2006 A week after setting a new Sheffield 720m track record, and close to her fourth birthday, Barrie Draper announces the retirement of Droopys Sporty. She had won 26 of her 64 races including the previous year’s Cock O’The North. But it will not be her last appearance on a racecard. She returns as the mum of Ravvin Giovanni, Droopys Greg . . .
1984 February 19-22 From the eve to the end of the Waterloo Cup at Altcar, hunt saboteurs cause constant criminal damage, trespassing and intimidation against coursing spectators. But despite their efforts the event is run off with Pat Kilcoyne and Terry McCann’s Tubbertelly Queen (Scotch Lundy-Miss Queenie) winning the final easily as her opponent and last year’s runner-up, Final Words, came home lame after a collision. Tubbertelly Queen, when winning the 140th running of the event, she became the first bitch to win since 1929, and her trainer Pat Kilcoyne, must rate as one of the youngest at just 17 years. Ace track trainer, Ger McKenna, tipped off Pat the previous year about Tubbertelly Queen, when she was known as Nothing On an d had won a trial stake, and later reached the semi-final of the Oaks at Clonmel under her new name.
1948 February 26 Liverpool’s first track to open, Breck Park, also becomes the first to close following a huge fire which destroyed the main grandstand. It is survived by three other tracks in the city, Seaforth, Stanley and White City. The site in Townsend Lane is waste land today behind the Breck Park Dockers Club.
1987 At Henlow two lucky punters picked up £104-01 for a 25p stake, odds of 415 to 1 when they selected Friendly Chick to beat Rowdies Daughter on the forecast. Previous record was £88 to a 25p stake.
2001 Irish horse and greyhound racing shuts down on February 27 in response to the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK. Ironically, British racing continues unaffected though the Waterloo Cup is cancelled.
2003 In a stand-off between the betting industry and the BGRB, the bookies announce that they will not take bets on evening meetings at tracks who have not signed their new BAGS contracts. These are the opening skirmishes in a plan for the BGRB to control its product through a licensing system – New Deal. BAGS then set a deadline for tracks to sign up. Nottingham are the first to sign. The bookies then ask the Office Of Fair Trading to intervene.
1995 Britain’s newest track Harlow stages its first trial session.
1948 February 13 The Waterloo Cup is won by Nat Shaw’s Noted Sunlight (rf d Trade Test-Regulars), who beats L Lucas’s Lady Of The Lamp (rf b Lord Lieutenant- Dendera Radiant) in a 58 second course. Noted Sunlight was bought for 270 guineas at Aldridges the previous year, soon after he had a toe amputated, and was withdrawn from the 1947 event.
1999 Right To Apply is unveiled as Greyhound Star’s Independent Greyhound of the Year. Owned by Fred Needham and trained by Geoff Pixton, the son of Frightful Flash won over £12,000 in prize money when landing the Workington Derby and Highgate Classic. Prior to his switch to independent racing, Right To Apply had run third in the Irish Derby.
1981 The Gorton Cup final at Belle Vue over 460 metres and sponsored by Walmesley Brothers the bookmakers with £750 to the winner sees the odds on 4-5 chance General Smuts (Toms Pal-Furry Champion, Mar 78) trained at Coventry by Geoff De Mulder just hold on to beat Creamery Pat in 28.21.
1968 February 22 Limerick Greyhound Racing Co Ltd announce they are to award cups and £25 to the most successful owner trainer of graded race winners during the season.
2002 The GTA announce that they are compiling a trainers contract. It will set out the terms and conditions and should be signed by owners and trainers.
