2011 Irish trainer P J Fahy declines to trial his Tyrur string following a row with the Wimbledon racing office. Fahy then cancels plans for a raid on the 2011 English Derby.
1993 An April Fools story in the Sporting Life claims that the ’93 St Leger will be staged as a handicap event.
1995 Portsmouth hosted a charity meeting in aid of Wessex Childrens Hospice and raised over £7,200. The event was organised by owner and TV presenter Fred Dineage. Among the guests were actress Diane Keane, footballer Matt Le Tissier, actor Buster Merryfield (Only Fools And Horses), comedian Mike Osman and former manager Laurie McMenemy.
1986 Archie Newhouse is unveiled as the next secretary of the NGRC. The 53 year old former greyhound editor of the Sporting Life and Greyhound Express will take over the top job when Fred Underhill retires in October 1988.
1992 Arsonists pour petrol into the Kinsley judges box and set light to it, but the blaze is spotted and extinguished with only minor damage by promoter John Curran.
1968 Beaverwood Snow, one of the leading fancies for the Grand National is killed in a kennel fight two days before the first round.
1981 Bobcol (Westpark Mint-Black Katty) is the country’s top hurdler. In winning the Grand National, the Norah McEllistrim trained black completes a six timer including a new track record for White City’s 500mH course.
1957 Over 200 White City punters stormed the track following a race won by the subsequently disqualified (fighting) Whats Todo. Police were called when the stewards refused to void the race.
1996 In the same month that British racing managers vote to introduce middle seeding, Irish stewards vote to scrap seeding altogether. They argue that seeding is regularly abused. Among those who support the move is leading breeder Ger ‘Airmount’ Kiely who argues that seeding has “created false champions and weakened the breed.”
1981 Two fund raising meetings, one at White City and one at Perry Barr, staged in memory of recently deceased champion trainer Pat Mullins, raise over £8,000 for his widow and family.
1997 British bred Thornfield Pride (Fearless Mustang-Thornfield Sophi) overturns hot favourite Elbony Rose to win the BBC TV Trophy. Yvonne Morris’ white and brindle was backed from 40-1 to 12-1 in the decider and reversed a near six length heat deficit to get home by a short head with Handy Score a further short head away.
1975 For the second year in a row, neither ITV or BBC plan to televise the English Derby Final.
2010 Steve Winfield takes over from Ian Reynolds (who resigned in November) as the chairman of the Greyhound Regulatory Board.
1986 Jenny Pitman has her first winner as a greyhound owner when Rebel Light wins a graded race at Oxford.
1975 Australian racing authorities are forced into a re-think over their entire drug testing policies after New South Wales owner-trainer Alan Chauncey won a court case on a technicality. He is re-instated and paid $1500 in compensation.
1997 Gold Collar winner Homeside Knight starts at 150-1 in a heat of the Blue Riband featuring Some Picture and Blue Murlen. He finishes third but still performs better than the real outsider Jacksamazingrace who goes to traps at 200-1.
1969 Leading Irish sire Prairie Flash is removed from stud duties after having a hind leg removed due to a cancerous growth.
1996 Work begins on a £1.5m refurbishment at Wimbledon. The most visible change will be the relocation of the racing kennels from within the main grandstand, where the runners could be viewed by the public, to a new location under the grandstand at the first bend.
1972 Catford, one of the small of all NGRC tracks, introduce eight-dog racing. View from the first bend on Scurry Cup Final night, 23.6.01 pic Steve Nash
1959 Joe Ollis, former head man to Sidney Orton gives his opinion on the changing temperament of greyhounds in 30 years. He says: “The modern greyhound is so utterly unlike his predecessor in terms of temperament as to be almost a different species. In the old days, no kennelman would dare to take out more than five or six at a time. Should anything move they would be off, dragging their handler along the ground with the greatest of ease. It was hjs keenness that gave the old-timer the will to win. It always took half a dozen hefty men to collect the runners at the hare escape after a race – before they chewed each other. Nowadays the girls stand there while the dogs trot up to be patted. Give me the old ‘uns with guts any time.”
