1946 Dumbles Maid becomes the fourth Oaks winner trained by Clapton trainer Stan Biss. Interestingly, when first trialled at White City two weeks previously she had twice turned in the traps and refused to chase. Following her second refusal, Racing Manager Percy Brown had ordered that she be given a handslip. A number of Clapton runners have recently refused to chase the White City hare, the general consensus is that they fail to notice the hare on the outside of the track and are looking at the centre of the course. At Clapton, the hare passes the boxes between traps three and four.
1952 Romford and Dagenham Stadiums are to expand their ‘rear and race’ programme successfully introduced two years earlier. In that first trial, the track bred a litter out of their own ex-racer Barefooted Trix and gave away the pups to existing owners, subject to them proving that they would have them correctly reared. All six pups subsequently qualified for racing. When the track announced that they were taking applications for a second litter, they were so oversubscribed that they had to arrange to have another four bitches mated.
1931 Mick The Miller now well into his fifth year, wins his 1st round, 2nd round and semi-final heats of the St Leger at Wembley and goes to the final as favourite. He went on to win from trap three as evens favourite in 41.31.
1960 A conspiracy theory emerges after a man is fined a total of £55 plus 15 guineas costs after being found guilty of voiding a marathon race supporting the St Leger Final. Charles Ian Keith Yule of Peckham jumped onto the track and kicked race leader Milton Fame, who was six lengths clear, 30 yards from the winning post. The dog was knocked to the ground and suffered several injuries including a two inch gash to the head. Police arrested the man and had to protected from angry punters who, according to police statements, were shouting, “we are going to kill him” and “we are going to rip him to bits.” Yule claimed that he had lost £10 on the dog which had caused him to act as he did. However, the investigating officers questioned why the accused was not in possession of any betting tickets, had placed his money on a 66-1 reserve and had jumped onto the track from the most expensive enclosure, despite claiming to be unemployed. Yule denied being employed by a betting gang. The former soldier was given 28 days to pay or face three months imprisonment. A week later, a similar incident occurs in another marathon, this time at Walthamstow. A man jumped onto the track and distracted the leader before panicking and escaping. He was apprehended by a security man, who was then set about, by six apparent accomplices. All escaped though they failed to void the race as the leader had nevertheless won the race and the result was allowed to stand.
1970 Irish Leger winner Flaming King is due to be released from quarantine prior to taking up stud duties. The Pauline Wallis trained brindle had been shipped to the USA and won eight races in a row at Flagler. He also contested the Spanish Derby but was unable to take the bends and was eliminated.
1946 Irish supersire Castledown Lad has died at his Irish kennel aged 12. He was best known for a string of brilliant daughters including Hurry Kitty, Shaggy Lass and Trevs Castle. Shaggy Lad was his best son.
2016 Greyhound racing lost one of its great characters with the death of Terry Meynell aged 75 following an on-going battle with serious illness. During a lengthy career, the no-nonsense Geordie had operated as racing manager at Sheffield, Nottingham, Newcastle and Sunderland.
1968 September 3 William J Quinn of Killenaule, Co Tipperary, dies after a long illness. One of the best breeders and trainers Ireland ever had, he trained three Irish Derby winners (Tipperary Hills in 1928, which he also owned; Little Chummie in 1931 and Tainist in 1940). He handled many great greyhounds, including Brilliant Bob, who won as a puppy the Coursing Tipperary Cup in 1933. On the track, Bob won the Easter Cup at Shelbourne Park and the St Leger at Clonmel. He was sold for £2,000 to A J Dearman and trained by Sidney Orton at Wimbledon, where he won three English Classics in 1934 – the Laurels, Cesarewitch and the Scurry Gold Cup. Quinn also bred, owned and trained Quare Times and in 1946 he turned down a £10,000 bid for him.
