1983 Five track records are broken on Derby final night. Pagan Pansy absolutely vaporised the 500 metres hurdles clock when taking it from 30.09 to 29.88. Soon afterwards and with a fifth hurdle added, Sir Winston reduced the record for the 500 metre chase to 30.38. Ceili Lass took the 680m clock to 40.75, while over the extra 50 metres, Minnis Matador set a new best of 43.82. The highlight though was the 28.95 run by Hay Maker Mack over the Derby course. Derek Knight’s dog was 14 spots inside Parkdown Jet’s previous best and 45 spots faster than Derby winner I’m Slippy.
1999 Wimbledon owner Ivor Stocker is appointed as the new head of the Retired Greyhound Trust.
2006 Local flooding causes mayhem at Walthamstow when two runners for the first race were non-arrivals and the local layers failed to form a market.
1975 J O’Connor’s Shamrock Point (Monalee Champion-Gruelling Point, Jan’73) is unlucky not to reach the English Derby Final, when in the lead during the semi-final, when in the lead during the semi-final he is badly attacked by Lively Band, who finishes just ahead third behind Sally’s Cobbler and Foreign Exchange. Lively Band is disqualified from the final, won by Tartan Khan. Shamrock Point wins the Consolation in a faster time from the final.
2004 Portsmouth trainer Ron Jeffrey retires from the sport aged 73. Barbara Southgate takes over the Ewshot kennels.
1983 The Greyhound Stud Book announce that following discussions with the NGRC, neither organisation are prepared to register dogs with names beginning with ‘A’ or ‘The’ – hence names like ‘The Grand Canal’ or ‘The Black Merc’. Similarly they will not allow dogs to be registered with initials, a popular concept in America, most recently and notably thanks to DDs Jackie who overtook Unruly’s record career earnings with a pot of $193,319
1936 GRA announce that they have received the ‘special’ paper used in the printing of the 18 page Greyhound Derby racecard. They don’t reveal how many will be printed but the paper weighs over five tons.
1964 London Stadiums offer to pay for a night out for 30 kennel girls, their hostel matron and kennel manager. Following a vote, the girls are off to see new sensations The Rolling Stones at East Ham’s Granada Dance Hall.
1974 A car bomb at a schooling track in Northern Ireland kills a 13 year old girl and seriously injures several members of her family including her father. Micehlle Osborne was sitting in her father’s van when the explosion went off at the Ballymachaward schooling track in the Hannahstown area of Belfast.
1979 Bletchley promoter Bob Beckett was not best pleased when he had to withdraw two runners from a British bred puppy open. It transpired the two runners, Townview Luque and Merlins Monty, were neither British bred, nor puppies.
1990 Sunderland re-opens and switches to NGRC rules with Ross Searle as the racing manager and Dave Baldwin his assistant.
1956 America’s greatest greyhound Beachcomber dies of natural causes. He raced on 216 occasions, winning 99, a USA record. However, at the time of his death, Indy Ann was only five wins short of equalling the record.
1974 Local trainer Willie Weir wins the St Mungo Cup with Irish Puppy Derby winner Blessington Boy. The son of Monalee Champion found over a second from semi final form to set a new Shawfield 525 record of 28.70.
1979 Taunton, the West Country flapping track, is closed by promoter Dan Pipe after 18 years of trading. Pipe claims he is looking for a site for a new track; soon afterwards, on the newly levelled track, he builds a racehorse stable for son Martin. It is generally bad news in the region with Trowbridge also shutting after three years of trading, and plans afoot to close down both the NGRC and independent tracks at Gloucester. The flap closes in early July). The West Country could soon be down four independent tracks: Exeter, Brean, St Austell and Newton Abbot! The Priory circuit was unusual but still popular due to its huge galloping bends and four straights of different lengths. This photo is taken from the second bend. The standard distance was 525 yards.
