1955 June For the first time the English Derby will be contested by 48 all male greyhounds.
1940 Bombardier ‘Sam’ from the Royal Horse Artillery is on his way back to his camp in East Tilbury having commandeered one of the GRA greyhound transporter vans from their kennels at Northaw. His regiment had lost all their vehicles when leaving Dunkirk on the last day before the German army re-took the beaches. The young soldier from Derry would be shown his first litter of greyhound pups, by Ataxy out of Greta Renee, not that it meant much to him. He had no interest in greyhounds. He returned to France as a Sergeant Major on ‘D-Day plus one’, and on being demobbed, returned home to Ireland. He became friends with James Magee, the owner of Lifford track and decided to take some greyhounds back to England. More followed, including a dog sold to English businessman Frank Sanderson who persuaded the Irishman to be kennel manager at a new kennel in Kent. Sam ‘Paddy’ Milligan and Beaverwood Country Club never looked back. Caption: Paddy Milligan pictured with his 1970s open racer Micky Finn.
1978 British breeding had its most productive year since 1949 with the registration of 1199 litters.
1946 Former Romford owner Fred Farey justifies his decision to become a private trainer when he sends out the 62 pound Mondays News to win the English Derby. Farey, described as ‘the right side of 40’ ran a successful catering business on the London-Colchester Road before the war but decided to give it up in 1943 to become a full-time trainer. He buys a kennel at Shenfield in Essex and is fortunate that it isn’t destroyed by dozens of V2 rockets that land in the town. Mondays News was originally sold with brother Mondays Times (winner Scottish Derby) by John Maher of Carrick On Suir for £75 at seven months old. He had been a grader at Harringay before joining Farey’s kennel.
1956 Belle Vue stewards call an inquiry into the performance of Derby winner Rushton Mac in an open race. The 1955 Derby winner, a notorious cramper, had been beaten in the heats of the Whitsuntide Stakes at 4-9f. In the final, the dog who had trialled back in 28.72, recorded 28.24 when beating litter brother Rushton Spot. Owner, trainer, breeder Frank Johnson was referred to a full inquiry in London and was cleared of any offences related to the performance of the dog. However Johnson and his wife were found guilty of ‘undesirable conduct to the steward in charge of the meeting, and other Belle Vue officials’, and were fined £25 and £10 respectively. The final was worth £100. However, following the dog’s retirement two weeks later, the owners write a letter strongly critical of the attitude of the staff at Belle Vue.
1977 June 11 In heat 6 of the Western Two Year Old Produce Stakes over 470 metres at Bristol, there was controversy when a decision by the tracks stewards, was hotly debated. The drama started when Wimbledon trainer Paddy McEvoy’s 5-4 favourite, Silent Sam, was slow away and making for the rails at the first bend. He crashed into a metal post which holds three white nylon cords that are the inner running rail. Suffering from concussion the stricken dog staggered through the ropes, onto Bristol Rovers football pitch before he collapsed. Luckily the injuries were not that serious and he made a full recovery. But more drama was to follow. McEvoy’s other runner, Jet Warfare, who decided to take a short cut at the third bend by diving through the three nylon ropes. He cut across the football pitch, and jumped back onto the track on the home straight behind Didya Surrender, the 5-2 second favourite and the other runners. The stewards disqualified Jet Warfare, and declared a no-race much to the annoyance of the punters, for the winner Didya Surrender had done nothing wrong, he had run his race the hare was not slowed – there was not outside interference! With Silent Sam injured, Jet Warfare disqualified, and with Wally Ginzel declining to re-run his Maggies Hope, the three remaining runners went forward to the second round.
1928 June 7 In the NGRC Calendar it is announced that one of the greyhounds disqualified for fighting is Charlie Cranston, W R Stewart’s black dog (Woon-Chronic Cough, June 24) was famous as the first winner of the opening meeting at London White City on June 27, 1927.
1982 Three Irish open race stars die of suspected heat stroke on a return journey to Ireland following the English Derby. The Matt Travers’ trained trio of Satellite Orbit, I’m Lovely (Respond 2000 winner) and Millbowe Sam (Guinness 600 winner) were travelling in a vehicle aboard a ferry.
1992 Hove owner Mick Biss makes a complaint to the NGRC over the driving of the hare in the Regency Final. Biss’s runner One For Shamie, trained by Hazel Dickson, was officially marked as “led to near line, checked slightly sough and 5” in a race won by local dog Integrity Boy.
1936 Gold Collar winner Fine Jubilee justifies favouritism to land the English Derby Final. The 11-10f takes the honours at just after 11pm, the feature event of a 16 race card.
1961 Top sire in Ireland Champion Prince (Bellas Prince-Sallywell, Jul 49) dies in his sleep reports owner Dan Mahr. Bred by Joe Fitzpatrick of Templemore, Co Tipperary, he has sired many champions, such as Kentucky Minstrel, the 1957 Waterloo Cup winner, and prolific open race winners Duet Leader, Pigalle Wonder and Fodda Champion, to name but a few.
2018 Richard Brankley, Ladbrokes Head of Stadia, announces plans to leave the company with immediate effect. Within two months, he will reappear alongside his former boss Gordon Bissett in a new role at media broadcaster SIS.
1978 Craig Blair’s Derry Derby winner Drumahiskey Champ adds the Derry 525 track record to his 500 yard clock with a run of 29.51. He had in fact won a race in 29.46 but the three-runner field made the record invalid.
2005 A Romford graded race was declared void under NGRC rule 145 ‘failing to complete the course in a reasonable time’. The problem occurred after Heart Test Vivid fought two other runners who fell over and caused the remainder to slow to a walk. Vivid never raced at Romford again but continued her career at Harlow.
