+ Skywalker Tuco looks to be a new star after going unbeaten through the Rural Hawaii Unraced at Clomel clocking a calculated 28.65 in the final. Sadly he breaks down in his next race and never runs again.
+ Possibly the best card ever assembled for a Lawrence Jones Memorial meeting at Monmore is thwarted by a frozen track.
+ The Advertising Standards Authority finds in favour of GBGB over a complaint against Greyhounds In Action for a cinema advertisement entitled “Where have all the greyhounds gone”.
+ Doncaster introduce Saturday afternoon open races. They fill six the first week with the star attraction being Laurels winner Hiya Butt.
+ Kildare based breeder Ian Greaves tells the star that demand for young racers is the highest that he can remember in many years.
+ By mid February Patrick Janssens leads the open race trainers table by five points from Mark Wallis. John Mullins is third.
+ Trainer Charlie Lister is threatening the Greyhound Trainers Association with legal action they withdraw him for the Trainers Championship meeting and replace him with Liz McNair.
+ Media broadcaster SIS announces a three year sponsorship package to be administered by the British Greyhound Breeders Forum.
+ Droopys Verve wins a trialstake for the Ladbrokes Puppy Derby in 28.26 (-30) for Monmore’s 480m. It is only the third race of his career with assistant trainer Jimmy Wright rating to 20 month old pups as “as good as we’ve had.”
+ Dog food sponsors Gain announce a graded competition at Towcester with a prize money fund of £58,000.
+ Derby winner Astute Missile clocks 28.16 in a comeback trial at Towcester seven months after breaking a broken hock. However the 480m run in only the eighth fastest time of the session with Bruisers Bullet quickest in 27.87. Seamus Cahill’s Missile is unsuccessful in two comeback races and is retired a fortnight later.
+ Hiya Butt is retired to stud following a UK career which produced 22 victories from 38 open races. They included the Peterborough Derby and English Laurels. He finished second in the Northern Sprint, third in an East Anglian Derby and National Sprint and reached English Derby finals over 480m at Wimbledon and 500m at Towcester
+ Kinsley announce they have homes a record 56 greyhounds in a single month. Promoter John Curran gives the entire credit to the chain of independent home finding kennels with whom the track has good relationships.
+ Shotgun Bullet remains the outstanding open racer of the winter by adding the Ladbroke Golden Jacket to his Coronation Cup won in January. The supporting Peter Bussey Memorial Final is won by Saleen Ash, the kennel’s seventh successive victory in the event.
