2000 The NGRC announce that Deerfield Sunset failed a drugs test on the night of his participation in the English Derby Final. Trainer Owen McKenna later receives a £750 fine.
1980 Four former tote employees at Shawfield are charged with defrauding their employer GRA. The quartet had been placing bets after the results of the race were already known.
1952 Trainer Lesley Reynolds sends out his two English Derby winners, Endless Gossip (2-11f) and Ballylanigan Tanist to finish 1-2 in the Laurels Final.
1937 West Ham celebrate their 9th Anniversary meeting. It is estimated that more than 10 million patrons have passed through the turnstiles to see nearly 1,000 meeting since the track opened in 1928.
2010 Sheffield trainer Malcolm Daniels is sacked following an alleged £50-£70,000 gamble on A4 BAGS runner Spiritina (4-1 to 4-7f). The 30.53 (+30) winner had recorded a calculated 30.69 just three runs earlier. The black is transferred to Pelaw Grange where she wins just three of her next 16 races and retires from A8 company.
1992 Nick Savva reluctantly agrees to stay on after his resignation from the NGRC Tracks Standards Committee is declined by chairman Frank Melville. Savva states that the committee could not even reach agreement on a collective approach.
2000 Mick Smith, the owner and trainer of the brilliant Blue Murlen collapsed and dies of a heart attack prior to racing at Rye House.
1965 The Shelbourne 600 yard track record, considered to be one of the strongest in Irish racing, was broken twice at the same meeting. Racegoers were stunned when Vals Prince lowered Cranog Bet’s seemingly invincible best of 33.60 by seven spots. However, within an hour, Westpark Quail had taken it to 33.49.
2002 The most famous Irish greyhound in 50 years, Late Late Show is retired after pulling up lame in the Irish Derby heats. During a brilliant career the Paul Hennessy trained black won €180,000 for Irish charities.
1970 August 8 The Irish Derby final winners prize has been boosted from £2,000 to £5,000, thanks to the first time sponsorship by cigarette firm Carrolls. Dave Cahil, a Chicago based building contractor, who flew into Dublin on Saturday morning, sawn his Monalee Pride (Prairie Flash-Sheila At Last) lead all the way to beat the 11-8 favourite, and last year’s champion, Own Pride by two lengths in 29.28 for the 525 yards. Trained by Gay McKenna, he received a warm reception from the 8,000 crowd on his lap of honour at Shelbourne Park.
1993 Joe Prentice takes over at Hull when owners BS Group decide to cease racing.
2003 Top Savings is retired to stud following a brilliant racing career. The son of Top Honcho tore a shoulder muscle in the Monmore Gold Cup semis. A winner of 30 races including the William Hill Puppy Classic, Racing Post Juvenile and Silver Collar Savings was beaten in the ’03 English Derby final. His 28.40 was the fastest recording over the Derby course since alterations were made to the course.
1980 GRA announce that they are to cease their compensation scheme for injured dogs in two months time. For many years the company had paid owners £150 (£904 today) if their greyhound sustained a career ending injury. The company blame the increase in veterinary costs and the rise in the number of contract trainers.
2011 Richard Rees’ 25-1 shot Victoria Falls wins the Primus Telecom Grand National at Wimbledon. The ‘given away’ former Oxford and Coventry A1 runner, got home by a short head from Clonkeen Theo in 29.80 for the 480 metre hurdle course. Ten days later the first two met again in an H2 graded race where Theo won by five in 29.43. The win was the second for the family in the event, Richard’s dad Philip won with Lemon Chip in 1989, putting them both one ahead of grandfather Phil, a rare blank for the multi classic winning handler.
1946 The Irish Coursing Club is currently reviewing applications to open 15 new greyhound tracks.
1959 Walt Disney announce plans to produce a film about Mick The Miller. Meanwhile an Irish filmmaker has plans for a film about coursing legend Master McGrath. Various tales exist about Master McGrath who won the 1869 and 1870 Waterloo Cups, was sensationally beaten in 1871 and won it again in 1872. They include a story that a fortnight before the ’71 final he was left in a room with an old boot and ate it. It is also said that he almost drowned with falling through the ice on the River Alt. Last, but not least, when famously presented to Queen Victoria, his lack of ‘house training’ became immediately apparent.
