1996 Independent Kinsley bring in police when they discover that a bitch who is running at the track has been stolen. The Yorkshire track uncovered the deception after checking their database against earmarks supplied by Tipperary breeder Jack Stanton. The bitch had been stolen from Stanton eight months earlier and despite the thieves altering her earmarks, the deception was spotted by promoter John Curran.
2001 Labour peer Lord David Lipsey launches an attack on greyhound racing during a Lord debate on greyhound welfare. He recalled an open racer that he had once owned – Park Laddie – had broken a hock and he admitted to his shame that he had never known what happened to the dog. Lipsey reckoned that there were 6,500 greyhounds unaccounted for each year after racing. He said: “Most greyhound owners and trainers are caring people, and would not want their dogs to suffer such a fate. A minority are not.” Lipsey reckoned greyhound racing considered itself ‘a law unto itself’. The future BGRB chairman described the organisation as “an unaccountable self regarding oligarchy”
2002 Nottingham change their open race prize money policy with 15 per cent automatically allocated to trainers. They also increase the winner’s prize from £150 to £200 and also-ran from £15 to £20.
1959 The Select Stakes run over 525 yards at Wembley is won by Noel Purvis’s Mile Bush Pride for the second year in a row, thus equalling Duet Leader’s double of 55 and 56. Mile Bush Pride (The Grand-Champion Witching Dancer) trained locally by Jack Harvey, clocked 29.11 from trap three. In 1958 he did 29.12 from the same box.
1994 Stephen Dove, nephew of trainer Bill Dove, claims that contracts are two weeks from being signed which will lead to the building of a new track at Basildon.
2006 GRA announce a series of staff redundancies due to poor trading. Wimbledon lose eight staff including the tote, restaurant and bars managers.
1998 The BGRB launch their new website ‘Gone To The Dogs’
1960 Southern Sporting Promotions Ltd, owners of the greyhound track at Southampton, announce that they will install greyhound racing at the Poole Pirates stadium further along the south coast. The initiative is the brainchild of Southampton boss and former Hampshire spinner Charlie Knott. He states that £80,000 has already been spent on a new grandstand, kennels and outside Sumner hare.
1994 Kevin Heffernan is appointed as the new chairman of Bord nag Con following the retirement of Kevin Frost.
1998 Crayford trainer Jim Reynolds announces that he is leaving to join Walthamstow.
2003 Mike Raper (pictured) the GRA’s PR and marketing director is made redundant within a week of the most successful English Derby for years. The Wimbledon GM was one of the architects of the re-shaping of the racing circuit at Plough Lane. Raper is the most high profile name to depart, most of the others were catering staff. The track also closed its new Mick The Miller stand until further notice as well as cutting Thursday from the racing schedule.
2006 Diana Ellis, breeder of three Waterloo Cup winners, Hardly Ever, Timworth Edward and Evening Mail, dies aged 81.
1936 July 4 E Warner’s Bull Ring, a 4-1 chance from trap 2, wins the Welsh Derby in 30.23 at Cardiff White City. This is the last time the event is run there, being transferred to Cardiff Arms Park the following year.