1928 June 23 A crowd of around 5,000 are at the first meeting at Brough Park. As written by the local newspaper “A numerous party of county and city sportsmen included several representatives of Newcastle City Council, to whom the architectual and floral features of the collosal stadium were a revelation. Its vast capacity combined with its elaborate appointments produced most encouraging results in the staging of the new sport” Racing Manager Captain S C Henderson has graded in more than 100 greyhounds and a six-race card, five runners in each, goes off without a hitch. The first race, the Lawson Stakes over 500 yards and worth £10 to the winner, goes to J W Levy’s Mavin.
2012 Future Irish Derby winner Skywalker Puma wins the Red Mills Champion Juvenile at Kilkenny. Eliminated in the first round, Puma was given a second chance when re-entering the event as a reserve.
1992 Mildenhall closes nine months after opening when promoter Dick Partridge announces that he cannot make it pay citing crowds of between 100-200 per meeting. Within a week, Dennis Diffley takes over and re-opens the track, though his reign will eventually end in scandal.
1964 London Stadiums offer to pay for a night out for 30 kennel girls, their hostel matron and kennel manager. Following a vote, the girls are off to see new sensations The Rolling Stones at East Ham’s Granada Dance Hall.
1950 Lesley Reynolds is preparing for his dogs to race on sand for the first time by taking them to the gallop on the sands at Thornby. The quartet, Greenwood Tanist, Narogar Ann, Northam Star and Harringay Gallant are soon to depart for the American Derby.
1982 Ladbrokes reputation as the sport’s most unpopular promoters is enhanced following a questionnaire produced by owners at Brough Park and Gosforth. Most of the complaints relate to a lack of industry expertise among the track management (drafted in from betting shops) and poor communication.
1996 Yorkshire based breeder Alice Swaffield threatens to take Bord na gCon to court after they discovering that journalists were told not to consider her two runners Batties Rocket (winner Irish Derby) and Batties Spirit (RU Irish Derby, winner Irish Leger) for the Greyhound of the Year award. Although the littermates were born in York, they were registered in the Irish Stud Book. Mrs Swaffield also claims that there is nothing in the rules of racing to make her dogs ineligible.
1978 Up Eighteen (Mortor Light-Up Two Jan 77) clocks the fastest time of the two-day Shelbourne Sales, 29.55, but fails to reach her reserve of £3,500. She is nevertheless packed off to England to join Paddy Hancox. Within six months, she has won the Puppy Oaks and finished runner-up in the Puppy Derby and Sporting Life Juvenile. She goes on to reach a string of major finals and break the Perry Barr 500m track record. Meanwhile, Altamira Flash who was sold at Cork’s June sales for 700gns, joins Philip Rees. Within weeks she had finished second in the Puppy Oaks and third in the Puppy Derby.
2003 Charlie Lister’s suspicion of open race trap draws received a boost following the Derby third round draw – made by the NGRC’s Bill Chandler. Lister’s three leading Derby fancies, Top Savings, Farloe Verdict and Larkhill Bullet were drawn in the same heat. All three qualified and went on to the final though this time the stewards intervened to take the winner’s prize away from Droopys Hewitt and award it to Farloe Verdict.
1982 American superstar Unruly becomes the highest prize money winner of all time when landing the Hollywooodian. Incredibly, he won over $190,000 despite being a beaten favourite in a string of top finals.
1928 Greyhound registered for the full year ending June 30 – 9,035. Two years earlier, with greyhound racing about to start, the figure was 2,712.
1964 The National Greyhound Racing Society introduce their first mobile drug testing unit. The unit will provide random testing using the thin layer chromatography technique which will provide results within 20 minutes of a test.
2002 Sunderland are fined £600 and Harry Findlay is fined £300 following an NGRC inquiry into Occhi Gialli contesting the Regal Gold Cup Final in a non-regulation (Australian) racing muzzle.
1946 Quare Times sets a new national record ‘three lengths faster than any other dog in the British Isles’ in the consolation final of the English Derby. The blue won by six lengths in 28.82 for White City’s 525 yards. Mondays News won the final in 29.24.
1956 Northern Irish owner Jack McAllister wins the Greyhound Derby with Dunmore King. It is his fifth finalist following near misses with Saft Alex, Blackboard Dan, Slaney Record and Black Mire. The 72lb fawn, recent winner of the Produce Stakes at Wimbledon, was led out by Duet Leader but took the lead at the first bend when pushing Leader wide. Racing along the backstraight, favourite Northern King was closing on both. However he tried to pass between the pair and was checked at the third bend. King continued to hang onto his lead and he had half a length to spare at the line. Duet and Leader and the strong finishing Gulf Of Darien dead heated for second. A crowd of 50,000 attended the meeting which was the best supported since 1947. Following the race, McAllister announced that the dog would be retired to stud. He had originally bought the dog from Galway schoolmaster James Mooney after seeing him show tremendous pace on the coursing field. King was the second Derby winner trained by Paddy McEvoy, who recently moved to the Clapton Kennels at Claverhambury. The dog was accompanied to England by Irish kennelman Barney O’Connor.
1936 GRA announce that they have received the ‘special’ paper used in the printing of the 18 page Greyhound Derby racecard. They don’t reveal how many will be printed but the paper weighs over five tons.
1950 Brighton insist that Early Closing II’s trainer be available every time the dog races. Anybody else attempting to put him into the starting traps is liable to be attacked.
1996 Swaffham stage a ‘village idiots’ night when all the winners collect £5 and all the beaten dogs collect £10. The biggest ‘winning loser’ is Mr Callaby’s Olivers Spring, who finally won a race after being beaten in his previous 17 races.
