. At Hall Green, during the first race, debris flies across the track forcing race leader, Overend, to check and finish out of the frame. The 4th race, a 500 yard hurdle, was cancelled as wind threatens to blow the hurdles down.

1974 Local star Prince Champion was barely able to reward his followers when winning a stayers open at Hall Green. Tote win dividends on the 1-3 chance paid 11p for a 10p ticket.

1976 December 11. The Winter Trophy final at Hall Green over 663 metres has drawn together a grand line up of top class stayers including Manderlay King, Westmead Satin, Picture Parade and El Leyano. Victory goes to Joe De Mulder’s Manderlay King, trained by his son Geoff at Hall Green. The 11-10 favourite takes the lead at half way to beat Westmead Satin and Picture Parade by 2 1/4 and 1 3/4 lengths in 41.73.

1979 Former Hall Green trainer Ben Parsons dies aged 69. His most famous greyhound was the top stayer of the late 1960s, Cash For Dan.

1980 Geoff de Mulder gives up his contract at Hall Green for the second time in two years.

1980 Midlands owner Roy Brookes is considering taking the NGRC to court after they allowed Hall Green to stage a meeting without a vet in attendance. Brookes’ open race bitch Corelish Jane broke her neck during the meeting and it was 25 minutes before a vet arrived to put the bitch to sleep.

1982 Litter brothers Rikasso Mick and Rikasso Hiker (Glenroe Hiker-Lady Myrtown) are proving to be match specialists. Following on from Mick’s victory over Bright Pin and Go Winston in a three runner match at Leicester, brother Hiker beats Bright Pin and Ardralla Victory in a three dog event at Hall Green, setting a new 474m clock of 28.59 in the process.

1993 Tony Meek leaves Oxford to join Hall Green. His Oxford slot is taken by Geoff Goodwin.

1984 Track record selection: Hall Green: 259m Spring Sale (15.70), 474m Rikasso Hiker (28.59), 474mH Lovely Pud (29.38), 606m Glideaway Ted (38.78), 663m Man Soda (41.59), 815m Scurlogue Champ (52.51)

1985 Hall Green punters are robbed of seeing Scurlogue Champ in the only Golden Jacket Final ever staged at the track. Ken Peckham’s superstar had won the fastest of the 663 metre semi final in 41.99 but was held up in a 30 mile traffic jam on the M1, along with another finalist Westmead Grace. Tony Meek’s Swindon entry Keem Rocket, winner of the other semi in 42.09, was made a 4-6f for the four-runner decider and won easily in 41.67.

1987 Hall Green open their new £150,000 Racers restaurant along the backstraight at York Road. The new facility has seating for 114 diners.

1988 Hall Green trainer Alisa Goode, who took over the contract from her mother Pat, decides to give up the sport. Bob Hall and Norman Cowans are the new trainers at Hall Green. They will replace Geoff De Mulder and Ailsa Goode.

1989 Hall Green unveil their new £1m refurb which includes the biggest restaurant at a British greyhound track with covers for 360 diners.

1989 Race times at Hall Green have still not recovered after new sand was laid the previous month. The 480s are running an average of -140 slow and the 645s are estimated at -280.

1990 Hall Green becomes the first track to have its own motel as the new 51 room building opens adjacent to the track.

1990 Following the scrapping of ‘classic’ status, Gismop Pasha becomes the first winner of a Category One race when landing the Mirror/Life Grand National Final at Hall Green.

1990 Nora McEllistrim admits she may have to suspend the hurdles career of open racer Ranger Supreme due to his increasingly bizarre attempts to outwit the bunny. In a trial at Hall Green, Ranger cleared the first hurdle, cut across the second and landed on the inside of the track. He then dashed to the backstraight, caught the hare as approached the third bend and ripped it to pieces.

1990 Exactly a year after the laying of a new £100,000 racing circuit at Hall Green, the entire circuit is being dug up. When it was first laid, the surface was running approximately three seconds slow. However, over time it speeded up to such an extent that track records were being broken in trials.

