2000 Harsu Super is a best priced 11-2, ante post, to win the Romford Puppy Cup but the final goes to Ernie Gaskin’s Polar Prince, a 25-1 chance with bookie Tony Morris.
1969 Wimbledon’s newsletter makes some predictions on the likelihood of producing big litters. Using data from their three local Produce Stakes, they calculate that the odds of a producing a surviving litter of 12 pups is 200-1. For 11 pups, the odds drop to 150-1.
1981 Leeds racegoers fear the worst when promoters Ladbrokes apply for planning permission for industrial development.
1998 Following pressure from welfare groups, the NGRC add a list of ‘Acceptable Arrangements for Retired Greyhounds” into their rulebook.
1946 Owners groups are furious that the NGRS is recommending a mere 15.7% increase in prize money by members for 1947. They note that track profits will have increased by an average five-fold since racing resumed after the war.
1997 Merton Council fund a feasibility study into the possibility of putting a 20,000 capacity ‘new home for Wimbledon FC’ onto the site of the greyhound track. Wimbledon chairman Sam Hamman dismisses the plan as he considers that the capacity is nowhere near big enough for a Premier league club.
2000 Former minor open racer Droopys Zola finished second in the Topgun International in Australia. Owner by Pat/Nicki Chambers and Roy/Elaine Brookes, the son of Mustang Jack led until then run-in and was beaten four lengths by Placard.
1965 John Bassett and Jim Hookway share the Trainer of the Year trophy. Former Japanese prisoner of war Hookway, who began as a kennel hand at Sheffield in 1936, owed his share of the title almost exclusively to the exploits of Clonmannon Flash. Bassett won a Scurry, Cesarewitch, Midland Flat and Birmingham Cup.
1999 Within a week of the Stow allowing Carrick Storm to contest and win a second maiden open, the NGRC withdraw the Ernie Gaskin trained Greenbrae Lad from a maiden at Sittingbourne. They rule that Lad’s win in an invitation race during the Racing Post Festival should make him ineligible for a maiden.
2003 Charlie Lister wins the Trainers Championship title for the first time.
1997 Jim Snowden has been appointed as the new general manager at Portsmouth. He will take over from the retiring Bill Francis.
1957 Scoutbush, winner of the 1957 Cesarewitch is sold for $4,500 and will continue his career in the USA.
1970 With the introduction of a new annual training fee of £15, ten times the previous figure, the GRA announces that it will no longer pay the fees for its employees.
1958 Police are hunting a gang who are forging betting tickets. Their ploy is to pay unsuspecting ‘mugs’ to collect the money on their behalf and then threaten them if their identities are revealed.
2000 The BGRB announce that they will not support the Supertrack competition in 2001. It has been held continuously since 1994.
2011 Paddy Power offer one of the their famous ‘get your money back on a loser’ bets when offering beaten Essex Vase punters a refund if their dog finished in the same position as its trap number. All very well for everyone – except those backing the red.
1984 Chesterton mother and daughter Stoke City and Candy ran in the same race and finished 1-2.
1993 The Henlow stewards decide to announce the result of a tight finish in favour of the outsider. However, with bookies and tote having already paid out, they bow to protests of favourite backers and check the photo finish. Ooops! GM David Smith is not available for comment when contacted by the press.
1999 The NGRC announce plans to trial a saliva based drug test using new hand-held breathalyser-style machines.
1967 One of the greats of American racing, Miss Whirl (Eds Silver Putty-Meanwhile), is retired for breeding. Trained by Jerry Hughes raced for three years and five months and went to traps on 232 occasions for 115 wins, an American record that she took from Westy Whizzer. She is also the world’s leading prize money earner at $108,000 and held the Amercan 3/8ths record at 37.15. The three times All-American
1949 Plans are in an advances stage to introduce ‘photo timing’ in 1950 for horse and greyhound racing. Unofficial trials have taken place at Stamford Bridge.
1999 Barrie Draper is to end his 20 year association with Sheffield by moving to the NGRC’s newest track, Kinsley, when it opens in January.
2010 Jimmy Lollie fails to set a new record for most open race wins in a year when beaten a head by Sleeping Urban in a Hove open. He retains a share of the record with 37 wins
1993 Norton Canes boss John Preece announces that the track will leave the NGRC at the end of the year and switch to independent racing. He blames cost, most notably for the new ‘full time vet’ requirement due in January.
