1999 Palace Issue failed to make it 13 consecutive wins when beaten by Paul Garland’s Gottabegood in the Ladbrokes Golden Jacket Final at Crayford. The two unbeaten runners dominated the betting and the early part of the race with Gottabegood clocking 23.56 for the 380 metres with the favourite close up. The Mullins trained runner closed up on the second circuit but 11-2 chance Gottabegood, who had been quoted at 15o-1 prior to the event, rallied and held on by three quarters of a length.
LADBROKE GOLDEN JACKET Crayford 714m £7,500 February 27
- GOTTABEGOOD (Phantom Flash-Oh So Nice) (T4) 11-2
- PALACE ISSUE (Deerpark Jim-Clear Issue) (T2) Ev.f
- SPENWOOD WIZARD (Larryandy-Spenwood Magic) (T3) 7-1
- SUMI GIRL (Cry Dalcash-Fools Parsley) (T5) 3-1
- DUNMURRY FLIGHT (Dunmurry Brandy-Chairhill Daisy) (T6) 20-1
- APACHE TALIA (Blonde Outlaw-Blonde Fugitive) (T1) 7-1
46.09 (+15) 3/4, 1 1/4, 2 3/4, 2 1/4, 1/2 (Paul Garland)
1971 February 15 Decimal Currency Day and the first greyhound meeting to declare dividends in the new money is Hendon.
2002 The BGRB refuses to issue a licence to gobarkingmad on the grounds that it is attempting to increase the revenue for media rights. The satellite broadcaster had reached agreement with a number of smaller tracks to provide daily coverage. The existing deal between SKY and GRA remained unaffected.
1975 February 22. The final of the Golden Jacket worth £1,000 and sponsored by Ladbrokes and in recent years been televised live on ITV. This year’s race was not and stay at home punters missed a cracking race at Harringay. The 660 metre final had a star line up of stayers, trap 1 Pitmans Brief, 2 Westmead Bounty, 3 Nice One Cyril, 4 El Raco, 5 Two PM, 6 Stage Box. Nice One Cyril and Westmead Bounty went to traps 11-4 joint favourites and it was Sir Thomas Houston Boswell’s Nice One Cyril (Newdown Heather-Itsabet. Aug’72) who shot clear at the first bend where the others bunched. This gave Cyril, trained at Lingfield by Charlie Coyle, a good advantage and he was to make the most of it. As he approached the line he was almost collared by the fast finishers Two PM, Westmead Bounty and Stage Box. They only just failed to catch him, the distances being a neck three times in a good time of 40.86.
1995 A forged bank draft results in Santas Son, joint record holder at Dunmore, disappearing without trace to Pakistan.
2004 GRA decide not to pursue their plan to build a new track in Liverpool. The local council blocked the plan despite the approval being given by the planning authority.
1956 February 18 Charlton Athletic are playing Arsenal in an FA Cup tie at the Valley. After the match hundreds of people decide to take in the last race at the greyhound track around the corner. This results in the tote forecast soaring to 12,000 units, double what earlier races took. This was not Charlton’s only gain. The car park at two shillings (10p) was full long before the meeting began with football fans cars, forcing regular punters who arrived late to park in nearby streets.
1937 February The GRA buys Battersea Stadium in Lombard Road, London SW11, for an undisclosed sum. The stadium opened in 1933 had been racing under independent rules, and the GRA are to convert it into an ice-skating rink for ice hockey and public skating.
2001 The BGRB launch a £200,000 advertising campaign which will result in around 400 adverts on SKY. BS Group’s Bill Glass says: “That £200,000 is the entire budget. I am not convinced that any track outside the major cities will benefit.”
1967 February 25 A charity meeting at Clapton in aid of Guide Dogs For The Blind Association is an all-trophy occasion. Presenting the prizes is film star Richard Todd.
1971 February 24 The Great London Fair Cup, a £500 open race, boasts a great line-up, including Crefogue Flash and Dolores Rocket, but they were beaten by the locally-trained Paddy McEvoy’s Knockrour Rebel. Two days later at Wimbledon, Dolores Rocket wins the 700 yard Spring Cup easily by 8 lengths as 4-11 favourite.
1997 Anderson Churchill, the investment brokers who dabbled in gold coins and greyhounds, went bust having spent £957,000 on 15 dogs. It will be two years before the case reaches court.
1957 February 1 Ex-Brighton bitch Night Off, pet name Molly, is re-united with her owner Alan Cameron, a publican at the Volunteer, Croydon, after running away when he took her to a Christmas party at Mitcham. She is found at Erith and taken to Battersea Dogs Home, when Alan collects her he notices she is a little fat. He takes her to the vet for a check up, she is passed fit but her weight has risen from 56lbs to 68lbs during those seven weeks on the loose.
