1963 The precursor to BAGS gets underway with 1,600 betting shops in Belfast and London paying £50 for the season to be able to commentary service for the entire winter should horse racing be cancelled. The greyhound authorities had insisted on the service being restricted when only 2,600 of the estimated 13,000 shops in Britain first signed up for the service. The NGRS had set a minimum target of 3,000. The tracks involved are Park Royal (Mondays/Fridays), Dagenham (Tuesdays), Kings Heath (Wednesdays) and Stamford Bridge (Thursdays).
1999 Wimbledon trainers Tom Foster and Ray Peacock increase their kennel charges to £7 per day. (Equivalent today of £13.14).
2012 Belle Vue’s racing office is broken into. Apart from damage, computers have been stolen.
1988 Racing resumes at Nottingham after a two week closure following the takeover by Derby promoter Terry Corden, who also runs Sheffield. Peter Robinson will be the new racing manager. The NGRC had insisted on the payment of £17K in outstanding fees before they will allow the track to resume racing.
1999 A week after two trainers were sacked following an enquiry into doped dogs, two samples from dogs involved in races with “unusual betting patterns” fail to arrive in the post at the Newmarket testing lab.
2012 A profile in the Guardian of cycling superstar Bradley Wiggins reveals that as a youngster, he would regularly accompany his grandfather to Wimbledon dogs.
1985 Scurloge Champ is at the peak of his powers. Within the month he wins the £700 Mirror Bliss Stakes at Wembley, the £1,000 Caledonian Marathon at Powderhall, a £500 invitation at Derby (TR), a £500 invitation at Whitwood (TR), and the £500 Scurlogue Champ Challenge at Yarmouth.
2014 There is an eventful second round of the William Hill St Leger when third favourite Romantic Rambo breaks a hock and fourth favourite Touch Tackle is withdrawn (late arrival) by the stewards. Roxholme Dream (9-2fav), duly goes on to land the £25K decider from Millwards Teddy, Killieford Khali, Farley Chicken, Chicago and King Kane.
1975 The NGRC decide to lift the ban on three trainers who had failed to fill in their quarterly kennel reports. The reprieved trio are Joe Booth, Emil Kovac and Carol Lawlor.
1997 El Tenor, recently disqualified in an open at Crayford is being schooled over hurdles.
2012 Greyhound transporter Ian Waterworth was on the mark when his Highview Dolly ran away with the €7,500 Newbridge Oaks Final.
2007 Coventry’s unique plan to have six semi finals of a 72-runner maiden event are foiled when the final qualifier is cancelled due to fog.
2014 GBGB CEO Barry Faulkner is facing widespread criticism after refusing to take part in a BBC Panorama programme. The documentary exposes trainer Chris Mosdall for an attempted doping at Wimbledon. Greyhound Forum chairman Clarissa Baldwin is also critical of the governing body for a lack of transparency concerning re-homing figures.
1999 The Rye House Owners and Trainers Association takes over the running of the stadium.
2012 Recently attached George Oswald spends almost £10,000 on six greyhounds at Sheffield Sales including top lot Royal Buzz (3,700gns). The dog wins A2 before being moved onto Monmore where he joins Chris Allsopp. The sale turned over a total of £39,000.
2009 Perry Barr grader Charter Serina contests her 200th race for owner George Smith and trainer Julie Ridley.
2014 Sittingbourne and Harlow both announce significant prize money increases. Harlow will pay £25 per runner, rising to £30 for kennels with bigger kennel strengths plus bonuses of £2,500/£5,000. Sittingbourne will pay a minimum of £50 per dog.
1994 No SP is declared on a race at Perry Barr after a drunken punter attacked one of the bookies’ tic-tac men.
2012 Four years and three months after the closure of Walthamstow, the Racing Post greyhound section carries stories for four consecutive days of plans to fight development of the site.
1964 Vals Parachute, future winner of the Olympic, Greater London Trophy and Midland St Leger is sold at Aldridges Sales for 370 guineas.
2012 GRA announce that Oxford is to close at the end of the year. The move follows the track’s recent loss of one of its BAGS fixtures.
2014 The Irish Greyhound Board announce a change in stud regulations. Until now, litters produced from frozen semen collections from a dog who had died at least two years prior to the insemination, could not be registered.
