2002 Wimbledon general manager Mike Raper comes under fire from trainers and the Greyhound Writers Association when he cancels the Derby Lunch. “It has had its day” said Raper who was forced into a re-think a year later.
1987 The Crayford Owners Association have asked members to withdraw runners from the racing strength unless there is a substantial increase in prize money. At present, bottom grade at Crayford pays £21 to the winner. Kennel bills are £80 per month. (Figures index linked to £73 and £279).
2004 Premier Fantasy starts as the 4-1 ante post favourite with the sponsors for the William Hill Derby. Eventual winner Droopys Scholes is second best at 7-1. Other future finalists are Big Freeze (50), Tim Crow (16), Rhincew Seagal (14), Ballymac Kewell (66) and Fire Height Dan (14).
1973 Spedeworth, the company that owns independent Aldershot have taken over the greyhound lease at Wisbech.
1991 Live Contender (I’m Slippy-Lanigans Ball) wins the Produce Stakes at Clonmel in 28.90. Super Hoffman was second and Ardfert Mick, fifth. A 4-5 chance Denny Lennon’s 1960 Surrey bred Debbie Lew was so small when reared that she was given away as a pet. She settled into family life and became best friends with the family cat. As she reached racing age though she showed such determination that she was sent schooling and rapidly developed into a useful open racer despite her mere 43 lbs (19.5kg). During seasonal rest, she returned home to owner Jim Maw and resumes her friendship with the cat.
1952 Wimbledon announce their plan to be the first London track to adopt rule 45a, the ‘first past the post’ rule for betting purposes.
2018 Clares Kyletaun records the fastest Hove 695m run in six years when taking the Coral Regency for June Harvey. Sadly, the son of Ballyana Foxtrot will only race once more in Britain before breaking a stopper bone in a race at Kilkenny.
1987 Following an appeal from Greyhound Star, Hackney allow British bred runners into their greyhound sales. Glatton Beauty and Glatton Barby were both among the six highest priced lots at a combined 1,730gns.
1992 Hove trainer Stewart Loan hands in his licence and announces that he is leaving the greyhound industry.
1928 May 26. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Ramsgate held their first meeting.
1960 Connections of Pigalle Wonder offer to run their dog at White City and Clapton on the same night after he is accidentally double booked. The NGRC intervene and withdraw him the 12-1 English Derby fancy from both events under rule 58a.
1947 Top lot at Aldridge Sales is a brood bitch. Former open racer Milk Chocolate is sold in whelp to Wireless Delight for 280gns (index linked to roughly £14,700).
2003 Trainer Jane Houfton was left fuming after the second round of the Steel City Cup. Her runner Starofthebill dead-heated for third place with Lawrence Tuffin’s Wise Diamond. After conferring with the local stewards, Mrs Houfton agreed to a run-off to decide the qualifying place. Tuffin declined to run his dog again and forfeited his place. Mrs Houfton duly phoned the dog’s owner to tell him that Starofthebill would be in the semi finals. However, the NGRC head office intervened and quoted rule 90 which stated that there must be three days between rounds before a run-off can take place. Trainers Houfton and Tuffin were then invited to toss a coin to determine qualification and Mrs Houfton lost.
1989 Police are to investigate if former NGRC trainer Jerry Fisher is to face charges of defrauding the betting public. In a Sunday paper article he claimed to have used various drugs to dope dogs. He claimed to have substituted his own urine for a Walthamstow chromo test and to dying dogs a different colour. Fisher was banned by the NGRC the previous November after running NGRC open racer Strange Island in a race at independent Aldershot.
1961 NGRC racing gets a new recruit when Poole opens for racing. The promoter is Charlie Knott, who also owns Southampton. He has spent £100,00 on facilities after obtaining a lease from the local council.
1973 Celtic Park re-opens after ten months closure due to terrorist bomb damage.
1992 Sheffield’s new owners A & S Leisure open their new Panorama room and restaurant.
2005 Alistar Mclean takes over the role of NGRC chief executive from Frank Melville. Within days, senior steward Edward Bentall announces that the Club is to introduce an appeals procedure.