1932 Wimbledon produce a stylish racecard for their Laurels final. In addition to the form for the seven races was a piece by Wimbledon’s owner W J Cearns in which he writes: “During the early history of Wimbledon Stadium the experiences of those connected with the institution of this now famous centre were anything but pleasant. . .In the near future it is our intention to entirely reconstruct the racing track in order that it will be, beyond dispute, the most suitable for its purpose in the country.” Racing manager Con Stevens produced a written ‘History of the Laurels’. (Perhaps a grand title for an event that had only been introduced in 1930?) The final itself was worth £1,100 (equivalent to £89,000 today) with the most expensive gold trophy in the industry, valued at £125. It was won by the sensational newcomer Beef Cutlet who was contesting only the seventh race of his career for trainer John Hegarty from the Waterhall Kennels. His time was a new world record for 500 yards of 28.47 in a field that included the previous year’s Derby winner Seldom Led.
2002 Hall Green trainer Nicky Chambers tenders her resignation and announces plans to close her breeding and training establishment at Little Belvoir. Paula Simmons is set to take over the kennels and contract.
1991 Around 500 mourners turn out for Ted Osborne, the founder of BS Group and father of Edwin, Clarke and Jo (Clark). The former Royal Navy sailor ran successful catering businesses and social clubs, including the first at Bristol Rover Football Club before taking over Bristol Stadium in 1980. Following his funeral, guests were invited back to Bristol track for a last toast. They were each given a package containing a miniature bottle of Bells Whiskey, his favourite tipple, along with a card saying “One for the road, good night and God bless, Ted”
1970 Nottingham White City has closed. The seven acre site in Trent Lane has been sold for £110,000 and is to be turned into warehousing. The track’s future had become uncertain following the death of managing director Elias Jolley the previous year. The solicitor responsible for the sale of the stadium, was also the trustee for the Jolley estate.
2002 Brood bitch Oakdene Bluebird produced 19 live pups in a litter by Droopys Honcho though only 10 survived. In the same month Riordean Orchid produced 12 pups by Farloe Cobbler, and every one was blue.
1984 The Irish Derby final is won by the Seamus Graham bred and trained Dipmac (Sand Man-Kind Of Luxury, May 82), owned by Paschal Taggart and Noel Ryan. The English Derby quarter finalist holds of Glencorbry Celt and favourite Count Five in 29.15.
2001 Airport Express (Roanokee-March Queen) lowers Droopys Vieiri’s Irish national 525 record by five spots when clocking 28.15 at Harolds Cross. It isn’t all good news for the kennel though when kennelmate Glass Orchid (Roanokee-Wise Flyer) is disqualified for fighting. Orchid goes on to become a top class brood with many AA winners at Lincoln Rhode Island.
1946 At Catford, the front four coaches of the 2.10 train from Victoria to Ramsgate plunged 20 feet over the embankment into the stadium car park. One passenger died.
2014 The brilliant veteran Skate On sets a third sprint record of her career when clocking 16.18 at Yarmouth. In the previous three months she had broken the sprint records at Nottingham and Wimbledon.
1996 Patricia O’Connell, wife of convicted drugs dealer Christopher O’Connell, wins a High Court bid to prove that she owns two thirds of leading Irish Derby fancy Mountleader Peer. The court puts a value on the £3,250 Cork sales bargain of £IR80,000 should he go on to land the decider.
1969 Sunday April 14 – the first Greyhound Breeders Festival is held at GRA’s Northaw Kennels near Potter Barr. In addition to the dog show, guests are invited to look around the complex and meet some of the trainers. Organised by Dr Richard Handley, the day attracted 300 canine competitors and over 2,000 spectators.
1936 Greta Ranee, the 1935 English Derby winner, whelps a litter by the 1929/30 winner Mick The Miller. There are one brindle/white, three blue brindle/white dogs and one brindle/white and two blue brindle/white bitches. Perhaps the most famous of the litter is Gretas Rosary, who wins the 1938 St Leger at Wembley.
