2003 Wimbledon introduce an A10 grade to accommodate an influx of runners from recently closed Catford. Grading time for the 460 metres will go from 29.30 to 29.50.
1934 Mutton Cutlet, probably the first great sire of racing greyhounds, dies aged 14 at TA Morris’ kennel in Clonmel. Born in Cotswolds, his coursing career was comparatively modest, finishing the runner-up in the 1925 Waterloo Purse. Acquired the following year for stud purposes by TA Morris – founder of the Irish Coursing Club – the brindle made an instant impact on the Irish coursing fields with a string of wins in both the Coursing Derby and Oaks. However his influence on the track was arguably greater. His greatest sons were Future Cutlet and Beef Cutlet who each won a string of classics and were famously separated by a short head in the 1933 English Derby Final. Beef Cutlet was a brother of Queen Of The Suir, a winner of two English and one Irish track Oaks, and Monalogue, winner of the Coursing Oaks and Irish track Derby. In addition to his Irish and British achievements, Mutton Cutlet is also an inductee at the NGA Hall Of Fame in the Kansas.
2003 Tims Crow is the leading open race winner of the year with 22 victories followed by 21-Hopeful Moment, 20-Seteup Joe. Top sires: 1-Top Honcho, 2-Toms The Best, 3-Staplers Jo. Top dams 1-Minnies Sparkler, 2-Castlerea Delia, 3-Droopys Graf
1971 December 24. West Ham stage London’s only evening meeting and a good crowd are rewarded when all 8 favourites oblige. Main race of the night was the final of the Cambridgeshire over 600 yards, where Bobs Return 7-4 favourite trained at Wembley by Tom Johnston, forged ahead from halfway to win by 2 1/4 lengths in a time of 33.54.
1963 Hi There is the UK’s leading open race sire from Knock Hill Chieftain with Solar Prince in third.
2003 A new greyhound track is opened – virtually – as SIS launch Brushwood, the fourth computer generated greyhound game. It will stage only hurdle racing!
1979 The Wimbledon 460 metre track record is broken in mid-December when The Grand Devil (Rita’s Choice-The Grand Blond, Aug 76) wins the International. The Philip Rees trained fawn clocked 27.58 – two spots quicker than Flying Pursuit’s previous best.
1966 Sheffield trainer Jim Brennan sends home first and third in the Greyhound Express Puppy Championship – the invitation race that later became the Racing Post Juvenile. 10-1 chance Forward Flash (Crazy Parachute-Supreme Witch, Feb 65) overcame a tricky stripes draw to win the £150 event over 500 yards at Wimbledon. Separating Flash and brother Tric Trac is Brough Park runner-up Shady Bunny. Locally trained favourite Carry On Oregon finished last.
1994 NGRC chief executive Archie Newhouse admits that an unnamed dog tested positive in the recent Laurels Final but that the Club had decided not to prosecute since “the level of the drug was not enough to enhance performance.” Newhouse states: “We take threshold levels only for caffeine and its associated xanthine enhancer drugs because a certain amount of these substances can get into a greyhound through coffee, tea and chocolate. There are no threshold levels for most other banned substances because they would not come through the food chain.
2009 The GBGB announce that all greyhounds must be microchipped by January 1 2010.
1931 Figures released by the NGRS show another substantial increase in annual attendances with 17,916,882 people going racing – roughly 750,000 more than the previous year.
1978 Following a break-in at the Catford kennels, three of trainer Michael Smith’s runners fail a chromatography test. As a precaution his nine other runners are withdrawn by the stewards.
1950 The ICC refuse Chapel Izod a licence to stage a greyhound meeting during the winter. The village on the outskirts of Dublin was hoping to be the only track to race during the traditional winter track closures.
1960 No Wonder (the future Crazy Parachute) wins the Paget Challenge Plate on the night that Wembley celebrates its 33rd anniversary. The race is restricted to Wembley trained greyhounds and it is followed by a parade of former champions including Mile Bush Pride, Clonalvy Pride, Barrowside and Gulf Of Darien.
1932 Major finals in December: Wimbledon Puppy Derby, Winter Cup (West Ham), Christmas Cup (Wembley), Christmas Vase (Wimbledon hurdles), Cambridgeshire (West Ham), Orient Cup (Clapton).
2003 Nick Savva announces that he will apply for a trainer’s licence in 2004. He gave up his licence in 2002 in protest over a positive sample for Cill Dubh Turbo in that year’s Gold Collar. He says: “I feel as though I have something to prove.” He makes the statement unaware that in his paddocks is a seven month old pup who will eventually be christened: Westmead Hawk.
