1993 A Sporting Life review shows that since the change in law in December 1991, which will allow tracks to increase their tote deductions up from 17% to a maximum of 29%, only three tracks have failed to increase the rate: Peterborough, Rye House and Yarmouth. Canterbury take the biggest deductions at 25% across the board (win, place, forecast). GRA tracks are largely 20% though Wimbledon still only charge 17.5% on win/place.
2013 Racing Post reporter Jonathan Kay writes: “Promoters wield far too much influence at GBGB Towers, in a manner far different I am sure from what Lord Donoughue envisaged when drawing up the blueprint for the organisation.”
2014 From the Greyhound Star Stats page. Leading open race winner: Toolatetosell with12 wins, top sire: Westmead Hawk, top dam: Little Flutter, leading trainer: Mark Wallis
1964 Lucky Hi There, trained by Jimmy Jowett, won his 24th race in 31 outings to take the St Leger at 1-2 favourite.
2015 Harry Crapper retires as a Sheffield trainer aged 71. He joined the stadium as a kennelhand after leaving school.
1998 Police are to investigate how the Racing Post carried four incorrect results on the same night at Yarmouth and Reading. The real winners were Granard Class (11-10f), Decoy Elm (9-2) Brothers Beach (6-1) and Lisnakill Roy (11-10f). The paper had previously printed the winners as Sand Buster (4-1f), Security Gaz (4-1), Kilacquinn (7-1) and Lisnakill Roy (3-1).
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.
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 £12,200.
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.
2013 Exocet is withdrawn lame from the second round of the Sussex Cup at Hove after a brilliant first round win in 29.29. Never fear – he next appeared five days later in a trial at Shelbourne Park where he equalled the sprint track record. The decider eventually goes to 10-1 shot Loughteen Blanco in 29.58.
1982 White City are to stage open races with no seeding for a trial period.
2014 Britain’s most mobile racing manager Karl Ward announces he is to leave Sheffield after just two months. The ex-Poole, Swindon, Doncaster and Coventry grader cites his wife’s failure to settle in the area as his reason for leaving.
2013 The 2011 champion trainer Chris Allsopp is 4-9f to win the Trainers Championship which he leads by 18 points from reigning champ Mark Wallis. The latter bemoans a bad run of injuries and has drifted to 8-1. What value that would have looked four months later!
1998 Trips to the ’98 Topgun in Australia are being advertised. The longer trip – 18 nights – includes flights and rooms at the Hilton Hotels in Melbourne and Sydney – costs £1,150 with tour guide Terry Corden.
1971 Sheffield have called in police after eight greyhounds from three different kennels were found to have been doped.
We continue with an article that first appeared in August 1976 following an interview with ex-Wembley trainer Jack Harvey. The great man trained five St.Leger winners and there was an interesting story behind every one.
Jack Harvey with Pancho Villa (left) and Coolkill Chief
“My second St Leger winner, Pancho Villa, answered to the name of Sam.
He was bred and reared by Dr L H Fisher on the South Downs above Brighton. His racing owner was Leo Evershed.
Dr Fisher has considerable know-ledge and insight where greyhound breeding was concerned.
A keen student of bloodlines, he knew all the answers as to when why – and not. I had good cause to respect his judgement from the results he obtained.
Many a useful novice came to me from Doc Fisher’s ‘prep school’. He brought them up well, loved them all and took a particular delight in selecting names for them – such as Burnside Downside, Gypsy Boy, Longstreet etc.
All fine races they were, but I rated Pancho Villa (Sam) about the best.
Sam was quite a babe when he first arrived at Wembley, where I schooled him and brought him along in my own time.
And Doc Fisher always encouraged him in this, knowing that you just cannot hasten the development of a promising animal.
But Sam clearly had something extra.
I don’t mean top pace – it was too early to judge there.
The impression was gained even from the first hand-slipped trials I gave Sam on the delightful schooling gallops which used to be behind Wembley stadium.
Even at that early stage one saw beautiful action, perfect ease and rhythm.
A great potential pacer, but would also be able to stay? We had to wait for this to be answered.
Sam changed owners, as greyhounds sometimes do, following a chance conversation when my wife Angela and I were dining at Wembley Stadium with Barbara and Leo Evershed.
Sam, then a somewhat ‘green’ pup, had just won in grade and Angela remarked: Dr Fisher is thinking of selling that dog.
He’d suit you Barbara, but you’ll have to ask Jack about him”.
There has been a question of selling, although I thought Sam worth retaining.
But the ‘Doc’ always had other litters coming along and didn’t want to be left with too big a string.
I could act on his behalf, but nothing was agreed with the Eversheds at table.
I forgot about it, went home and was awakened after midnight by the phone bell. A woman’s voice said: “I’ll have that dog, Jack’.
‘What are you talking about?’ I demanded, still half asleep.
“It’s me, Barbara, Angela said you were selling Pancho Villa and I’d like to have him’.
I told her the asking price and the deal was done. Such transactions on, on impulse and at any odd hour, are all part of a trainer’s life. The Eversheds never regret this one.
Sam was a lovable character, one the canny type. In kennels, or when walking him out, he often gave the impression of knowing just what was in your mind. He was that rare character, too, who always kennels well wherever you take him.
No barking, fretting or scratching at the kennel door, like a good athlete he seemed to realise the benefit of relaxation before an event and would quietly lie down as soon as kennelled.
This habit led to some further questioning by watchful James Bateman, one night when I’d taken Sam to White City for an open race over 725 yards during his build up for the St Leger, I always fetched my own dogs from racing kennels.
Mr Bateman was there to check them out and, as I opened the kennel door, he saw Sam still enjoying his pre-race nap.
‘Harvey” – said Bateman – ‘I don’t like the look of him. What the hell’s wrong?’ I assured him Sam always behaved this way.
The dog came slowly from his bed and suffered being led out to the paddock, where he walked round with head down, tail down and looking anything but a lively open racer.
Bateman repeated ‘I don’t like this at all, Harvey”.
But Sam passed on to the parade without further question, ambling around to the starting traps as if another forty winks would have suited him better.
Soon they were all in, the hare worked up to racing speed, the traps opened. And Sam just ‘flew the box’ won by 4 1⁄2 lengths and broke the track record.
It’s as well to know your own greyhounds – appearance can deceive even the most professional observer. Sam had done plenty of work that year, so I gave him an ‘easy’ before the St Leger.
As the first round drew near I felt confident he was coming along just as I wished. In the big event he ran brilliantly throughout.
Sam’s running in the final was his best performance of all. He found himself impeded, bumped, then impeded again. But he would not give up.
Coming to the last bend I thought we had no chance at all, but Sam worked his way inside, put in a tremendous burst and was first over the line.
As you can imagine, after all that trouble, the time (40.99 secs) was the slowest for years.
But it was Pancho Villa’s St Leger because he proved himself the best tracker in the field.”
(Not many people realise that Harvey’s kennelgirl who looked after Pancho Villa during his racing career was future champion trainer Linda Mullins)
