2006 Romford’s Peter Rich hands in his notice to join Walthamstow. Wimbledon’s Ray Peacock announces plans to join Romford – but then changes his mind. John Walsh also decides to quit Plough Lane.
1951 The announcement of disappointing tote figures did not receive widespread distress. The Churches Committee on Gambling noted: “The attendance at NGR Club tracks which rose from £23m in 1947 to £26m in 1949 have fallen again to £23m in 1950 – a decrease that may possibly suggest that at least the discerning public are tiring of this mechanical sport that has so little to offer the genuine sportsman.” Just out of interest, £23m in 1950 would equate to £967m today.
1972 Wembley’s five resident trainers learn that the track kennels, located behind the stadium, are to be demolished due to a road development scheme on the site. The five resident trainers will be offered contracts though Jack Harvey (pictured), who has been employed by Wembley for 40 years hints that he will retire. Wembley will be the first London track to fully adopt contract trainers, an idea that was originally devised at Leicester.
2016 Ireland’s top stayer, Tradition (Droopys Scolari-Flying Winner, Nov 12) breaks the Limerick 750 track record with a 41.20 run. Except she didn’t. The IGB determined that since the race was handtimed, the record was invalid. So the 41.46 record still stands and is held by Tradition.
1964 More than 17,000 are at Wimbledon to see the 19th running of the Laurels Final. It is won by the 2-11 favourite Endless Gossip with Ballylanigan Tanist second. The five-dog final produces some very small Tote dividends. Win 2/6. Places 2/1 and 2/3, forecast 3/9 to a 2/- stake.
2002 Top Savings, who was backed from 14-1 to 11-2 for the Irish Derby is scratched from the event a week before the first round with a hind leg injury. Earlier in the year, he is also withdrawn lame from the English Derby when the 5-2 ante post favourite.
1948 Ronnie Melville is to give up his job as Racing Manager at Park Royal to return to training. From a Northumberland coursing family who bred Waterloo Cup winner Cushey Job, Ronnie began training at Brough Park in 1928 before switching to Belle Vue and also becoming a private trainer during which time he won a string of major events including the Scottish Derby. He then trained at Reading before switching jobs again to become the Racing Manager at Newcastle White City. What wasn’t known at the time was Ronnie’s most successful spell was yet to come as a multi-classic winning Wembley trainer. One of Ronnie’s brother’s John, is the MD of both Newcastle tracks, Leeds, Monmore and Willenhall. Another brother, Frank is a trainer at Ramsgate, while his son Frank Melville jnr will train at both Harringay and White City before becoming NGRC Chief Exec.
2019 Within the space of a few days, Swindon and Romford both change their racing circuits
1996 America’s newest track, the Shoreline Star in Connecticut, looks to be going out of business within a year of opening. Despite its proximity to New York State, the track has losses of $33m and assets of only $22m.
2007 Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan has his first runner with Go Ronnie Rocket at Walthamstow.
1964 More than 17,000 are at Wimbledon to see the 19th running of the Laurels Final. It is won by the 2-11 favourite Endless Gossip with Ballylanigan Tanist second. The five-dog final produces some very small Tote dividends. Win 2/6. Places 2/1 and 2/3, forecast 3/9 to a 2/- stake.
2018 John Curran threatens court action against supporters of a ‘Shut Down Kinsley Stadium’ group of protestors. Their leaflets feature a photo of a three-legged greyhound, the inference of which is that the dog was crippled at Kinsley Stadium. In fact the true story of ‘Henry’ or ‘Cleffie’ turns out to be one of this website’s most widely read stories in the year.
1958 A major court case appears before a judge at Bow Street in London. Four men and six women are accused of conspiracy to dope greyhounds. The six women are all employed as kennelhands at the Sunbury –On-Thames kennels used to supply runners for Charlton, Wandsworth and Park Royal. The women were found in possession of pheno-barbitone and lists of greyhounds names.
1995 Mildenhall promoter Richard Borwick departs after his company is declared insolvent. The track remains closed.
2016 John Mullins’ Ascot Woodie (8-1) beats Starring Storm (2-1f) in the final of the Champion Stakes at Romford. All 10 favourites in the competition were beaten.
1946 The greyhound press reports that a major outbreak of distemper is being hidden by kennel owners who are too embarrassed to admit that they have had the disease in their kennel. However, a study of breeding figures provides a few clues. In 1941 there were 431 British litters registered of which roughly five per litter lived long enough to be named. The following year saw an increase in litters born, up to 561, though only 1793 pups survived to the naming stage – roughly one in three. The Irish mortality rates are virtually identical.