1980 Upland Tiger (Free Speech-Bresheen, Jan 79) elevates himself to winter ante post favourite for the 1981 English Derby with a stunning effort in the Sporting Life Juvenile at Wimbledon. George Curtis’ 1-2f sets a new 460m track record with a 27.48 victory over Knockeen Warrior.
1955 Henry Parsons, who trains the entire racing strength at Crayford reveals the reason that he only employs kennelgirls at the stadium: “they are more conscientious than men”. Unusually for the time, Parsons also reveals that the company policy is that all the stadium owned dogs are re-homed at the end of their careers “unless it’s a question of incurable disease.” Indeed one ex-racer escaped from his new home and found his way back to the stadium kennels on two separate occasions. Parsons reached agreement with the dog’s new owners that if the incident was repeated for a third time, he should be allowed to remain at the stadium for the rest of his days. He did and has remained at the kennels ever since.
1998 Robson Green and Stephen Tomlinson are filming an episode of ‘Grafters’ at Catford Stadium. Meanwhile Jimmy Nail is filming and Easington and Wheatley Hill for a new film ‘The Gambler’.
1969 Waltham Abbey based trainer Dave Pett wins an important High Court judgement over the NGRC over the right for a trainer to have a legal representative in stewards inquiries. Pett originally sued GRA over a decision by White City stewards not to allow a solicitor to represent him. That decision was lost on appeal, but then overturned. The NGRC have issued a new rule which will see all such cases heard by the full board of stewards instead of being presided over by track stewards.
1997 Larkhill Jo is installed as 16-1 winter antepost favourite for the 1998 English Derby after winning the Eclipse Final at Nottingham. Kennel mate Toms The Best – who will win the event – is joint second favourite with Johnnsen at 25-1.
2011 Charlie Lister adds the most prestigious missing competition to his British open race CV when Silverview Perky decimates the field in the Oaks Final. The even money favourite gets home by six lengths in 28.40. With only three weeks of the year remaining, Lister moves to within seven points of Trainers Championship leader Chris Allsopp. However the Newark trainer then declares himself a non-runner for the run-in. Plans to run runners in two competitions at Sheffield, worth 20 points each, are abandoned due to problems with the racing surface at the Yorkshire circuit.
1998 Joleen Tate, the young daughter of Portsmouth trainer Eric Tate, dies a week after being admitted to hospital. She had been parading dogs at the track when she collapsed.
1957 The major events calendar for 1958 is published. Among the events that have long since disappeared off the radar: the Cambridgeshire, Longcross Cup, GRA Stakes, the Welsh Derby, Metropolitan Cup, Circuit, Northumberland Cup, Ebor, Buckinghamshire Cup, Edinburgh Cup, Test, London Cup, Greenwich Cup, Flying Four, Cobh Marathon and Christmas Vase.
1969 Mansfield trainer Joe Booth announces plans to give up breeding. He states, “I have around a dozen open racers here and there isn’t enough time for breeding as well.” Among the dogs bred by Booth is Sherwood Glen, currently one of the top pups in training having won recently won the Trafalgar Cup and Wimbledon Puppy Derby.
1999 Following the recent of suspension of Sunderland’s BAGS contract, when eight consecutive trap sixes won, Director of Racing Bob Robinson leaves his post. Two members of the track staff remain suspended and are helping Northumberland Police with their enquiries. Two weeks later, Crayford’s water supply is frozen. Seven trap ones oblige with nine T1/T2 combinations successful in forecasts.
2000 After winning his 16th consecutive open race, Corals cut Palace Issue’s odds from 66-1 to 40-1 to equal Ballyregan Bob’s 32 consecutive races.
1959 Wimbledon announce the biggest annual tote turnover since “the boom years which finished in 1947” with a total of £3,113,344 (index linked to £131m today).
1963 Pat Dalton narrowly failed to win the Biscayne International with Kincora Prince narrowly beaten on points by the USA’s Anka. However Dalton sold on his team which also included Theres Mink, Kish Conchqest, Grove Twist, Barber Chieftain and Marys Mansion for approx £6,500.
1999 Former Wembley trainer Wally Ginzel will not renew his licence at the end of the year. His kennel will be transformed into a ‘canine hotel’ charging £98 per week for large breeds of dog.
