1993 Mildenhall promoter Denis Diffley is given permission by the NGRC to continue to grade the card “until the end of the month” to allow him to find a replacement. A month earlier Diffley was suspended indefinitely and the track fined £300 for “irregularities” on the racecard.
2014 Belle Vue handler Kath Harris announces she is to leave the industry due to acute financial problems.
1959 Irish Derby winner Colonel Perry contests his first event in Britain and duly wins the Midland Flat for owner Olive Tasker and trainer John Bassett.
1974 Persian Gulf who has won opens from 300 to 715 yards gave a hit of his optimal distance when breaking the Ramsgate 460 yard track record.
2010 Droopys Oscar (4-1), Tudor Prince (6-1), Blonde Fletch (8-1), Slick Symphony (8-1), the first four in the ante post betting for the Puppy Classic finish 1st-2nd-4th and 6th in the final.
2015 Sittingbourne racing manager Jess Packer is made redundant after 16 years at the track.
1961 Frank Rowe, the Aldridges auctioner reckoned to have sold more than 40,000 greyhounds in his 32 years with the company, dies in hospital. Among the memorable bargains sold at the sales were Laurels winner April Burglar (150gns), Grand National winner Rule The Roost, and Waterloo Cup winner Noted Sunlight who was sold as a sapling.
2018 A study on this website reveals that in the first six months of the year, there was an 18% reduction in open races, mainly attributable to the media rights battle with ARC/GMG and SIS. That shortage is also feeding through to open racing. For the first time ever, the Ladbrokes Gold Cup is undersubscribed with only 30 entries. Crayford only attract 18 for the 36 runner, £7,500 to winner Kent St.Leger.
1982 Westpark Mustard, the bitch who set a British record of 20 consecutive wins for trainer Tom Johnston, dies aged 11.
2000 Future Irish Derby winner Cool Performance wins a minor open race sprint at Sittingbourne for Patsy Byrne.
1998 Hove are unable to raise 48 runners for the Regency but go-ahead with a first round of four heats. The winner’s prize is £7,500 – index linked to £13,800.
1947 The Laurels gets underway at Wimbledon but only 17 runners take part. The first rounds consists of four heats including a two-runner event. The unluckiest runner in the event is the brilliant bitch Rio Capretta. She was odds on favourite to win her semi but finished fourth, half a length behind a dead heat for third. She then went on to win the Oaks at White City.
2014 There are 133 entries for the Irish Derby including eight UK entries. Droopy Nidge is the 12 -1 ante post favourite followed by 14-1 Skywalker Farloe, 20-1 Holdem Spy. Eventual winner Laughil Blake is widely available at 100-1.
1963 Jamie Serra is disqualified for fighting in the third semi final of the Irish Derby. His place is taken in the final by Melody Wonder.
2015 Judicial Review becomes the first greyhound to break 28.00 at Perry Barr. Carol Weatherall’s dog takes 11 spots off the previous best jointly held by Taylors Sky, Blonde Dino and Sawpit Sensation. Paula Hendy’s Newinn This Way sets a new 660m record of 39.55. Meanwhile at Henlow, Jet Stream Sound (Premier Fantasy-Swift Ash) sets a new 550m record of 32.87.
1993 Gary Wiltshire appears on Channel Four’s The Morning Line programme following his recent sacking by Oxford from standing at BAGS meetings. He tells presenter John McCrirrick that the Northern Sports owned track have been threatened: “If Oxford want to keep their BAGS contract, they should get rid of Gary Wiltshire.” The larger than life layer has mixed luck when starting a telephone tipping service. Demand is high, more than 1,000 calls a day, but when bookmakers shorten up the prices on all his tips, he decides to abandon the plan after just four days.
2018 The biggest story of the summer – by far comes on August 16 when Towcester announce that they have gone into administration. The shockwave only lasts briefly, with the Towcester trainers announcing their exits. The vast majority end up shoring up badly depleted racing strengths at SIS tracks: Hove (Richard Yeates), Crayford (Jim Reynolds), Monmore (Kevin Hutton, Emma Richards) Doncaster (Jane Houfton) and Central Park (Patrick Janssens had left three months earlier) in particular. Although Henlow have an ample strength, the arrival of nine trainers including Mark Wallis, Jon Blencowe, Steve Rayner and Hazel Kemp means they will soon be able to extend their weekly schedule to seven meeetings.
The following piece is extracted from an article published in August 1976 when the great Jack Harvey recalled his five St.Leger winners.
“First I would mention that when you see six greyhounds parading before any race it would be quite wrong to assume that there is no difference between them other than the form show on the race card.
I can assure you that among the inmates of greyhound kennels there is as much diversity of character and personality as you will find among the crowd on the terraces. This is what I am t demonstrate.
That grand stayer Lovely Rio was all class and quality, at the same time appearing almost too pretty to be a great racer.
Furthermore, she had a peculiar physical abnormality in a slight ‘gait’ on her near hind which a keen observer might mistake for lameness.
If that observer happened to be a responsible racing official one was then obliged to acquaint him with the facts.
One night at White City Lovely Rio came under the scrutiny of that most efficient of veterinary surgeons James K Bateman.
He called me over to him in the paddock and said: “Harvey, your bitch is lame. She must not run. I will announce her withdrawal”.
Hastily I explained that the gait was natural, she had been born with it and had won her races with it.
Previously she had been passed fit by every other veterinary surgeon and only his hawk-like eye could spot such a peculiarity in an otherwise grand looker.
It was the first time I’d ever been called in. Let her race, I pleaded, and I’ll accept full responsibility.
After further deliberation – and much to my relief – Mr Bateman agreed. So Lovely Rio went out on parade, took her place in the traps and proved her soundness by winning in a canter over 800 yards.
Butt this incident alerted me to the fact that something would have to be done to remove all future doubt about that gait.
It couldn’t be changed, so I applied to the National Greyhound Racing Club for an entry to be made in Lovely Rio’s identity book which would answer any further question on the subject.
This was accepted and lasted throughout her racing career.”
