2009 Ladbrokes ‘volunteer’ Crayford to undergo GBGB trials into micro-chipping. The first runner chipped is Tiger Bay, owned by the GBGB’s welfare officer Peter Lawrie.
1957 Priceless Border, one of the greatest dogs of his era, dies in Ireland. Aged 11. Border arrived in Britain fresh from a win in the 1947 Produce Stakes. He won his English Derby heat by eight lengths in 29.18 but had to be withdrawn with gastric flu. He returned to win the Silver Salver and set a new 500 yard track record at Southend. When the ante post books were opened for the 1948 Derby he was made 2-1 ante post favourite. Prior to the event he went unbeaten through the Wood Lane and then broke the 500 yard clock at Stamford Bridge. Border was never troubled throughout the 1948 English Derby, winning the final in the fastest time to date, 28.78 at 1-2f. When retired, he covered the 1949 Derby winner Narrogar Ann who produced the 1952 Derby winner
1989 Bristol announce that plans for a new commercial development, which include a Tesco supermarket, bowling alley, cinema and restaurant will see the closure of the track.
1994 Norton Canes switches from NGRC racing to independent. Promoter John Preece blames the cost of NGRC membership. The move causes Perry Barr to introduce permit racing on Monday evenings. Within a month the track has 300 dogs qualified.
2012 Trainer Jane Houftan is fined £2,500 with £7,500 costs following three incidents of greyhounds vomiting in the racing kennels at Nottingham. Following the incident, the Dunham team join Doncaster.
1969 The Longcross Cup Final was overshadowed by a three runner marathon match race at White City – the (£100 a side) Half Mile worth £500 plus trophy. Originally drawn with four runners, top local Poor Mick had been scratched leaving Sunrise Rover as the evens favourite ahead of Derby finalist Shady Begonia (5-4) and Hiver Whitenose at 11-2. Much to the delight of the layers, it was Jim Morgan’s ‘rag’ who led up and then came again to win by two lengths for the 880 yards. Following the meeting the stadium management estimated that the crowd was 2,000 above its anticipated figure.
2013 GRA announce that the unclaimed final jackpot from Oxford, which closed in December, will be added to the biggest pool at one of the four sister tracks. The tote retention from the increased pool will go to the RGT.
1965 Ulster Cesarewitch winner My Parachute and Irish Puppy Derby winner Captain Ted (formerly Wonder Guest) are among the 100 plus lots due on the bench at Aldridges Sale.
1970 Leeds cancel their Two Year Old Produce Stakes following complaints from local racegoers who would rather watch graded racing. It is a similar problem that led to Brighton changing their puppy event, the Regency, into a stayers race four years earlier.
1957 Coventry grader Leading Dandy was so traumatised after being knocked over that in his re-trial he refused to leave the traps. He was tried again but also refused to come out. Fortunately, his owner decider to give him a rest of several months. He duly returned to racing and won at 6-1 first time out.
1972 Portsmouth racing manager Bill Francis takes over general manager. The grader’s chair is taken by John Layton. Elsewhere Sid Wood becomes Manchester White City, his grader’s role at Belle Vue goes to Norman Porter.
1989 Former Wimbledon trainer Stan Martin dies aged 92. Among his charges were the 1945 and 1950 English Derby winners Ballyhennessy Seal (who also won the Gold Collar) and Ballymac Ball (who also won two Laurels).
1947 January Wimbledon racing manager Con Stevens suggests a new method could be instigated for judging close finishes. He believes a camera could be developed which would photograph greyhounds as they crossed the winning line.
1972 January 21 An eighteen month old pup trained by Adam Jackson wins his first NGRC open at Rayleigh. Drawn four he starts at 8-1 and wins by just under five lengths in 29.07 for the 510 yards. He is, future double English Derby and Triple Crown winner – Patricia’s Hope.
1969 Vet David Poulter, author Hugh Edwards Clarke and Dunstable based Dr Richard Handley hold meeting for interested parties at the St Johns Ambulance Hall in Millfield Road in London and launch a ‘Breeders Forum’. The first meeting is set for the same venue in February when former civil servant and Sporting Press coursing correspondent ‘H’ Edwards Clarke will be the speaker.
1982 As the Irish Coursing Club begins to transfer all registrations onto computer it requests breeders to name all new pups with words beginning with the letters A-R.
1972 Following a meeting with local owners and trainers, Oxford racing manager John Field refuses to sanction the installation of a Sumner hare to replace the drag hare currently in use. The procedure, which would include moving both sets of traps, the judge’s box and hare controller’s box, would cost an estimated £6,500.