1957 Track record holder The Grand Fire justified odds of 4-11 when winning the Produce Stakes at Clonmel by five lengths in 29.45, five spots off his course best. It is the first ever staging of the event and is the brainchild of Clonmel director and Keeper of the Irish Stud Book Tom Morris. The first round of the event took place over four consecutive nights, each staging seven, five-runner heats. Many dogs were sold to England during the event, though The Grand Fire’s breeder Paddy Dunphy rejects an offer of £3,000 (equivalent to £89,300) for his dog.
2004 Hills announce that they are to launch their own betting channel with regular nightly greyhound racing.
1986 Breeks Rocket – future winner of the 1987 Grand National – is top lot at Shelbourne Sales at 3,250 guineas. Ring Gortnadi, future track record breaker for the Harolds Cross 525H course, sells for 1,500gns.
2013 Paul Twinn takes over the Newcastle grader’s chair from Ian Hillis
1932 Preston holds its first meeting in front of a crowd of 7,000 patrons. There were only 31 runners spread between the eight races. Nevertheless, staff and facilities struggle to cope though the facilities were eye-catching and comparatively luxurious. “As darkness grew the track was flooded with light, while the stands were outlined with fairy bulbs of red blue and green. The Club room was beautifully laid out with daintily covered tables, easy chairs and a special branch of the tote for club members” wrote one correspondent. There was even a jazz band to entertain the crowd between races.
2006 An Irish judge rules against the Irish Greyhound Board in their dispute with Advanced Totes and orders that the tote machinery supplied by an American company cannot be used. Alternative suppliers Data tote hastily despatch tote equipment to five Board owned tracks.
1961 Ireland lifts its year long ban on the importation of greyhounds from Britain following a ‘foot and mouth’ outbreak.
Kevin Barry turns down a reputed £60,000 for his Produce Stakes winner Rhincrew Sean.
1986 Talks between greyhound enthusiast group New Era and Chelsea chairman Ken Bates about re-introducing greyhound racing to Stamford Bridge, break up with no agreement.
1942 May 30. For the one and only time the Irish Derby is run at Cork. The 525 yard final, worth £175 to the winner, goes to owner-trainer J Crowley’s Vaterlainn Riac (Creamery Border-Roisin Riac. The 4-1 chance wins comfortably by four lengths in 30.22.
2014 Following a huge row involving GBGB Chairman and CEO Tom Kelly and Greyhound Trainers Association Chairman Ricky Holloway and deputy Linda Jones, the governing body announce that they will no longer deal with the trainer’s organisation.
1993 Trainer Linda Mullins sets a record when sending out her 100th open race winner of the year by May 29.
1972 May 19th Mick Hawkins Decimal Queen (Dusty Trail – Roaming Beauty) is favourite for the English Oaks final at Harringay after three great runs in the heats. She is up against crack Irish bitches Gabans Wood, trained by Paddy Keane, and Catsrock Daisy. The rest of the high class field are Real Grand from Perry Barr, Carrow Fancy trained at Brighton and Mad Drive from Wimbledon. Gabans Wood leads from the boxes and sets a hot pace from Queen and Disy. But on the run in, Decimal Queen hits the front and goes on to win by two lengths in 28.60 – the fastest time every recorded in the final.
1986 The NGRC withdraw the licence of Huntingdon after discovering that its only licenced staff are no longer employed at the stadium.
1957 Wimbledon announce that for the first time this year, the number of dogs at their Burhill Kennels has exceeded 200
1936 May 30 Mrs M Yate owner-trainer of Fine Jubilee (Silver Seal II-Harissi, May 34) claims the distinction of being the first woman trainer to win a classic when her dog takes the £500 Gold Collar final over 440 yards at Catford. In a thrilling race, the 4-5 favourite overhauls Bearsted (100-7) near the line to win by a short head in 26.00.
1947 Following national fuel restrictions, Yarmouth is the latest coastal track to be allowed to race midweek. Brighton and Ramsgate have already been given the nod.