1991 The Grand National goes to a dead heat for the first time in its history though the Hall Green decider was a mockery. The early lead was disputed by Ideal Man and Ballycarney Dell, but the pair seemed content to run together until Run On King went past the pair. John McGee’s Ideal Man rallied first and re-took the lead on the run-on, only for Tony Gifkins’ Ballycarney Dell to waken up his ideas and make his challenge on the line. Dell, previously disqualified, then fought the McGee runner after the line. Third placed was beaten a head with fourth placed Kildare Slippy three quarters of a length away.

1991 Hall Green trainer Leo Pughs hands over his contract to son Mick.

1992 Kildare Slippy (I’m Slippy-Kildare Elm) produced arguably the greatest hurdling performance ever to win the Grand National. Paddy Hancox’s dog clocked 28.52 for the Hall Green 474m hurdle course. Not only was it a new record, his time was seven spots faster than the 474m flat track record.

1992 Hall Green’s Jean Feltham becomes Group Projects Manager as Ken Hair takes over the reins at York Road.

1992 Former Hall Green handler Bertie Gaynor, who retired to Ireland with no plans to continue training, lands the Irish Laurels with Market Rascal. In an interview with the Sporting Life Mark Sullivan, Gaynor explains that he is still buying an selling an occasional greyhounds and that he “first option on all the greyhounds with the ‘Droopys’ prefix.

1993 Winner’s prize money (with index linked equiv) A8-£40 (£76) A1-£60 (£114)

1993 Hall Green racing manager Simon Harris goes to Wimbledon and Gary Woodward departs Bristol for Hall Green.

1993 Wembley trainer Terry Dartnall announces he has no plans to quit Wembley and take up a position at Hall Green as demanded by GRA.

1993 With only eight weeks prior to the event, Hall Green offer to stage the Breeders Produce Stakes after it is scrapped by Wembley – due to a Madonna concert.

1993 Hall Green regulars are unused to seeing unraced pups qualify straight into A1 but a 17 month old blue brindle does just that after a 28.76 qualifying trial. Her name is Westmead Chick.

1993 Tony Meek leaves Oxford for Hall Green where he will replace the recently deceased John Malcolm.

1994 Following a brilliant 28.45 trial at Hall Green, Tony Meek’s recently arrived young Irish import Moral Standards is subject of a hefty ante post gamble on the ’94 English Derby. A rush of money sees the dog who was first backed at 400-1, then again at 66s, now as low as 14s.

1995 Hall Green stages its first ever BAGS fixture.

1995 Paddy Hancox is sacked by Hall Green. The move follows a hefty gamble on one of the trainer’s BAGS runners. Jenny Walters is his replacement

1996 The 1995 Greyhound of the Year awards are presented at a lunch at Hall Green. Gary Newbon of Central Sports presents the Greyhound of the Year trophy to Betty Whelan, owner of Staplers Jo.

1996 Hall Green begin racing behind the Bramich hare which was fitted as a ‘cost saving measure’.

1997 Glown Fox sets a new Hall Green 474m hurdles track record of 29.21. However, his time, recorded behind the new Bramich hare is still some eight lengths off the 28.52 recorded by Kildare Slippy behind the McKee-Scott lure.

1997 Hall Green bookies stage a ‘pricing up protest’ when trainer Barbera Smith has three runners in the same race. They priced the three Smith runners at 6-4 with the remainder of the field available at 2-1, 3-1 and 4-1 for a total betting percentage of 198%. The three Smith runners finished 1-2-3.

1998 SKY’s coverage of greyhound racing is to be extended with coverage of the Grand National from Hall Green. The programme will be hosted by the broadcaster’s popular young presenter Jeff Stelling.

1998 Tony Meek is leaving Hall Green to join Monmore along with Perry Barr trainer Claire Hughes.

1999 Stephen Rea takes over as general manager at Hall Green from Jean Feltham.

1999 Two men in balaclava attempt to rob a Hall Green bookie in his car on his way home. He manages to escape unharmed. Two days later, two security track at the staff are robbed.1999 Hall Green rip out their old hare and install a new Swaffham system.

2001 Trainer Mary Kimberley resigns her position at Hall Green following a row over the performance of grader Mountview John. She rejoins Perry Barr.

