2001 Owner Paul Woolridge had nothing but bad luck with Decent Man. The expensive purchase had fought in a trial at Wimbledon and been returned to Ireland where he had broken a wrist and been put to sleep. At least that is what Paul assumed until he picked up a copy of the Star and saw his dog was one of the Independent Greyhound of the Year finalists. (“I nearly feel off my chair”) In fact, Paul had recently taken possession of the latest in a string of potential replacements, from the same people who reported Man’s demise. He had been on the point of sending them a hefty cash sum – until he read the article. Upon realising that Decent Man had indeed survived and was the pride and joy of his new connections, Paul wished them well. Indeed, he would have travelled to Swansea to see the dog win the Welsh Derby had he known sooner.
1998 Walthamstow trainer Paul Young is sacked after Soda Gale finds 53 spots in a graded race after being backed from 6-1 to 9-4.
1995 Northern owner Jim Morris decides to get out of the sport. He is to sell his 30 greyhounds including St Leger winner Airmount Flash and All England Cup winner Moral Director.
2004 An attempt is made to steal sprinter Louisville. A bogus caller persuaded a trainer that he owned the dog and wanted it removed from John Mullins kennel. A suspicious kennel hand discovered the fraud when checking with Mullins.
1946 February 2 Miss Kitty Kwasnik’s Hurry Kitty (Castledown Lad-Brilliant Gay, Apr’43) easily wins the Inaugural Stakes over 525 yards at Wembley by two lengths in 30.16. The 10-11 favourite was winning her 11th race from 13 starts. She had been bought in Ireland for £2,000 by Miss Kwasnik after winning the previous year’s Leinster Puppy Cup at Enniscorthy and finishing third in the Easter Cup at Shelbourne Park.
1999 There is panic in the betting shops when ten of the twelve winners at a Sunderland BAGS meeting are won by trap one. Things then get worse for the track when four greyhounds sustain career ending injuries at the next meeting.
2003 Alison Ignram announced that she is to leave Catford to join Romford. The vacancy occurs due to the retirement of John Quinn.
1957 J W Gill and F H Ford’s Good Fortune (fd Large As Life-Forest Vixen, Apr 51) is having his 250th race at Park Royal. He has won 55 of them. Although he runs well, he has to settle for second place, 1 1/2 lengths behind. His career earnings to date are £1,480.
2002 The start of Walthamstow’s Arc first round is delayed when a man is shot outside the stadium.
1997 Walthamstow announce a 17% cut in prize money.
2006 Wimbledon announce a 10 per cent cut in prize money and a 15 per cent cut in trainers bonuses. They announce “These are short terms actions to ensure a long term future”. Within days, Walthamstow announce that winners prize will be reduced by £10 on all graded races excluding A1 & S1.
1996 Lord Kimball is voted out of office as BGRB chairman – largely by track promoters.
1972 Litter brother and sister, Westpark Onion and Westpark Mustard both white and black by Newdown Heather out of April Merry, meet in the Longcross Cup Final over 725 yards at London White City. The £300 and trophy goes to the 4/11 favourite Westpark Mustard, who beats Heavy Sleeper and litter brother Onion easily by six lengths and in 41.03 on going rated .70 slow. This is win number five in Mustard’s 20 win sequence.
2001 Perry Barr trainer Francis O’Hare is devastated when nine dogs die of poisoning from infected knacker meat. Tests reveal that a cocktail of barbiturates and local anaesthetics used in the humane killer in horses is responsible.
1995 Alans Rose (29.25 -20) is top lot at the Walthamstow sales when making 4,300 guineas. (She goes on to win the Gold Collar and finish runner-up in the Champion Stakes and Greenwich Cup)
2003 Five masked gunmen carry out an armed raid at Hall Green after shooting their way past a security door. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken but no one was hurt.
1976 Stuart Captain (Ramdeen Stuart-Here For You, Jun 74), the 2-1 favourite trained by John Coleman, wins the Springbok Trophy over 500m at London White City. 10 days later at his home track Wembley, he breaks the track record over 490m in 29.92.
1937 The final of the Waterloo Cup, worth £500 plus cup, is won by R Rank’s Rotton Row (bkw d Burletts-Red Robin, Mar 34). He is the first greyhound to win the event, after being runner-up the previous year. He beat C G Osbourne’s Mellow Outlook (bdw d Genial Noble-Fleet Flight) Rotton Row’s sire Burletta won the first St Leger at Wembley.
2006 Ex-Sittingbourne trainer Mick White and kennelman Daniel Henty were cleared of the murder and manslaughter of White’s neighbour Paul Cox. The paid admitted to the killing of the haulier with a crossbow and by bludgeoning him to death though the court accepted a plea that the pair had acted in self defence. Henty had been attacked by Cox with a scaffolding pole. Cox had previously thrown poison rabbits onto White’s property, had left a dead badger in his bed, had cut the electricity supply and had made various threats to both men.
1996 Westmead Move, arguably the greatest of all Nick Savva’s broods, is put to sleep following a losing battle with cancer of the shoulder. A Gold Collar and Grand Prix winner on the track, Move was twice voted Dam of the Year and threw two Greyhounds of the Year, Westmead’s Harry and Chick. – pic Steve Nash
