1987 Westhoughton owner Steven Hayes is the toast of the track after Little Orphan – a name given to him by track secretary Christine Crooks – finds 66 spots and wins a graded race by nine lengths. ‘Orphan’ was found abandoned in the track kennels after recording a very poor trial and was taken on by unemployed Hayes.
1950 Following a change in the rules which allow more privately trained dogs to contest opens, a number of former ‘track trained’ graded dogs have joined private trainers and improved significantly to become open racers. The Greyhound Express acknowledges the fact and causes a storm when publishing an article entitled “Recent events prove that the system of track training is wrong.”
1959 Following an excellent year of trading GRA announce that the staff at their kennels will all receive a bonus equivalent to one week’s wages. Tote staff who have been with the company since the start of the year will receive an extra night’s wages.
1981 While all the attention is on Derby winner Parkdown Jet, three track records are broken on the support card. They are the White City clocks for 500m chase- 30.50: Shanakill Loyal (Loyal Expert-Stapletons Bread), 680m-40.80 Brampton Badger (Fionntra Frolic-Shiloh Daisy), 730m-43.93 Fair Reward (Flip Your Top-Modest Style).
1984 The NGRC shelve six doping cases due to the legal delays in addressing two previous cases. First Southend trainer Cecil Law took the NGRC to court after being found guilty of ‘having charge’ of a dog who failed a dope test. The judge found against Law* on the grounds that the NGRC rule was ‘reasonable and necessary’. However, when Law threatened to appeal, the NGRC re-heard the case and reduced the ban to the time he had already been suspended. Later, Portsmouth trainer Bill Tozer was banned for nine months ‘being in charge’ of greyhound Bourkes Champion who was discovered to have been doped when beaten in an open race at Maidstone. Tozer went legal resulting in the NGRC substituting a £750 fine for the ban. (*Law’s original ban came much to the bewilderment and shock of the Essex greyhound community given that one of his Southend colleagues was reputed to regularly dope dogs. Cases involving other Southend trainers would follow)
1979 Over 30,000 spectators were at White City to see the only the second English Derby Final featuring two bitches. British bred Tyrean started favourite but missed her break and finished down the field. The race went to the De Mulder’s kennel’s second string Sarahs Bunny who led from trap to line to win in 29.53.
1968 A totalisator cashier on his way to service a tote booth was attacked and robbed of £650 at Wimbledon Stadium.
1958 The Greyhound Express produce an interesting chart comparing track records at various tracks in Britain and Ireland. The Derby trip, White City’s 525 yards, is also the quickest of any track thanks to Pigalle Wonder’s 28.44. Shelbourne’s clock is 28.98 though the slowest 525 is Dundalk’s 30.15. The London venue also has the fastest 550 (30.16) which is more than two and a half seconds quicker than Romford’s equivalent.
1975 GRA announce a 10% prize money increase at 11 of their 12 tracks, the exception being Portsmouth where there are is no prize money or kennel fees. The promoter also increases the compensation package for dogs breaking hocks on their tracks to £150 (Roughly £1,500 at today’s values).
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.
1988 A month after winning the Produce Stakes at Clonmel, Dangerous Bridge breaks a hock in a trial at Tralee and is put to sleep.
1961 Leading owner Noel Purvis pays £1,500 for Prairie Flash’s litter brother Greenane Wonder. Wonder goes on to run second in the ’63 English Derby Final. Meanwhile Jack Mullan purchases the new Clonmel 500 yard record breaker Odd Venture.
1950 Brighton’s 525 yard track record is broken by Breathless Wonder, a locally bred pup who was bought for 13gns. No one was more surprised than trainer Harry Manser who had doubted that the British bred youngster would ever chase. Wonder had been reared by his owner and slept on his bed, and to Manser’s bewilderment, would regularly carry eggs, or even unharmed live hens, into his master’s house “in the manner of a retriever”.
1993 Popular Irish handler Pa Fitzgerald is due to grade in his first graded runners at Oxford but changes his mind about being attached to the track.
2001 Blue Tex is retired to stud after breaking his hock while trialling for the Reading Masters. The litter brother of Irish Derby winner Judicial Pride won 31 races including the Eclipse at Nottingham.
1957 A ‘mini riot’ breaks out at Harringay following the decision of the local stewards to void a race due to a dog fighting. Seven men were arrested for various offences of vandalism and theft. Total damage is estimated at £3,000. A campaign is launched by the Greyhound Express for all tracks to introduce a ‘first past the post’ rule for betting purposes.
2011 Unum, sixth in her last six races at Peterborough, twice beaten a distance and once ‘DNF’ starts at 100-1 in a graded race. She finishes last, her 10th time in that position in her 12 races
1960 Mile Bush Pride is retired to stud after finishing third in the Derby Final. Rated by Greyhound Express as “the greatest tracker of all time”, the £2,500 purchase won over £6,000 in prize money (equivalent to around £134K today) for owner Noel Purvis and trainer Jack Harvey. Third in both the 1958 and 1960 Derby Finals, we was the outstanding tracker of 1959 with wins in the English, Scottish and Welsh Derbys plus the Pall Mall and Cesarewitch.