2019 A successful charity meeting at Peterborough, a kennel awareness campaign by John Mullins and the re-homing of an ‘un-homable’ ex-racer were all covered in a single story
1994 Agent Imelda Phelan is fined £IR900 for registering six litters of pups with wrong whelping dates.
1972 Racegoers in Kildare turn out in their droves for the opening on the new greyhound track in Newbridge. Racing ceased in the town five years earlier when directors of the old track at St Contleth’s (opened 1948) were unable to renew their lease. Tyrone Blue won the first race on the new track in 30.00.
1964 Meteoric broke the Harringay 966 track record when winning an open race by a distance. Trained by “Bammy” Bamford, she won by a distance half an hour after her litter brother Boothroyden Flash had won the 880 yard open. She was to win five opens during the month, the shortest winning distance being 15 lengths. When retired, she was later to throw Nick and Natalie Savva’s to brood Hacksaw.
1983 GRA decide to scrap their old system for going allowances (Fast, Normal, Slow, Heavy etc) with a new system whereby the racing office decide a plus or minus figure
2019 With relations between the greyhound industry and the Greyhound Trust at a new rock bottom, Kinsley’s John Curran spells out a few home truths. Meanwhile current director Peter Harnden also weighs in with his thought about the charity Within days, Trust directors Joe Scanlon and Clive Feltham both resign. It emerges that the Fund rehomed 3,546 greyhounds in 2017, down 265 on the previous year. With total income of 34,583,523, that means that it cost an average of £1,292 to rehome each dog.
1995 Crayford trainers Mick Mew and Peter Isaac hand in their notice when unable to fulfill their contract to supply 35 runners.
1951 The Charlton management order all their bookmakers to attend a meeting following the return of winner Hurst King in a graded race. The layers claim the dog’s SP should have been returned at 7-2. However Exchange Telegraph representative on course refuses to budge from his submission of 100-8.
1973 Fragrant Flyer (Prince Of Roses-Forest Brown) returned from a brief stud career to retain his Flying Four title at Crayford. The Bill Wescott trained runner stretched his unbeaten sequence over the track’s 462 metres to seven races.
2016 Belle Vue GM Mick Hardy states that unless a sponsor is found for the Oaks and Laurels, neither event will take place. Towcester’s offer to stage both events is dismissed. With no options for an already scheduled televised meeting, RPGTV will eventually step in as sponsors. Both events will carry £7,000 first prizes which represents a £1,000 increase for the Laurels and an £8,000 reduction for the Oaks.
1994 Rye House are forced to dig up their beautiful newly turfed circuit because the dogs just cannot run on it. Promoter Eddie Lesley had attempted to re-introduce a grass circuit by investing in new genetically modified grass as was being pioneered by top football clubs. Unfortunately, the dense root structure of the modified grass meant that the dogs were unable to get a true grip and many ended up on the outside of the hare rail as they attempted to take the bends. A plan to ‘top dress’ the surface ended up with stone contamination and the whole stunningly attractive but hopelessly impractical project was scrapped, at least on the bends which are re-sanded. The track eventually re-opens in September having been closed since January.
2009 Trainer movement, Lawrence Tuffin joins Monmore to replace Barry Riddiford who is leaving the sport. New Nottingham arrivals are Jane Houfton and Paul Sallis.
1946 A stand-off between trainer Fred Farey and Wimbledon racing manager Con Stevens means the reigning Derby champion Mondays News will not contest the Laurels for which he was ante post favourite. The spat occurred when Farey and his champion arrived at a Wimbledon trials session but were only offered a three-runner event despite requesting a solo.
1983 The 15 year old Thurles 525 yard track record is broken by two runners in the same race. In the final of the Tipperary Cup, Pat Dalton’s brindle bitch Sailing Weather (Sail On II-Bleak Weather) beat Kilree Prince by a head in 29.20, five spots inside Flaming King’s previous best.
2015 After a year of training at Towcester, Chris Allsopp rejoins Monmore. Further south, Dean Childs joins Crayford following a spell at Hove. Tony Taylor leaves Wimbledon for Hove and Jim Daly returns to Yarmouth following a spell at Peterborough.
1969 Prairie Flash (Hi There-Prairie Peg), one of Ireland’s most success-ful sires dies aged 10. Earlier in the year, vets had amputated a hind leg due to cancer. Flash sired one English Derby (Camira Flash) and one Irish Derby winner (Monalee Pride). But in the four Irish Derby finals, 1967-70, Flash was responsible for no fewer than 11 finalists.
