1995 Paschal Taggart (pictured) is asked to be the new Bord na gCon Chairman following the departure of Kevin Heffernan. Millionaire tax consultant and greyhound owner Taggart receives the backing he demands from four cabinet ministers before taking over. Allied to the ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy it signals the greatest period of growth and prosperity in the history of Irish racing.
1991 Bookmaker owned tracks fail to convince the BGRB to abandon its 10.00pm embargo, before which results cannot be broadcast. Ladbrokes’ Gordon Bissett (above) leaves the meeting in disgust. Hove’s Peter Shotton loses his place on the board. Ladbrokes later break the embargo resulting in their trainers being banned from a string of other tracks,
2000 Wath Serenade, second to Chart King in the Scottish Derby, and runner-up in the Produce Stakes breaks his back in a Belle Vue open and has to be put to sleep.
1974 In his heat of the Cambridgeshire over 550 yards at London White City, Fenton Kirwan’s brindle dog, Myrtown (Myross Again-Longstown Lassie, Nov’71) wins easily by eight lengths at odds of 2-7. Then in the final, he again has an easy race, winning £350 first prize by seven lengths in 30.17 as 4-9 favourite.
1989 Portsmouth champ Crohane Lucy (Sand Man-Sneaky Liberty) won three major events during the month. First Tony Lucas’s bitch won the £1,500 Princess Royal Stake at Swindon followed by a £1,000 open at Wembley. Between the two, she switched to four bends and carried off the Flying Four at home track Portsmouth.
1972 Fog descends over London White City, but the meeting goes ahead and the final of the 550 yard Cambrid-geshire is won by First Case. He could have led all the way, but no one in the main ring sees him after he leads at the first bend until he re-appears rounding the fourth bend, winning by two lengths in 30.38. Other meetings at Cardiff, Catford, Clapton, Hall Green, Slough and Walthamstow are abandoned because of fog.
1993 SOME handy prize money references:
Belle Vue A9-£30 A1-£60
Hall Green A8-£40 A1-£60
Oxford A9-£35 A2-£45
W’stow A7-£60 A1-£150
Wimbledon A9-£50 A1-£100
Flashy Sir
1987 The 54th Laurels final over 460 metres at Wimbledon, has a great line-up of stars with owner Tawfeq Al Aali having two runners, Derby winner Signal Spark and Lissadell Tiger though his luck is just about to change for the worst. First, Tiger is struck down with the dreaded cough, so only five go to traps for the £5,000 decider They include locally trained Wendys Dream bidding to become the first bitch to win the Oaks and Laurels in the same year since Pineapple Grand in 1975. The race looks at the mercy of Signal Spark (1-2fav) who leads to the fourth bend but then goes very wide and finishes lame. This allows Bob Morton’s Flashy Sir (bk d Sand Man-Cherry Express, Sep’84) who is tracking in second to take the lead on the inside and hold off the strong finish of Gordon Holt’s Pike Alert and Wendys Dream – both trained by Tommy Foster – in 27.52.
2001 Racing is hit by a series of phantom race withdrawals. These are caused by someone claiming to be from the kennel phoning tracks and claiming dogs are lame. Hurdler Corelish Cruiser (Romford) and sprinter Nervous Paddy (Nottingham) are affected though the latter was re-instated in time to take his place and duly won,
1966 Forward King, the pup who had lived wild on the Yorkshire Dales for nine months was caught near Hoyland by a gypsy and handed back to owner Dave Gittins. The litter brother of the following year’s English Derby 1-2 Tric Trac and Spectre had escaped from a schooling track and was presumed to have survived by scavenging and catching rabbits. It apparently did him no harm because in the following two years he won the English St Leger, the Scottish St Leger, the Gold Cup, the Cock O’The North, the Stewards Cup and the Embassy Cup. He also broke a string of track records.