2013 The Irish Sporting Press follows the lead of the defunct Irish Greyhound Weekly by going into tabloid format.
1961 Clonalvy Pride, who was bought as a puppy for £900 by owner Harry Seymour becomes the first greyhound to land the Laurels and St Leger in the same year. The brindle had broken the Wembley 700 yard track record in the first Leger semi only to see it reduced by seven spots by Chubbys Choice (39.55) in the other semi. However, the punters weren’t swayed and made the Jack Harvey trained Pride a 4-7f for the £1,000. The result was never in doubt and although fading late, Pride held on by a length and a half in 39.64.
1956 Prince Of Bermuda, the Shelbourne track record holder at 27.98, breaks the Cork 525 clock for the third time with a 27.95 run in the Laurels heats. However, in the final, the 1-3fav is beaten by Rather Grand, who had been recently purchased by Crayford Stadium.
1984 Wembley, Ipswich, Yarmouth, Reading and Hackney all suffer from attempted race wreckers in the space of a fortnight.
1971 Paddy Sweeney is disqualified by the NGRC for supporting independent racing. Sweeney had relinquished his owner trainer licence two months earlier.
1992 Walthamstow is the surprise new face on the BAGS fixture list for 1993
1939 The English Oaks is given classic status for the first time. It will become the seventh classic alongside the English Derby, St.Leger, Gold Collar, Scurry Gold Cup, Laurels and Cesarewitch. Unfortunately, with Britain declading war on Germany at the beginning of September, the event is scrapped and not run again until 1945.
2001 Young Rye House trainer Carly Philpott sends out her first winner when Whats Up Harry wins at Romford.
1948 Sir William Gentle, one of the founders of greyhound racing and the first chairman of GRA dies aged 83. A former military officer who served in South Africa, Sir William later became a police officer and was Chief Constable at Brighton from 1901-1920. Son Francis Gentle is the current GRA managing director.
2002 William Hill announce that they have acquired Sunderland from Kevin Wilde for £9.4m. It is their first venture into track ownership.
1971 Thurles bred Evening Glamour (Mad Era-Ballybeg Pride) wins the $20,000 Wonderland Derby. Runner-up is She’s Warm (Oregon Prince-Cailin Na Coise).
2014 Tom Kelly announces his retirement as chairman and chief executive of BAGS. He will soon reappear – unfortunately – as the new chairman of GBGB.
1984 Craig Andrews is refused an NGRC permit licence because his father Trevor is the promoter at independent track Warwick.
1957 Ed Brennan, the owner of Solar Prince – previously withdrawn lame from the Irish Derby second round – rejects English offers of £2,500 after the dog is an impressive winner of the Tipperary Cup in 30.10 for Thurles’ 525 yards. Unbeaten in his eleven races to date, also including the Callanan Cup, the son of Champion Prince and Lisabelle heads to London for a four runner invitation race at White City. He trials over the little used 500 yard course and clocks 27.67, more than half a second quicker than the track record. Brennan refuses £3,500 for the dog. The £450 match proves a thriller and sees Solar Prince hold off Kilcaskin Kern by half a length with Ballypatrick a head a way in third and Northern King a further short head away in fifth. The winner clocked 29.01 for 525 yards, just one spot quicker than the Oaks final won by Dark Rose over the same course and distance 15 minutes earlier. Following his 12th straight victory, Solar Prince is retired to stud.
1995 Chesterfield boss Joan Ullyett has received a string of requests for videos of a recent race. She says: “We had a 700 yard open with just three runners. A little bitch from trap five led up and soon went clear. Approaching the last two bends she began to slow up. Instead of going past her, the six slowed up as well and eventually started jogging along beside her. Eventually they stopped at the fifth bend. In the meantime the four realised that there was something up and he also stopped. Suddenly the six mounted the six mounted the five and the place was in uproar. There were people here we had never seen smile before and they could barely stand up. The poor man who owned the five was running around saying ‘she’s not in season, honest’. There was a queue of people trying to get a copy of the video though the video man is sending it to ‘Beadles About.’
