1951 Colonel General Critchley reveals that the majority of greyhounds entering the GRA’s nine tracks are now bred by the company themselves. The project, which began as an experiment in 1934, now produces 320 greyhounds per year at the company’s rearing establishments in England and Ireland. Of those, 272 are expected to make it to the track “a surprisingly high number in relation to the number whelped.” Colonel Critchley stated that it was “never the attempt to cut out the small man” but he noted the “partial eclipse of the small breeder owing to the economic difficulties.” All the greyhounds are schooled at the GRA kennels at Horley and are advertised for sale once graded. Critchley accepts that “comparatively few champions among the huge aggregate of racers produced”. The exceptions are Derby winners Greta Renee and ‘wartime substitute’ Derby winner GR Archduke. For this he blamed limited access, via the small Naas kennel, or financial burden of using the top Irish stud dogs. His figures reveal that the leading British based dog Rimmells Black was responsible for £5,200 in major event prize money. That compared unfavourably with the leading Irish sires, notably Mad Tanist (£19,000), Bellas Prince (£8,300) and the British bred Bahs Choice (£7,800).
1982 Cambridge Stadium. Britain’s first permit BAGS track stages the Mecca Silver Muzzle Final. The winner is Joe Cobbold’s locally bred and trained Decoy Ranch in 26.32 for the 400 metres. Ranch is a brother to that year’s English Derby runner-up Special Account who also holds the track record for the distance.
1975 Manchester White City boss Sid Wood is widely condemned for cancelling an invitation race after four of the best pups in training had all committed to take part. Wood justified his decision on the basis that two of the runners were pre-booked to run elsewhere three days earlier and “one or both dogs could have been injured. . .I have my company and racegoers to consider.” The quartet were Myrtown, Cowpark Yank, Squash and Greek Sort.
1950 Haverbrack Martin’s return to racing is being closely followed by veterinary experts and owners alike. The Walthamstow grader is one of the first greyhounds to have a broken hock treated by inserting and screwing a surgical plate. The work is carried out by the Royal Veterinary College.
1941 February 28 The 11th Red Cross Stakes at West Ham over 600 yards has brought together a good field of well known stars for a war time race. Gretas Rosary (Mick The Miller-Greta Ranee) the 1938 St Leger winner is made 5-4 favourite but its Ballyjoker (Beef Cutlet-Jeanne Of Waterhall) who won the 1938 Cesarewitch that leads all the way at 100-8. Gretas Rosary finishes last. Part of the prize money is donated to the war effort.
1949 Two Crayford kennel lads are committed for trial on charges of conspiring to dope greyhounds. The two teenagers planned to drug eight dogs in two races by giving them capsules when the trainers went to lunch.
1957 Greyhound Express stage a new event – a rough equivalent of the ‘Juvenile’ or ‘Select’ but for jumpers, the Merit Hurdle. Worth £40 to the winner it goes to the Hackney entry Jumping Pole. The event proves so popular it remains a regular fixture until the newspaper eventually shuts down.
2004 Pat Branagh is to retire from Belle Vue. Mrs Branagh took over from deceased husband Leo some eleven years earlier but was said to be surprised when the retirement plan was suggested by track boss John Gilburn.1947 London White City are currently testing the new McKee hare. While most of the other London tracks have long dispensed with their original (‘spark spewing’) trolley hares, the two GRA London tracks had not updated.
1981 Face The Mutt, future winner of the 1982 English and Scottish Grand Nationals is sold at Shelbourne Park for 1,000 guineas.
2001 After years of racing on ‘fast tracks’, Hove decide that from February 1, all going allowances previously rated at .50 fast will now become ‘normal’.
1963 In an interview, the great Sidney Orton reveals some of the trials and tribulations experienced by the industry in its early days. He says: “I don’t think many of us thought it would last. I didn’t think that greyhounds would carry on chasing that mechanical hare. “But they did and out of the original complement at Burhill made up of coursing greyhounds, only a small number in fact gave up chasing the lure. “We were farming in Norfolk – coursing was our hobby – and I sold 17 dogs to run in the first greyhound meeting at Belle Vue, Manchester in 1926. We got £10 each for them and £170 was a lot of money then. “Times were tough on the land then – they didn’t look after farmers when the first war ended like they did after the second one. Then one day, one of my friends said, ‘Why don’t you try to get a job at one of those greyhound tracks?’ That’s how I came to Burhill.” Sidney remembers those early Wimbledon days, before Mr WJ Cearns took over the stadium, when the first owners ran short of money. When all the lighting, heat and water were cut off to the kennels and bungalow. But thankfully, he held out. On another topic he recalled the day he finally bought Ballyhennessy Sandhills after prolonged bargaining with the dog’s Irish owner. In those days, there was a 40 per cent import duty on imported greyhounds. To make matters worse, the Customs and Excise officers tried to claim that the dog was worth £4,000. Sidney recalls: “There were even questions in the House of Commons on just how much duty we had paid.”
2011 Razldazl Joe is sold to the Bubbly Club for £40,000 and renamed Bubbly Razldazl. A winner first time out for his new owners, he reaches the Scottish Derby final in his sixth and final race before an injury enforced retirement.
1997 Yarmouth host a special meeting to launch their new £100,000 lighting system. But the night brings one of the worst storms in memory and five people are admitted to hospital after plate glass windows give way.
1976 February 19 John Bassett one of the sport’s most successful trainers, announces his retirement after 40 years in racing. The 65-year-old private trainer won nearly every major open race, including the English, Irish and Scottish Derbys.
2012 Wimbledon’s pre-Juvenile trial session is held up by a bomb scare at Plough Lane.
1998 The Sporting Life’s Irish correspondent Gavin McGrath (John Martin) suggests “greyhound racing followers will be outraged” following the announcement that part of Shelbourne Park’s nine acre site will be sold off for appartments. Some of the cash will be used to finance the recently announced Curraheen Park project in Cork.
1963 Two burglars are convicted of an attempt to defraud after breaking into a betting shop. Although a TV was stolen to make the raid appear a genuine burglary, the following morning the shop manager discovered a betting slip with the names of four winning greyhounds who had raced the previous evening after the shop had closed.
2015 Australian racing is under international scrutiny following a ‘live bating’ story.
2001 Harry Findlay takes out his trainers licence. He immediately takes possession of his recent Irish purchases Concorde’s Swift and Direct.
1994 Heavenly Lady won 17 of the 21 votes cast for the title of 1993 Greyhound of the Year. The Tony Head owned Linda Mullins trained bitch won 25 of her 49 races. Her victories in he Golden Jacket, Cearns Memorial, TV Trophy and July Cup amassed some £22,000 in prize money.