2001 Tony Meek becomes the second high profile trainer to leave Monmore following Nicki Chambers’ departure. Meek blames problems in attracting new owners and a failure of the track to improve facilities as he departs for Hall Green.

2001 Mick Pugh decides to retire as a Hall Green trainer. Alan Jenkins, a former kennel hand to Barbara Smith, takes the position.

2002 Hall Green trainer Nicky Chambers tenders her resignation and announces plans to close her breeding and training establishment at Little Belvoir. Paula Simmons is set to take over the kennels and contract.

2002 William Hill announce their sponsorship of a substantial new event, The Futurity which will be staged at Hall Green and worth £8,000 to the winner.

2003 Five masked gunmen carry out an armed raid at Hall Green after shooting their way past a security door. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken but no one was hurt.

2004 A row breaks out between Hall Green and Coventry when trainer Tony Meek decides to leave York Road for Brandon. Hall Green boss Stephen Rea describes Coventry’s approach to Meek as “poaching”.

2005 Carol Chown-Smith takes over as the new general manager at Perry Barr. Stephen Rea, who supervised the re-build of the track, returns to his GM role at Hall Green.

2005 After Hall Green announce that they will stage the first round of their (36 runner) Midland St Leger on dates that clash with Monmore’s Christmas Festival 630, the Ladbrokes owned track hike their winner’s prize from £3,000 to £5,000 for two runs.

2006 Paula Simmons switches from Hall Green to Monmore following the retirement of Pat Radley. She is replaced by Nick Colton who changes track for the second time in two months having left Oxford for Coventry before the latest switch.

2007 Tony Meek returns to Hall Green following the departure of Julie McHale.

2008 Westmead Osprey (sprain) follows litter brother Diver and father Hawk in sustaining a serious injury at Hall Green.

2009 The first ‘wrong dog’ incident in a while takes place at Hall Green when A7 grader Lynn Marie mistakenly ran in place of Fugazi in an A3 race and finished last. To be fair to the management, the pair were littermates, identically coloured and trained by Paul White. The only distinguishing factor between the two? Lynn Marie was a bitch while Fugazi was a dog!

2008 Hall Green’s greyhound sale was a great success with 42 of the 57 lots sold and receipts reached almost £53,000. Top lot Cals Meteor made 5,100 guineas after clocking 28.59.

2010 The Hall Green management discover the realities of greyhound ownership when purchasing Quiet Patrol at their local sales. They plan to sell £100 syndication shares in the dog as an incentive for new owners. Things go well for the Stuart Buckland trained fawn who wins a A4 second time out and an open race just three runs later. However the dog’s career lasts a total of 10 outings before he is retired with a career ending injury.

2010 Following a ‘strategic review’ Stephen Rea departs as Hall Green General Manager after 12 years in charge. He will be retained on a consultancy basis by GRA. He is followed within a month by Perry Barr boss Carol Chown-Smith.

2011 Hall Green announce plans to drop their Tuesday fixture following the sacking of its biggest trainer John Pearce who had more than 70 runners on the strength.

2012 Former Hall Green trainer John Pearce dies following a battle with cancer.

2012 Paul Sallis switches to Monmore from Hall Green to replace the retiring Martin Burt.

2012 In a meeting with Hall Green trainers, GRA’s Chief Executive assures them that the stadium is safe “for at least the next decade.”

2012 Hall Green trainer Chris Kyme decides quit training with immediate effect. Racing manager Rob Coulthard says: “. . .he wants to win every race when I have 12 other trainers at Hall Green who also deserve their fair share”.

2012 Former Hall Green and Perry Barr boss Stephen Rea relinquishes his role as GRA’s PR consultant.

2013 Former Hall Green trainer Barbara Smith dies aged 83. He best known runner was the multi open race winner Star Of Tyrone.

2013 A management team headed by Clive Feltham, sign management deals with NAMA/Galliard Homes to run the four tracks. The leases for Hall Green, Belle Vue and Perry Barr are believed to be for 15 years with a five year deal for Wimbledon.

2017 July 29 – Hall Green closes – RPGTV Link       –       BBC link