2018 In an Editors Chair article, we reminded racegoers that the current sound bite about ‘over racing’ is more about short memories.
1981 19-month Rikasso Special easily wins the heats and final of the British Breeders Juvenile Championship at Cambridge. Re-sold by Theo Mentzis to Nick Savva immediately before the event, the dog is given a name change to Special Account.
1966 August 4 The eighteen-month-old Spectre II wins his first ever open at Hull at odds of 4-1. He and his brother Tric Trac are both beaten in the final of the 15-dog stake two days later. Four days later, Spectre has his first six bend open and smashes the Derby 650 track record.
1984 John Honeysett’s stayer Living Trail might have been considered somewhat fortunate to be invited to the Select Stakes. His sole four-bend win was three months earlier, when as a 50-1 chance he had won the Blue Riband. However, the dog who only got a run as the fourth reserve created one of the shocks of the year when covering the 490-metre Wembley course in 29.32 at odds of 66-1.
1951 Australian superstar Farrago is sold for 4,000 Australian guineas, which is believed to be a world record paid for a greyhound. Trained by Jim Goodwin for 18 of his 23 race wins, the son of Haircutter and Ronita is the current record holder for 580 and 790 yards at Wentworth Park. The dog will join Northmead-based stud keeper Albert Carter who will stand him at stud at a fee of 25 Australian guineas.
1996 Trainer Liz Redpath, who is contracted to supply runners at Portsmouth and Wembley, has runners for both teams in an inter-track race between the pair. Her Wembley runner Whitewood Penny won the race; her Pompey runner finished fifth.
1984 Sales agent Bobby Jack has £4,000 in cash confiscated by customs officers at Dublin Airport. It was the unspent remains of Jack’s ‘kitty’ following a day at Shelbourne Park sales. Jack was informed that it was illegal to take more than £600 out of the country.
2015 Sittingbourne racing manager Jess Packer is made redundant after 16 years at the track.
1974 The Dundalk International saw the first no-race due to mechanical failure. Although Derby winner Lively Band had led first time up, he failed in the re-run won by Nelsons Blast in 30.30. Twelve years later there was a repeat incident. This time, connections of Lodge Prince refused the re-run and it was left to Colin Packham’s Mollifrend Lucky (Lauries Panther-Top Princess) to beat Burnpark Pat, Murlens Slippy, Newbrook Stoney and Master Hardy in 29.60.
1962 One of the best British-bred bitches of all time, Ballinasloe Blondie (Northern King-Ballinasloe Chick) contests her 50th and final race. The Jack Harvey-trained fawn goes out with an open race win over 525 yards at Wembley. It is her 28th victory (£2,193 prize money). Her other victories include the Trafalgar Cup, the Puppy Oaks and two English Oaks finals.
1994 The NGRC open an inquiry into activities at Hackney following a scathing article in the Independent magazine.
2018 Pelaw Grange land a deal with The Racing Partnership meaning every track bar Shawfield (from their own choice) has a media rights contract.
1927 August 3 GRA’s Powderhall rack in Edinburgh stages its first meeting in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people. Eager Hands wins the first of the night’s six races (five flat and one hurdle). According to writer WJC Reed in the GRA’s 1958 annual, “not many people know that the first dog racing took place as far back as August 3 1878. This was held at the Old Powderhall which was replaced in 1889 by the present enclosure.
Powderhall’s kennels
“The original mansion house of Power Hawll was built by Thomas Myle in 1742 on part of the Estate of Pilrig. The name is derived from the fact that the original Laird of Pilrig manufactured gunpowder near the site of the house. In 1869 a small syndicate bought the site and the ground was opened in 1870 when the legendary Dan Wright of Jedburgh, at the age of 19, won the first ‘New Year Handicaps’ Athletics, both professional and amateur, were the main attractions in those early days, but the ground was also the home of the Heart Of Midlothian and Hibernian Football Clubs and also a little later on, the St.Bernards. When W M Lapsey took over the ground in 1883 he continued to hold meetings there until the Corporation took over the site and the present enclosure was built in 1889. Lapsey was in control until his death in 1903 when he was succeeded by F A Lumley. Whippet racing was popular at the time and meetings were held regularly in the ground. The story of the grounds until 1927 is mainly one of running ”
1996 Fortress (I’m Slippy-Exception) is currently the USA’s busiest sire. In an interview with the Star, his breeder Pat Dalton talks about the dam’s family – Exception was by Sail On II out of Miss Hilary from a litter that included Derby finalist In Flight, stud dog Sand Black and broods Bleak Weather, Stranger Legend (Irish Oaks winner) and Kasco Lady. He says: “In my life I never bred a better litter. Kasco Lady would be behind Miss Hilary yet every pup she threw was double A”. Another sister, Slight Chill, who Dalton sold for £100 went on to become the ‘Murlens’ dam responsible for Slippy, Hawk, Abbey etc.
