1983 The Midland Oaks final goes to Geoff De Mulder’s 3-1 chance Ballyard Britt in 29.08 for the 474 metres. The 11-8f Westmead Tania broke a hock and failed to finish.
1971 Time Up Please sold at Shelbourne sales for 650 guineas. Four months later he finishes fourth in the Irish Derby Final. In October he lands the Irish St Leger. The following year, he lands the Dundalk International and then successfully defends his St Leger title.
2002 The GRA announce announce a £250,000 facelift for the Belle Vue restaurant to include new lighting, glass partitioning and carpets.
1959 Plans to revamp Burwood kennels bring about a debate between trainers over a proposed road, or lack of it, on the site. The debate is on the benefit or not of exercising dogs on the road. George Waterman states: “Roadwork is a mistake. Track greyhounds definitely do not need it.” Clare Orton believes a certain amount of roadwork is essential “It helps to form and toughen the feet and adds spring to the step.” Paddy McEllistrim also sees some benefit for long distance runners: “It is a useful aid to developing stamina, toughen the feet and keeps the nails short.” Stan Martin’s view is somewhere between the two, advising: “A little road work for dogs not racing regularly.”
1969 Four year old Tonys Friend extends his winning sequence to 11 when landing the Grand National Final for trainer Randy Singleton. He easily heads the prize money table before going unbeaten through the Scottish National and taking the sequence to 13. The record for any hurdler is 16, held by 1930s star Long Hop.
1987 Newry Yank fetched a record 7,250 guineas at Wimbledon sale. The dog never won an open. Other sales flops included Ring Of Fortune ((4,500gns), Ivy Francis and Townview Dancer (3,000gns each).
1964 John Horsfall, previously at Derby, joins the Catford strength.
1988 Michael O’Donovan’s Waterloo Cup winner React Fraggle has failed a chromatography test. Stewards have withheld prize money prior to a full enquiry.
1997 Yarmouth bookies are beaming on their stools when the first four open race favourites are chinned. Punters will surely come out on top in the last, a four runner marathon, with an 8-13fav. No – he gets beat by the unfortunately named, Reasons To Smile.
1947 Shawfield racing manager Cecil Davie is so confident that Ballashill Still Heads is good enough to beat the best dogs in London that he sends the back-marker the 402 miles down the A1 to White City for the Wood Lane Stakes. Unrated by White City punters, she flew home in a preparatory race, but was withdrawn from the first round of the competition with a knocked-up toe. Her intended heat was won by 15 lengths by Dante II who duly went unbeaten through the event.
1960 Figures released by the NGRC for 1959 show: registrations 6,921, new owners 1,774, races staged 53,120 (opens 1,388), racecourse trainers 243, private trainers 86.
1968 29 year old recently elected TD Jerry Collins presents a motion to the Dail asking why greyhound racing and coursing cannot be staged on Sundays. Horse racing is permitted yet the longtails are barred from competing by the 1953 Greyhound Act.
1947 British racing papers are somewhat curt about the planned American match race between its superstars Flashy Sir and Lucky Pilot. While impressed by the £2,000 prize, they baulk at the nicknames bestowed on the pair, the ‘West Flagler Cannonball’ and the ‘Petersburgh Comet’. They sniffily note “there is enough corn to keep a poultry farm going.”
1996 At the racing manager’s conference Wimbledon grader Simon Harris responds to a question about the difficulty of commuting from his home in Birmingham, even though GRA cover his petrol bills. Does the journey get him down? Harris replies: “Yes, but the petrol bonus points are good. Now they phone me to ask what I want putting in the catalogue.”
1970 Quarantine restrictions on dogs going to Ireland are affecting the import of dogs for sales. The recently introduced quarantine of 12 months for British dogs going travelling to Ireland, is putting Irish owners off sending them in case they are not sold. William Poultney, who runs Hackney Sales is being forced to “guarantee a sale or buy them myself.”
