REMEMBER WHEN: FEBRUARY

2001 Droopys Rivero, winner of the 1999 Romford Puppy Cup has his card marked for fighting for a second time in an open at Sunderland and is permanently disqualified from racing under NGRC rules.

1983 Frank Melville becomes the first ex-greyhound trainer to be made a stipendiary steward. He will cover the East Anglian region, including Peterborough which joins the NGRC permit ranks on March 1. Melville’s position at White City is taken over by Stan Gudgin’s former head man, Ray Peacock.

2001 Hull re-opens under new promoter Gary Ince.

1973 The Ladbroke Challenge Cup over 507 metres at Brough Park, between Myrtown and Westpark Mustard, is cancelled late in the day owing to Westpark Mustard being lame. A huge crowd that turns up do not know till they arrive at the track.

2000 Ante post favourite (4-1) Lenson Eddie goes on to land the Springbok. The Len Ponder owned, Ray Peacock trained 8-13f chance wins by four in 28.70.

1936 The Golden Jubilee Crufts Dog Show at Agricultural Hall, Islington, is attended by the founder Charles Cruft, now aged 84. It draws a record entry of 10,650 of which 51 are greyhounds.

1964 Wimbledon’s Con Stevens releases figures showing that the track’s average racing strength during 1963 was 208, which included, on average, 22 lame dogs and seven with sickness. In the 12 months, there was one death, one broken hock and one broken leg.

2007 David Smith, the Seaham builder who claimed to have killed 10,000 greyhounds with a captive bolt pistol, pleads guilty to dumping waste into a landfill without permission. It is the only charge brought against him. He is fined £2,000 plus £2,000 costs.

1975 The Longcross Cup Final at London White City sees a cracking line up. Trap 1 Westmead Bounty; 2 Seafield Poppins; 3 Sampson Flash; 4 Reliable Rosey; 5 Pitmans Brief; 6 El Raco. Mrs H Mobley’s Westmead Bounty, trained by her husband at Bletchley, is the winner. The fawn dog (Westmead County-Hack Saw, Dec 72) leads nearly all the way in 42.23 for the 680 metres. Second is Reliable Rosey and third Pitmans Brief.

1996 Alans Rose and Coolmona Road share 11-4 joint favouritism for the Ladbrokes Golden Jacket. They both reach the final with Road prevailing in 45.75.

1981 Belle Vue trainer Bill France dies aged 63. The licence is taken over by son Melvin.

2002 A major investigation is launched into Wembley plc’s business dealings in the USA. Federal investigators are looking into claims of improper payments being made to gaming legislators.

2005 Druids Mickey Jo starts as the 9-4 ante post favourite for the Springbok following a 28.19 trial run. By the final, he is 8-1f and clocks a brilliant 28.14.

1986 After finishing third in the William Hill Super Trapper final at Hackney the previous month, House Hunter (Tiger Jazz-Brass Tacks, Apr’83) goes one better when he takes the 523 metre final of the Mecca Sweet Sixteen Stakes at the same track. Worth £1500 & trophy Mr Noble and Humphreys, Gunner Smith trained runner, reverses last month’s big race final form with Chiming Valley by taking the race by 1 1/2 lengths from him in 32.16.

2007 A new weekly greyhound publication is launched – Trap2Line.

1956 The latest cinema film featuring greyhound racing is released. Called Jumping For Joy, it stars Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway, Alfie Bass, Lionel Jeffries and Joan Hickson. The story goes : Frankie Howerd is a poop scooper at London White City. He loses his job and is given a greyhound called Lindy Lou by one of the trainers as a going away present. He trains the greyhound himself and enters it in the Golden Bowl, the equivalent of the Derby. Despite outside interference, it goes on to win the race. Lindy Lou’s real name is Moynsha Queen, an ex-Wimbledon and Wandsworth grader who won only once in 30 races.

1965 West Ham introduce graded races over 880 yards and a new hurdle distance of 550 yards to include five jumps.

1997 BORD na gCon’s track expert Chiari O’Connor admits that Shelbourne has been incorrectly laid out since it first opened. Due to the narrowness of the track, the inside rail had been altered in the 1930s and the perfect running line had been

1983 A strike by Irish owners and breeders over new qualifying times is averted when Bord na gCon agree to postpone the implementation date. The Bord intend to reduce the 31.40 qualifying time to 31.20 at five of the major tracks.

1992 Murlens Abbey went four spots below the Reading sprint track record when clocking 16.28 in a trial.

1978 Romford racing manager Des Nicholls is to switch to Brighton following Peter Shotton’s move to Wembley. The Essex track decide to headhunt a suitable replace and choose . . . .Crayford’s Jim Simson. His chair is then taken by the enthusiastic 25 year old Brummie Tony Smith who had been working at both Brough Park and Gosforth.

1960 Harringay regret the decision to switch their normal Friday evening card to the afternoon to allow a telecast from Channel 9. The evening crowd was down by an estimated 4,000 spectators.

1981 Face The Mutt, winner of the 1982 English and Scottish Grand Nationals is sold at Shelbourne Park for 1,000 guineas.

1969 Mr Jim Howard’s Poor Mick (Crazy Parachute-Deanside, Mar 65) and trained at Harringay by Randy Singleton has been retired to stud after a brilliant track career over the longer distances. He twice won the Gold Vase at Harringay plus the Wills Silver Rose Bowl at Powderhall, Gold Cup at Wembley and GRA Stakes at White City. He was also a short head second to Shady Begonia in the 1968 BBC Television Trophy Final over 880 yards at Romford.

2004 Paschal Taggart resumed control of the Irish Greyhound Board after resigning four days earlier. A meeting of 150 influential industry figures demanded that minister John Donoghue give Taggart his full backing. The Board chairman has resigned following a dispute with a new board member who had been appointed by the minister.

2005 GRA is sold to Luke Johnson’s Risk Capital Partners for £50.3m

1990 The Romford jackpot of £23,000 is shared by two local punters.

1976 Ray Lancaster of The Sporting Life sees his puppy Kilroy lead all the way to win the Knockrour Bank Puppy Trophy over 480 metres at Wimbledon in 27.77. Half an hour later his other puppy Mutts Silver storms home by 5 1/2 lengths in a new track record of 27.49.

1954 Mrs C H Chandler’s Polonius, who won the Edinburgh Cup and Laurels last year, is withdrawn from the International at Clonmel’s annual coursing meeting with a swollen toe picked up during a preparatory gallop.

1999 Prolific marathon open race winner Handy Score has her card marked for fighting for the second and final time.

1982 Peter Rich’s Ramsgrate raider Glen Miner set a new Wembley 490 metre record of 28.98, one spot quicker than Decoy Ranger’s previous best.