1946 The two highest profile dogs at Aldridges are both unsold. Recent Cesarewitch winner Col Skookum is taken off the bench following a highest bid of 1,450 guineas (index linked to approx £68,500). Meanwhile prolific open racer Motts Regret is unsold despite a bid of 1,250 guineas. In the following year, Regret will win the English, Scottish and Welsh Derbys and over £4,000 (£169K) under his new name of Trevs Perfection.
1999 Following on from the lead of the Ladbrokes tracks, Coral owned Romford announce a minimum ‘run money’ of £20 from the new year. (Index linked to today it would be £35,.60)
1994 Irish trainer Martin Fortune is given permission to walk his runner Our Dog Ned around the entire Plough Lane circuit prior to a trial over the same course.
1969 Bristol Ken Whitlow’s confidence that he could find a graded race for English Derby finalist Ploverfield Dan proved a tad optimistic. The recent arrival from West Ham had broken the staying track record in a trial and then ‘easily won’ a graded 500. He had returned at 1-5f – too short for a chart forecast to be declared – though the track tote paid a little over 5-4. One of the field was returned at 300-1.
1950 Ireland’s Governing body the Limerick based Irish Coursing Club have decided that this year there will be no winter shut down at Shelbourne Park and Harolds Cross.
1997 Harlow specialist Lemon Duchess is lame and will not race again this year. She had won 51 opens to date.
2009 William Hill are unveiled as the returning sponsors for the greyhound Derby. The winner’s prize will be cut to £75K from £100K.
1999 Irish Derby winner Spring Time (Vintage Prince-Meantime) justifies her 2-1 ante post quote with an unbeaten run through the English Oaks. The 4-9f beats Tarmon Tia in 28.97 in the Wimbledon final.
1989 John McGee finished top trainer for the third successive year. He finishes with 161 winners, 61 more than closest rival Geoff De Mulder. Linda Mullins and Nick Savva finish third and fourth.
1993 All Sports And Leisure magazine give away free admission tickets to readers for a Monday meeting at Wembley. They attract a crowd of 2,200 instead of the regular 700 and the tote jumps from £25,000 to £46,000.
1969 Aussie superstar Zoom Top is beaten in bizarre circumstances in a race at Goulburn. The joint favourite finished last after her unfortunately named owner/trainer Hec Watt had failed to remove a waterproof mac that she had paraded in. Watt was fined $100 by the stewards.
1950 Harringay grader Mischievous Gypsy is reckoned to be the small runner in training at just 40 lbs (18.1kg).
1998 Brickfield Rebel and Droopys Robin are both withdrawn lame from the Topgun invitation at Sandown Park in Victoria. The sold European challenger will be Remmels Black.
2010 The BGRF announces that its February estimate of income of £8.5, down from £10m in 2009 was too optimistic. The new figure is £6m.
1957 Terry Whitefoot (22) who will become nationally famous for his ‘Terry Whitefoot and his Jazzmen’ wins his first musical award. No one is more delighted than his father, the most successful White City trainer, Tommy Whitefoot.
1994 Former owner trainer George Lightfoot dies aged 62. His best known greyhound was Slaneyside Hare.
2003 Charlie Lister receives the Greyhound Writers Association ‘Services To The Greyhound Industry’ award. Runner-up is John Haynes.
1993 Sunderland trainer Ken Thwaites, whose ‘day job’ is as a school headmaster, resigns from the track following the disqualification of one of his runners for deliberate interference.
1999 Two men in balaclava attempt to rob a Hall Green bookie in his car on his way home. He manages to escape unharmed. Two days later, two security track at the staff are robbed.
1969 Longacre kennels, home of the deceased trainer and breeder Vivienne Sayer, and rated ‘one of the finest training establishments in the country’ is sold and to be converted into a smallholding. The 31 acre site, near Northampton, includes kennels and a four bedroomed house. Originally on the market for £22,000, it eventually changes hands for £17,000 (index linked to around £237K)
1998 Swindon racing manager Karl Ward is to leave the role he has held for five years to take a break from the industry. His place will be taken by Milton Keynes assistant racing manager Tony Killingbeck.
2000 Racing Post Muttley reports with obvious amusement a plan in the Sunday Business paper of a plan “to site the 2012 Olympic Village on the site of Hackney Stadium”. He chortles: “Quite what pampered blazered IOC officials will make of ‘bandit country’ should be entertaining.”
