2004 Stadia UK’s Bill Glass launches a scathing attack on the NGRC following their decision to allow the re-scheduling of the Cesarwitch. It will allow the Oxford based category two event to take up a SKY TV slot, at the same time competing with the Milton Keynes based, category one Summer Cup.
1999 Successful Notingham trainer Dawn Clayton, best known for her handling of Ayr Flyer, decides to retire from the sport.
1964 July 1 A fully equipped mobile laboratory starts travelling the county calling in on tracks at random for on-the-spot testing at the time of kennelling. The lab on wheels is the culmination of work by Glasgow University, with a drug detector so efficient that it can find a banned substance within 20 minutes of testing.
1965 In the Hurst Cup final over 525 yards at Kilkenny, G. Kidd’s Clonmoney Grand (The Grand Fire-Last Landing), at only 18 months old, breaks the track record with a 29.25 beating the clock of 29.30 set in 1956.
2002 Oxford racing manager Tony Killingbeck is suspended and then sacked by GRA. It is understood that his dismissal relates to the inflammatory titles given to a number of open races in protest at GRA grading policies. The offending titles included ‘Send A Memo Bob Stakes’, the ‘Memo Man Maiden Stakes’ and the ‘We Upgrade Them Hurdle’.
1946 July 22 There is a riot at Harringay after the seventh race Rossbane Dasher, the 5-2 second favourite, is leading off the last bend in the 525 yarder, when he is caught and fought by 3-1 chance Bally MacBorder on the run in. This allows Rossmire Biddy, the 9-4 favourite, to slip through and win the race with Ballymac Border finishing second. The stewards disqualify the second and promote the third greyhound Fair Paddy at 25-1 to second place with the unlucky Rossbane Dasher being awarded third place. A large crowd of more than 2,000 angry punters call for a no-race but their pleas are ignored, so they invade the track and start a fire using the railings, hare housing and bookmakers’ stalls as fuel. Police and fire brigade are called and the last race is not run. An hour after the fire is put out many punters are still there venting their feelings at the judges’ box.
1997 Charlie Lister falls foul of the NGRC once again when Barossa Valley tests positive in a trial. The dog, having his first trial following the removal of a toe joint tested positive for anaesthetic. The Newark trainer produced an over-the-counter ointment Anethaine, and explained the dog had been licking the wound. The ointment had reduced the irritation. Lister was fined £1,000.
2004 Nine winners shared a huge £81,000 jackpot at Hove. One syndicate, which tried to ‘buy the pool’ by investing over £46,000 were thwarted by a series of winning favourites and collected only £9,000 in returns.
2000 Harolds Cross re-opens following a £6m re-fit and a new grandstand and sales centre.
1927 July 27 Inside the Kursaal amusement park at Southend greyhound racing is held for the first time. The track is around the football pitch with a standard distance of 500 yards and an outside hare. A large crowd of 5,000 turn out to see the track officially opened by the deputy mayor Alderman H A Dowsett, and the first race worth £10 to the winner goes to R T Dawson’s Self Starter. The 2-1 favourite wins by eight lengths in 28.60.
1956 H Seymour’s Quick Surprise makes the long trip from Portsmouth to Glasgow worthwhile when he takes heat and final of the Scottish Derby at Carntyne. The evens favourite trained by Jimmy Mullins wins the 525 yard final in 29.44.
1944 The Lesley Reynolds Wembley trained, Jubilee Time, showed just how good he really was when taking a £50 525 yard open at Stamford Bridge. The even money favourite beat the track record holder, Ballyhennessy Seal (Lone Seal-Canadian Glory, Apr’42) by 6 lengths in a time of 28.05. It was his seventh consecutive open victory.