1994 From the first day of the new year, NGRC tracks must have a vet in attendance before they will be allowed to race or trial. Until now, they were allowed to have one on-call.
2007 Former Greyhound Life editor Bob Betts is awarded the Services to the Greyhound Industry award by members of the Greyhound Writers Association.
1957 White City punters let the anger be known at a disastrous Saturday meeting. Their mood is not great when both favourites in the Longcross Cup heats are beaten, including the appropriately named The Big Row. Then, in a 725 yard open, the odds-on favourite is beaten 13 lengths into fourth place by his kennelmate. With booing already taking place and a stewards enquiry called, the favourite in the marathon is moving strongly into second place when a racegoer throws a cap onto the track and causes the event to be void. The press report “the booing was so bad, nobody could hear the announcement of the trap draw for the final.” Following the race, the Greyhound Express, without specifically mentioning the White City event carry a front page headline ‘Smash The Dope Rings’ – with the instruction ‘Get Moving NGRC’. The secretary of the NGRC Lt-Col. W T Forsdike OBE is indignant telling pressmen, the stewards have the right to void any race if they believe it is subject to “outside interference”.
1970 Successful open race trainer ‘Bammy’ Bamford joins the Belle Vue training strength.
1966 GRA announce it is prepared to reconsider its two-track rule. Introduced as a cost cutting measure the previous year, it required its disgruntled trainers to supply runners for two different tracks eg White City/Harringay and Manchester Belle Vue/Manchester White City.
2000 Ian Greaves offers three complete litters of saplings for sale in the star.
Lot 1 Top Honcho – Too Breezy will eventually feature Top Savings, Top Breeze and Jerrys Girl Lot 2 Top Honcho – Able Ivy will include Top Power and Top Role.
Lot 3 Iceni Regent – Best Of Noir – will include open racers Rapid Best, Iceni Black and Best of Care.
1972 Sherrys Prince, just three months short of his fifth birthday wins a White City hurdles open by 14 lengths. Colin West’s brindle is the current track record holder for Hall Green 500H, Brighton 525H, Catford 420H, Harringay 525H, Wembley 525H, West Ham 525H, and White City 525H.
1983 Assorted track records on January 1 1983: Belle Vue 460m: Fearless Mover 27.04, 645m: Montreen 39.23, Coventry 460m: Brainy Prince 28.23, 670m: Decoy Lassie 42.03, Hackney 484m: London Spec 29.02, 740m: Swift Duchess 45.83, Hall Green 474m Rikasso Hiker 28.59, 663m: Glen Minstrel 41.70, Harringay 475m: House Party 28.37, 660m Drynham Star 40.14, Hove 515m: Glen Miner 29.62, 695m: Pla Point Ears 41.19, Milton Keynes 440m: Fortune King 26.72, 620m: Weston Oak 38.19, Powderhall 465m: Tory Mor 27.67, 650m: Paradise Spectre 40.09, Shawfield 500m: Special Account, 670m: Jeffs Love 43.61, Swindon 480m: Clonee Bill 28.26, 685m: Gullane Blaze 42.18, Walthamstow 475m: Deel Joker 28.54, 640m: Paradise Spectre 39.50, Wimbledon 460m: Ceili Customer/Sammy Bear 27.62, 660m: Kasama Trac 40.57, Yarmouth 462m: Westmead Dance 27.99, 659m: Dunmurry Girl 40.88.
1995 Walthamstow bookies are in cocky mode pricing up a 100-1 chance and two 500-1 chances in supporting opens for the Jim Davies Stakes. But they get their comeuppance when Brownbog Connie lands the decider at 50-1.
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.
1996 January 2 – the outstanding Daleys Gold dies following a short illness. Generally rated as the best early paced dog of his generation, the white and black won the 1984 Manchester Puppy Cup before being switched to sprinting where he twice broke the Harringay 272m clock. The Jerry Fisher trained son of Linda’s Champion contested the ’85 English Derby reaching the semis and setting a sectional record of 4.83 that was never equalled. He then went unbeaten through the Scurry and National Sprint and set a new Rye House sprint record on his way to winning the Sovereign Stakes.
Retired to stud with Michael Dunne, who had owned him originally, Gold reached number 2 on the sires table in 1994. He sired Airmount Grand, Murlens Abbey, Balligari, Right Move, Westmead’s Surprise and Spirit, Daleys Denis, Polnoon Chief, Summerhill Super, Vics Snowdrop and Trade Union.
2007 The NGRC stewards fine Rye House £750 for allowing an open race runner to compete in a maiden event four months earlier. Payment seems unlikely however as the track has long since closed.
