2014 Adoremus landed a trouble strewn Essex Vase Final at Romford. Maxine Locke’s 7-1 chance caught early leader Any Dak to clock 35.37 with favourite Airport Captain in third. Ballymac Aalto and Tuna Crunch were both beaten a distance with career ending injuries. The meeting also featured a 575m track record equalling run from Adageo Bob.
1971 In just over a week, Scottish based owner Cyril Young (“Scotland”), lands the Puppy Derby, Puppy Oaks and Romford Puppy Cup with Tawny Satin, Tawny Black and Short Interview.
2009 Nora McEllistrim is to represent owners and trainers on the GBGB following the death of Stuart Locke-Hart.
1997 Nick Savva gives up his contract at Walthamstow and returns to Milton Keynes. With 435 dogs on the strength, the Stow decide not to replace him.
2012 Having interviewed a number of candidates for a training position, Crayford decide that they will cope without replacing the recently sacked Pat Thompson.
1995 Photographer Ruth Rogers is appointed a member of the Irish Greyhound Board under new chairman Paschal Taggart.
2013 BAGS launch an enquiry into a series of forecast and tricast combinations that have been placed on a recent Sunday Sittingbourne card. The Kent track deny any wrongdoing.
1967 Litter brothers Tric Trac an Spectre finish first and third in the 1967 prize money trable which reads Tric Trac (£7,523), Carry On Oregon (£3,295), Spectre (£2,851), Miss Taft (£2,780), Silver Hope (£2,142).
2014 A row breaks out between trainer June McCombe and Belle Vue racing manager Dave Brayshaw over the seeding of Bit View Ma in the Oaks. Mrs McCombe insisted her runner was a railer. The RM, presumably referring to ‘wide stt, middle’ comments when winning her first round heat, insisted on a middle seed, even to a point of ordering a redraw for the second round. Ma drew trap four and was eliminated. So who was right? Ma contested another six races in Britain, four times in the blue jacket and twice in the black. She was beaten in all of them. Indeed she would only win one more race in her career, at Shelbourne Park . . . . from trap six.
1945 Demobilisation is speeded up and the tracks gradually return to their pre-war staff levels.
2014 Britain has a new racecourse with the opening of Towcester on December 6 attended by a crowd of 4,000. The new circuit is designed for eight runners but only six-dog fields contest the twelve race card over a variety of distances: 260m, 480m, 655m, 686m and 906m. The winner of the first race is Mark Wallis’ Fairest Royal. Other winners on the night include open race litter brothers Touch Tackle and Billys Bullet. The biggest gripe concerns the betting with most races betting to percentages in excess of 140% with one open returned at 150%.
1967 A young dark brindled bitch seemed keen to stay with her training companions when she was delivered to Bradford Exchange Station. A local trainer claimed his runners, but knew nothing of the extra hound. She had done her best to confuse matters by chewing off her delivery label.
2014 Former trainer turned stipendiary steward Eric Vose (67) dies following a short illness. The sport also lost Irish stud keeper Mickey O’Sullivan. The Tipperaryman trained Irish Derby winner Manx Treasure but also handled stud dogs Greenpark Fox and Slaneyside Hare.
2004 A row breaks out at Sittingbourne when 29 dogs are withdrawn by trainers unhappy at the condition of the track.
2014 12-1 chances Peterborough land the BAGS Track Championship meeting at Nottingham. Richard Devenish landed a double for his home track though the tie wasn’t decided until the result of a photo finish in the last race where Peterborough’s 33-1 chance finished fifth, with a head to spare over the sixth placed runner.
1946 Many rearing kennels in Britain are refusing to take on new pups to due food shortages caused by rationing.
2014 With barely a fortnight before he is due to take up his new post, ex-Ladbrokes Head of Stadia Gordon Bissett is announced as the incoming Greyhound Operations Manager at SIS.
1974 Irish Sunday Press reported the story of an unusual greyhound race at Biscayne. The dogs left the traps at the end of the backstraight and crossed the winning line with a circuit to run. Few, it seems, noticed that the eight runner field was a dog short. The race continued across the winning line, around the bends, along and the backstraight. They were just coming around the last bend, when they found themselves well adrift of a surprise leader who went on to win the race. The bogus runner had pulled up behind a second set of starting traps shortly after the start (the traps are on a chute in the USA) and hidden inside until the hare came round around a circuit later. Unfortunately, the canine cheat mistimed his re-entry to the race and came out of the traps several yards in front of the hare. The stewards duly declared a no-race. If only he’d chosen a foggy night.
