1959 Last Deal manages to beat the photo finish system at White City. The local grader runs so wide that he finishes on the outside of the hare rail. The net result is a photo finish which he triggers, but in which he doesn’t appear.
1977 Trainer Ger McKenna wins his third consecutive Irish Leger when Red Rasper takes the Limerick decider. It is the Borrisokane trainer’s eleventh victory in the event.
1968 Paddy Keane, who recently joined the Bristol training ranks following a successful spell at Clapton, send out his first graded winner.
1976 Clarke Osborne is appointed onto to the board of Bristol Stadium Ltd after six years in the accounts office and three as the Bristol GM.
1959 Superstar Pigalle Wonder finished third and lame (wrist) in what was intended to be his swansong performance in the Critchley Memorial at White City. Owner Noel Purvis announces that his 77lb brindle has been sold to a syndicate for £20,000 (index linked to around £394,000). Within a week, the Wembley management have ordered connections to remove the dog from their racing kennels. Rated by many as the greatest middle distance of all time he won more than £7,500 in prize money including the English Derby, and Pall Mall, two Edinburgh Cups and he dead heated in the Cesarewitch. He set track records over 500yds Powerhall, 525yds Harringay, Wembley, White City and Carntyne and the 550yd record at White City.
1968 Cals Invader, favourite for the Irish Puppy Derby, makes top lot at Hackney Sales (1,850gns) but is eliminated in the second round two days later. Meanwhile sister Cals Pick Any Harm-Flying Sherry), who made 1,300 at the same sale, and finished runner-up in the Harolds Cross race, will join Jack Harvey. In 1969 she wins the Coronation Stakes, Cesarewitch and Stewards Cup.
1977 The British Greyhound Racing Federation announce plans to introduce their own stud book to replace the NCC and ICC versions. The two organisations will challenge the decision. Interestingly, the NCC announce that 1,123 litters were registered at the end of the breeding year – June 30. It was the highest total since 1950.
1955 The racing dailies refuse to name the Midlands track which has apparently lost three of its eight bookmakers in the past month. In the first six meetings of the month, half of all races were won by the favourite.
1977 Bord na gCon’s annual report of 1976 showed a 21% increase in prize money over 1975. Attendances fell by 5% to 1,020,492 with an average attendance for each meeting at a little over 500.
1933 Backers of Catford hurdler Frisco Marble saw their runner fall at the first hurdle, and then the second, and then the third – though he still completed the course.
1966 Peculiar Way continues his spectacular rise by going unbeaten through the £500 (equiv to £7,900) Seymour Eight Final at Portsmouth. Sold at Shelbourne Park sales for 110gns (£1,800), the youngster was running low grade at Wimbledon until his owner decided to switch him to Portsmouth trainer George Curtis. After rising rapidly through the grades, he joined the open race circuit and has already won the Circuit at Walthamstow and finished runner-up in the St Leger.
2010 Britain’s biggest breeder Charles ‘Zigzag’ Pickering is fined £5,000 and warned off for irregularities relating to the retirement of 41 greyhounds. He was also found guilty of refusing, obstructing or hindering the investigation.
1946 Derby winner Mondays News and Oaks winner Dumble’s Maid both lined up the for St Leger Final on Saturday afternoon at Wembley but neither had enough stamina to hold off favourite Bohernagraga Boy who got home by a short head from Maid.
1959 A White City Saturday card features only one race over 525 yards. There is a 525 hurdle, three 725yd kennel sweepstakes, a 725yd open and two 1,025 yard opens. All the opens pay £50 to the winner – index linked to roughly £985.
1966 Changes in legislation mean that tax paid on tote bets will be halved from its current 5%. Meanwhile, in a concerted move, London tracks increase their admission fee by six pence and most raise their kennel charges. It will now cost 42 shillings per week (equivalent to roughly £33) to keep a dog at Brighton for a week.
1934 Harringay trained Gallant Ruth (Mick The Miller-Melsham Gamble) goes unbeaten through the Oaks at White City. The 36 runner event has a split first round and is completed in 12 days. Kitshine, last in the final but destined to land the 1935 decider, is a daughter of Mick’s brother Macoma.
2006 Carly Philpott, currently in fourth place in the Trainers Championship calls a ‘time out’ of training for personal reasons and relinquishes her licence. He resurfaces a month later as assistant trainer to Elaine Parker.
1998 BGRB chief executive Geoffrey Thomas announces plans to bring back the defunct Annual Awards dinner after many years absence. Conscious that the previous awards had failed due to the high cost of staging the event at the Dorchester or Hilton Hotels in Central London, he suggests a venue “close to the M25”. The venue at Ingatestone in Essex is a big success and the event never looks back.
