2014 Over 300 greyhound and speedway supporters crammed into Oxford Town Hall to hear the council unanimously reject plans submitted by Galliard Homes to build 220 new homes on the site. The application fails on eight separate grounds. Galliards appeal the decision. Councillor Katherine Harborne of the Oxford East Conservative Association said: “The stadium is a community heritage asset and must be protected. I hope Galliard Homes now rethinks its project and comes up with something that is both commercially viable and satisfies the needs of the local community. However Galliards do achieve their primary goal when persuading NAMA – the Irish National Asset Agency who provided the funds to buy GRA – to back their football/housing plan for Wimbledon. The Galliards plan is in opposition to a project proposed by Paschal Taggart which will see a new modern greyhound stadium built on the site.
1949 Greyhound Express reports that the head of former open race star Honeyman’s Last has been preserved by a taxidermist and is surrounded by around trophies at the Auckland (NZ) home of his owner Dr George W Drewett. The former hurdler was known throughout the industry as “Old Growler” for his habit of snarling at any dog attempting to overtake him. A top class performer in his own right, he broke 10 track records and won 52 races.
2015 Leading ante post prices for the £250K to winner Greyhound Derby: 12-1 Laughil Blake, 33-1 Droopys Nidge, Newinn Yolo, 40-1 Swift Hoffman, Belles Direction, 50-1 Ballymac Brogan, Bubbly Zeus, Farloe Blitz, Lenson Sanchez, Mind The Net, Sidarian Blaze, Swift Keith, Roxholme Ted. . . . .and eventual winner Rio Quattro. (Farloe Blitz finished fourth in the final as the 8-11f).
1997 GRA puts its personalised number plates on the market. GRA 1 has a price tag of £14,000.
1981 Bord na gCon announce average attendance fell the previous year to 476.
1956 Greyhound tracks are reckoned to be the most seriously affected venues affected by a new assessment of council rates. The smallest provincial tracks are paying as much as First Division football clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The bigger stadiums are paying at least four times that amount.
2010 Former Wimbledon trainer Philip Rees dies following a short illness aged 67.
2015 Lisa Morris-Tompkins is the new CEO of the Retired Greyhound Trust. She takes over from Peter Laurie who will become the Director of Operations at Battersea Dogs And Cats Home.
1983 In a track newsletter Wembley racing manager Peter Shotton criticises White City over their six month experiment of staging open races without seeding. Shotton disputes the idea that the scheme is abused by trainers and insists that rule 77b gives ample powers for racing managers to override a trainer’s seeding request.
2013 BGRF chairman Tom Kelly manufactures a deal to bring back live greyhound racing on SKY. The broadcaster refused to finance any further projects after its 2012 contract ran out. SIS will provide the broadcasts which will be produced at cost and funded by BAGS. The GBGB’s prize money fund will contribute £7,000 towards each meeting.
2015 Crayford face criticism from trainers when announcing that the three rounds of the Ladbrokes Golden jacket will take place over 10 days: Saturday/Saturday/Tuesday.
1973 The January front cover of the Star’s sister publication Greyhound magazine features a picture of Susan Nicholson with Johnny Wood (Discretions-Pincano) prior to his export to Australia. Bred by Nick Savva out of his first brood bitch, Johnny Wood was a minor open racer trained by Pam Heasman. He raced briefly in Australia before going to stud. He threw a number of fast dogs, most notably 1977 Melbourne Cup winner Milepost
1956 Latest figures reveal that tote turnover at Wimbledon in 1955 fell to £2,321,000 for their 913 races – an average of £2,542 per race. (Index linked to £76,230).
2015 The Totepool Jackpot goes ‘unwon’ when 6-1 chance Soviet Kenny was one of two runners not backed in the last leg – the final of the Coronation Cup at Romford. The winner’s pot was £141K. The pool eventually went to £870K when it was shared at Hall Green with each of the 201 £1 winning tickets (six selections) collecting £3,025.
1983 The newly formed Greyhound Writers Association hold their first lunch to determine the 1982 Greyhound of the Year title. It goes to the Terry Duggan trained Lauries Panther, winner of the Laurels and English Derby. The son of Shamrock Sailor finished with more than double the prize money of closest rival Huberts Shade with £32,280.
1995 The preserved Ballyregan Bob goes on display at the Zoological Museum at Tring.
2011 Cheshire based trainer Lol Jones dies aged 64.
1993 Mike Hill, the new assistant racing manager at Mildenhall, grades his first race. The distances are: nk, sh, sh, sh, sh.
