2012 Galliard Homes submit plans for 150 houses and 75 flats on the site of Oxford Stadium.
1996 Sittingbourne is shut down after Swale Council repossess the stadium which had gone into administration the previous year.
1946 Dunmore Park re-opens with a new hare driving control tower in the centre of the track.
1990 Poole is closed “for at least two months” to allow the expansion of the football pitch in the centre of the track following the local team’s promotion. Promoter Derek Block is not expecting to re-open for at least a year.
1984 Greyhound Owner reports that the demise of stud keeper John Baldwin to be false. The Englishmen behind the disastrous Cranagh Castle stud venture had not been seen in many months and rumours suggested that an unidentified body found floating in Galway Bay was Baldwin. However the Owner reported that Baldwin, who would only admit to being ‘somewhere in Ireland’ remained in touch with his sister in Britain.
1939 For the first time the Irish Derby is run at Limerick and the £225 first prize goes to J J Doran’s Marching Thro Georgia (rf d Church Parade-Stonepark, May 37). The even money favourite wins by a neck in 30.05 for the 525 yard race.
2006 Diana Ellis, breeder of three Waterloo Cup winners, Hardly Ever, Timworth Edward and Evening Mail, dies aged 81.
1969 Independent track Yarmouth open their new Raceview Grandstand which offers cover for 3,000 spectators.
1956 The Brough Park management are so concerned over the loss of condition of dogs being sent from Ireland that they hire a private plane which makes the journey in around two and a half hours.
1962 Ballinasloe Blondie wins the Oaks for the second successive year in tremendous style. Unbeaten in all her races at Harringay going into the final, she trapped in front but had Nans Princess in close contention. However, the challenger lost her footing at the last bend and fell.
2011 Perry Barr is booming! General manager Martin Fennings said: “The number of people who like to go trackside have shown growth of 30% over the year and our trackside party packages which include race sponsorship are also proving very popular.“One Saturday in July we had a crowd of just less than 1000 and took almost £20,000 on the tote which is like the good old days. Our marketing team are working extremely hard, sending out offers, door knocking, etc, trying to get new people to experience a night at Perry Barr and the effort is paying off.
1996 Sittingbourne is shut down after Swale Council repossess the stadium which had gone into administration the previous year.
1946 Nottingham are forced to cancel a whole race meeting due to an outbreak of ‘canine hysteria’. The condition, which was quite commonly diagnosed at the time was believed to be associated with feeding.
2011 Perry Barr is booming! General manager Martin Fennings said: “The number of people who like to go trackside have shown growth of 30% over the year and our trackside party packages which include race sponsorship are also proving very popular.“One Saturday in July we had a crowd of just less than 1000 and took almost £20,000 on the tote which is like the good old days. Our marketing team are working extremely hard, sending out offers, door knocking, etc, trying to get new people to experience a night at Perry Barr and the effort is paying off.
1972 On course betting tax is reduced from 5% to 4%. Tracks take advantage of law changes by increasing their tote deductions from 121/2% to 161/2%.
1957 The Sunday Pictorial newspaper carries a front page lead story suggesting that a doping gang financed by a group of wealthy businessmen have netted over £100,000 in bets in the previous six months.
1984 County Clare based brindle Burnpark Sally won the fastest Irish Oaks ever when clocking 28.92 in the decider – just six spots outside Romping To Work’s 11 year old track record.
1945 July18th After the end of the war, open racing returns to its former status at Reading. The Hunt Cup final is run with the winner’s prize back to a healthy £300 and trophy. Run over the 400 yard course, Major A E Allan’s Look Out Post (Citronwood-Jubilee Rover, Feb’42) and trained at Wembley by Jack Harvey, takes the decider in 22.14.
1985 An NGRC inquiry fined trainer J Trinder £100 after two of his dogs were discovered in the care of unlicensed Mr G Carpenter, who was fined a similar amount. Meanwhile Peterborough trainer Linda Pruhs has her licence withdrawn when Always Bright was found to be in her kennel and not in that of permit trainer D R Anthony.
1969 Melton Mowbray track in Leicestershire is shut down by its elderly owners Jack Bingham and Charles Sampey. The pair, who built the track in 1946 plan to retire.
2001 The Irish Government lift restrictions on the movement of greyhounds following a fourth month ban due to a Foot & Mouth outbreak in Northern Ireland.
1956 Prince Of Bermuda becomes the first greyhound to break 29.00 for 525 yards in Ireland when clocking 28.99. To put the run into some perspective, the track record for Shelbourne Park’s 525 yards had stood at 29.40 prior to the brindle’s brilliant run.
1990 Bluffs Run track in Iowa are offering an interesting wage. For a $2 ticket, all punters have to do is nominate the dog who will finish fourth in all contests between race four and race twelve. The jackpot is worth a guaranteed one million dollars.
1972 Don’t Gambol’s attempt to become the first dog to win the same flat classic three times is ruined by Joe Booth’s Cricket Bunny. The Nottinghamshire trained black beat the 1-2f into second place in the 400 yard Scurry Gold Cup Final at Clapton. (The feat would finally be achieved in the same competition by Yankee Express (1982-84). Sherrys Prince had completed a hat-trick over hurdles when landing his third Grand National just weeks before Gambol’s failed attempt.)
1961 English Derby runner-up Oregon Prince (2-5f) is a nine length winner of the Welsh Derby for trainer Phil Rees. The winner’s time of 28.86 was one length outside Pigalle Wonder’s 525 yard Cardiff track record. Within a fortnight, the brindle has also won the Select Stakes and broken the Stamford Bridge 500 yard track record.
2006 GRA announce a series of staff redundancies due to poor trading. Wimbledon lose eight staff including the tote, restaurant and bars managers.
1946 At a time when the English Derby is worth £1,000 to the winner, the independent track at Wombwell near Barnsley are staging a £3,000 Pitmans Derby. 25 entries are required at £100 each with £500 added prize money. The winner’s prize would be the equivalent of £154K today.
1974 In an article in Greyhound Magazine, Wimbledon’d Jerry Monk gives a breakdown of sporting activities at the stadium. ‘Big races like the Laurels bring in 7,000 fans. Stock car racing averages around 6,000 and speedway pulled in 20,000 for the Wills Internationals on Band Holiday Monday.”
1990 Adraville Bridge breaks the 525 yard track record (28.78) in the final of the Irish Laurels at Cork and is retired to stud. The Denis O’Sullivan Kerry trained black has raced 11 times for nine victories. They include a 29.14 track record in the Produce Stakes Final at Clonmel.
