1994 Ernie Gaskin senior is to take over his son Ernie’s Walthamstow contract at the end of the year. Ernie jnr has held the licence for three years but intends to build up a rearing and training facility in the USA.
1991 A Midlands spat sees Norton Canes and Nottingham ban Monmore dogs from their opens and decline inter-track invitations from the Wolverhampton track. They are angry over Ladbrokes’ decision to ignore the BGRB’s 10pm results embargo. Monmore respond by increasing their top grade prize money from £75 to £125. (Equivalent today of around £261).
2002 The NGRC clear Catford over the state of its kennels on the night that local grader Football Focus died in them. They dismissed a complaint from the Union of Greyhound Owners which claimed the NGRC were in breach of the rules for failing to provide safe kennels.
1953 The Yorkshire Puppy Derby is won in impressive fashion by Pauls Fun. Going to traps for the Leeds 500 yard contest at 1-10f, the future English Derby winner has 10 lengths to spare over the talented Rushton Spot and Rushton Mac.
1960 Among the newest recruits to the greyhound owning ranks is Tottenham and England forward Jimmy Greaves who buys Irish import Buren Bridge to race at Dagenham.
2006 The NGRC announce that they are investigating the performances of two open race runners following discussions with Betfair. Sunderland trainer Graham Calvert admits that the enquiries relate to two of his greyhounds, Delwood Senior and Amarillo Slim, who were both beaten favourites. He denies any wrong doing but takes a ‘sabbatical’ from the sport a month later with the trainers licence switching to mum Julie.
1995 Supertrack has a Corals feel when Hove beat Romford in the final 28-26.
1978 Sidney Orton, trainer of the great Mick The Miller (both pictured) , has died aged 88. The former Norfolk farmer was given a training licence at Wimbledon only months after joining the track as a paddock steward in 1928. Apart from Mick, Sidney handled a number of the great champions including Top O’The Carlow Road, Ballynennan Moon and Quare Times. The fastest he ever handled? According to the great man himself, “Ballyhennessy Sandhills”.
1978 Former Harringay trainer Ted Parker loses his licence following a stewards inquiry. The trainer was found guilty of administering Apomorphine Hydrochloride (used in vomiting) to two greyhounds in his care. Parker had already been sacked by GRA. The incident had originally followed an apparent tip-off when the company despatched its company vet Bruce Prole to examine the greyhounds. Years later, Prole’s veterinary nemesis Paddy Sweeney admitted to Greyhound Star that he had prescribed the drug to Parker’s runners.
1936 Catford, Clapton, Stamford Bridge and White City enter their ‘close season’ and will not be allowed to race for two months. West Ham, in a different licensing area will switch from two to three meetings per week.
1955 A crowd of over 20,000 are at White City to see the three way match over 525 yards between triple Irish Derby winner Spanish Battleship, Select, Laurels and Grand Prix winner Duet Leader and track record breaker Hi There. Connections of each dog contribute 125 guineas with the track adding £120 plus a trophy valued at £50. The Battleship and Duet Leader dispute the early lead but by the second bend the 22 month old Duet Leader takes up the running and goes on to beat Hi There with the Irish runner, now four years and three months old, some four lengths third and clearly past his best.
1974 One of the best Oaks fields seen in years goes to traps at Harringay. It reads 1) Gay Kathy, 2) Bo Bos Jane, 3) Pineapple Grand, 4) Ballinderry Lass, 5) Lady Devine, 6) Sweeping View. The bookies oppose the unbeaten Lady Devine (3-1) fancying Pineapple Grand (1-1f) to reverse semi final form. It doesn’t happen as the Cyril Young owned, Sid Ryall trained coloured bitch led from trap to line in 28.76. The previous year, Devine had been beaten as a short priced favourite in the Irish Oaks.
1975 A year after her defeat in the ’74 Oaks Final, Pineapple Grand (The Grand Silver-Pineapple Baby, Oct 72) rectifies her error with an awesome display in the same event. The Frank Baldwin trained light fawn had been off the track for four months with injuries and seasonal rest, prior to the start of the Harringay classic. She nevertheless went unbeaten throughout and pipped Tory Mor by half a length in 28.85. During a fantastic year, she also won the Trafalgar Cup, Spring Cup, Northern Oaks and Laurels and was third in the English Derby. She was duly awarded the bitch’s version of the Greyhound of the Year award. The dog’s title went to Tartan Khan.