2009 Local trainer Chris Allsopp has nine runners in the first round of the Gold Cup at Monmore, including five in the same heat. It is won by the only non-Allsopp runner Nifty Classic
1957 Prior to their evening meeting, Catford are staging the North v South Alsatian obedience championships. The meeting will also feature a series of hurdle races for various breeds including poodles.
1988 Former journalist and Wembley racing manager Peter Shotton is appointed managing director of Coral Stadia.
2019 The Irish Derby attracts a recent record of 158 entries. The eventual winner goes in heat 19 and is available at 16/1
1974 Yarmouth are advertising for the 28th East Anglian Derby. Entries are £15 for runners with Yarmouth form and £20 for hounds with no Yarmouth form. The winner’s prize is £1,000 – index linked to £14,400.
2007 The 2007 Paddy Power Irish Derby gets underway at Shelbourne Park. Razldal Billy is a best-priced 5-1 to retain his title but finishes lame in the first round. Eventual winner Tyrur Rhino is readily available at 100-1, the same price that the English Derby winner Westmead Lord first started out.
Irish Derby winner TYRUR RHINO gets a kiss from owner PJ Fahy. Shelbourne 7.9.07 Pic Steve Nash
1997 Catford is to trial a new type of swing-off starting traps which are attached to a gantry. If successful, the next boxes, which require only two staff to operate, rather than the four needed for the roll-on, roll-off type currently is use at all GRA venues.
1965 GRA are vacating their head office in Berkeley Square. The building will be sold and the company’s admin will be transferred to White City.
1990 Former Hove runner Leaders Best beat Neills Gold in a classy Irish National Sprint Final at Dunmore. The Michael O’Donovan trained brindle clocked 23.40 with Dublin Bridge in third place.
2011 Belle Vue’s owners raise the prize money for the track to be able to stage the Northern Flat.
1948 The Irish Derby first prize is to increase to £1,000 to the winner for the first time. There were 82 entries. The English Derby is limited to 36 runners and pays £1,500 to the winner.
1984 Not before time, the 1981 Irish Stud Book goes on sale. Sand Man was the leading sire with 138 litters
2006 The Monmore Gold Cup Final was reduced to four runners when Fantasy Tiger was withdrawn with a bit and Zigzag Dutchman was ruled lame by the Monmore vet. Trainer Charlie Lister refutes the claim saying that the dog is merely nervous when handled. Dutchman re-appears in a Sheffield open 11 days later and smashes the 500m track record.
1994 BS Group responds to the story in Bristol Evening Telegraph’s which states that Bristol is to be sold and knocked down in two months time. “It is crap” says spokesman Clarke Osborne.
2009 As the GBGB announces plans to introduce microchipping from 2010, Aussie breeder Alan Wheeler demonstrates the ease of cheating the system. He removes and swaps the chips from two pups and then invites New South Wales stewards to verify what he has done.
1957 Hall Green owner Mrs Sarah Heath and her husband are to end their association with the track and pursue their interest in coursing. Mrs Heath is the daughter of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
2014 22-month-old British bred pup Queen Asia (Droopys Scolari-Shaws Dilemma) produced a stunning 28.32 in her racing debut in the heats of the Shaneboy Spencer At Stud Unraced at Wimbledon. Her 1-5 odds reflected her 28.13 qualifying trial. Salad Dodger had won the English Derby final two months earlier in 28.38.
Barrie Draper’s Louis Saha takes home the first prize in the £25K Suite Ideas Gymcrack Final at Hall Green. The Jimmy Fenwick bred black (Toms The Best-Any Chewing Gum) clocks 28.26 for the 480m and is followed home by Special Trick, Maxie Rumble, Jurassic Jack, Full Cigar and Hallam Heskey. Gymcrack winner LOUIS SAHA with owner Russell Hulme, his wife Susan and son Liam STEVE NASH PIC
Although she is out of luck with Full Cigar in the big race, one of the NGRC’s newest trainers, Liz McNair, wins a supporting open with Crock Of Gold who was the Greyhound Star’s Independent Greyhound of the Year for 2001.
CROCK OF GOLD and trainer Elizabeth McNair STEVE NASH Hall Green 13.8.02