2009 Trainers are up in arms when it is revealed that samples taken by the GRB’s Flying Squad have had their seals broken and the contents pooled for an experiment. The remainder of the contests are thrown away. GRB staff begin queuing up to deny they were responsible for the plan. Track promoters and bookmakers join calls for an enquiry.
1973 Frank Melville retires as a trainer after 27 years at Ramsgate. His brother Ronnie was a Wembley handler and son Frank jnr is still training at Harringay.
2014 Following a threat of a boycott of the Grand National – due to plans to reduce it to 18 runners with a first prize of £2,500, Sittingbourne confirm that the event will go ahead with an £8,000 first prize.
1957 British bred Derby winner Ford Spartan was retired to stud after winning the Laurels Final at 2-7f. In only 14 months of racing, Spartan had also won the Wimbledon Puppy Derby and Select Stakes. The black son of Polonius had one of the most bizarre backgrounds. His dam Harrow Glamour had been retired as a pet in Woodford Green until a change in council regulations forced her owner to part with her. She eventually ended up with an East Grinsted farmer who decided to ignore advice that Glamour was too slow for breeding. He arrived too late for a mating to his first choice Magourna Reject, who was already booked, so decided to use another of Charles Chandler’s stud dogs Polonius. Te dog was reared near Brentwood and the rest is history. .
2016 Belle Vue GM Mick Hardy states that unless a sponsor is found for the Oaks and Laurels, neither event will take place. Towcester’s offer to stage both events is dismissed. With no options for an already scheduled televised meeting, RPGTV will eventually step in as sponsors. Both events will carry £7,000 first prizes which represents a £1,000 increase for the Laurels and an £8,000 reduction for the Oaks.
1986 August After 11 years as trainer at Hackney, Pam Heasman is to move her kennels to Wembley.
1964 Three Dublin men are sent to prison after being found guilty of giving live rabbits to two greyhounds.
1974 Persian Gulf who has won opens from 300 to 715 yards gave a hint of his optimal distance when breaking the Ramsgate 460 yard track record.
1947 Romford advertise the Essex Vase/24 greyhounds over 460 yards. No prize money for the heats, but prize money for a consolation competition for non-qualifiers. The main event is worth £550 to the winner with a trophy valued at £100, runner-up £100, third £75, other finalists £25. Index linked that would make the final worth £27,367 with the trophy worth £4,975. The winning trainer collects £50 (£2,488) with half that amount to the trainer of the runner-up. They only attract 20 entries!
1958 London businessman Harold Greenwood buys the year’s most expensive purchase True Picture for £2,500 (£71,200 in today’s money).
2008 James Trott, a kennelhand with Wayne Wrighting is killed in a car accident on the A27.
1997 The Hove stewards were reaching for the red ink refills following the first race on a Saturday night card. Go Universal was disqualified for attacking Coombe Lass at the last bend leaving the race at the mercy of Bedrock Express who was then attacked as he crossed the winning line by the subsequently disqualified Mervs Panther.
1963 Somerton Park in Newport closes. It has been trading since 1935. Promoter John Hegarty blames Government taxes for the closure. He reports that the stadium had lost £880 in the first six months of the year, during which time it had paid over £11,450 in betting tax.
1976 This One Might lived up to his name at Dunmore. Contesting his debut, the youngster found two seconds on trial times to win his first race.
2014 There are 133 entries for the Irish Derby including eight UK entries. Droopy Nidge is the 12 -1 ante post favourite followed by 14-1 Skywalker Farloe, 20-1 Holdem Spy. Eventual winner Laughil Blake is widely available at 100-1.
1986 Scurlogue Champ (Sand Man-Old Rip) is retired after damaging a wrist in an open at Nottingham. The rangey black, who twice famously stopped chasing in solo trials won 51 of his 63 races (including an unbroken sequence of 16 races) and broke 19 track records from 663m to 888m. The dog who could be tailed off by 20 lengths before winning by the same distance became even more familiar to the British public than his great rival Ballyregan Bob having won two BBC TV Trophies.
2019 Greyhound racing lost one of its most ebullient characters with the passing of ‘Mr Sheffield’ Jon Carter
1998 Harry Redknapp, the guest tipster on the Racing Post’s card to raise money for charity Scope, sees all three of his selections land the odds (4-5f, 4-5f, 7-4).