1977 GRA sell their 22% share in Corals for £6m. The money goes to secured creditors.
2018 Movements. Trainer Dave Lee switches from Harlow to Crayford. Doncaster Racing Manager Stephen Gray resigns. Belle Vue’s Edward Smith and owner trainer Derek Ogden both have their licenses withdrawn by GBGB. Hove advertise for a new trainer following the recent death following a long illness of trainer Paul Garland.
1993 Wimbledon hold a stewards inquiry into a winner of a Derby heat. Senior racing manager Bob Rowe is unhappy at the performance of Ger McKenna’s Moral Right who won his heat in 28.95, six days after clocking 29.76 in a trial. Local layer Tony Morris laid the dog to lose £7,600 at 5-2 and 9-4 but still won £3,300 on the race. The winner was returned at 11-4. The following night Fraser Black’s Resilient Rebel finds 58 spots on trial form after being backed from 5-1 to 5-4f.
2013 Sunderland commence racing on their new racing surface following a £250,000 revamp of the racing circuit.
1984 Visitors to Shelbourne Park’s May 1 sale would have been unaware of the opportunity that was passing them by. The lot of particular interest won his 600 yard trial by a neck in 34.38 and was duly sold for 1,500 guineas. You too could have bought the great Scurlogue Champ! The first trial of the day was won by a bitch clocking 30.04. She though, went unsold. Her name was Knocknaboha Snap and following a successful open race career, she would go on to throw Irish Derby winner The Other Toss and Produce Stakes winner Arrancourt Duke, among many others. Some 15 days later, at the next Shelbourne sale, a small brindle dog clocks 29.96 in his trial and is sold for 740 guineas. Sadly the dog has a brief racing career, breaking a leg shortly after setting a new track record for Portsmouth’s 438 metres. He goes to stud and becomes one of the most highly rated sires in Ireland. He is, Skelligs Tiger.
2013 Sunderland commence racing on their new racing surface following a £250,000 revamp of the racing circuit.
1958 With betting shops still three years away from being legalised, the authorities are using some interesting old legislation to punish would-be punters. In Oxford, 26 men and women are charged under the 1541 Unlawful Games Act in that they ‘resorted to a room for the purposes of betting’. They were each fined six shillings and eight pence under a law that was originally drafted to prevent King Henry VIII’s archers from gambling in taverns. The bookmaker was fined £10 under the more mundane 1953 Betting Act.
2001 Internet betting site 24dogs.com introduces tote betting to run alongside the regular betting market which is run by William Hill.
1997 Former stipendiary steward Dan McCormick laid into his former colleagues at the Racing Managers Conference at Oxford Stadium. The hugely experienced McCormick, now running Oxford was unhappy. Greyhound Star reports on the discussion which relates to Irish transfer of ownership fees: “. . .this is the £10 charged to change the ownership of an Irish bred greyhound with the Irish authorities during the changing of its registration with the NGRC. The Club will not sanction a transfer until the transfer is effected. ‘It is a stupid rule’ says Big Dan, ‘and I have been saying so for years. The vast majority of the dogs that come over are never going back to Ireland. Owners in this country have been throwing money at the ICC for years.’ A clearly flustered senior steward (Bille Cooke) replied ‘As I am sure you know Dan, we have been looking at this situation for some time. . .’ ‘I know you have’ replied McCormick, all guns blazing, ‘and there has been bugger all done about it. I wish I knew how much it was costing.’ ‘We know it is around £100,000 per year’ replied the senior steward.”
2001 Harlow promoter Toni Nicholls defends his stewards for not stopping the hare during an incident strewn graded race. A collision at the first bend sees two dogs knocked over (they subsequently jump the inside fence) while another breaks a hock – his subsequently put to sleep. The remaining trio head to the backstraight where the leader breaks a hock and ultimately trails in a distant third. Nicholls claims the decision to not stop the hare until after the line was a “tight judgement.”
1962 May 26 The Variety Club Of Great Britain stage their first charity meeting at London White City, with the first three races shown live on ITV. With many film and television stars present, the meeting is a huge success. Bruce Forsyth is in charge of proceedings and introduces Sid James, Hughie Green, Liz Frazer, Bud Flanagan, Eddie Calvert, Dickie Attenborough, Shirley Eaton, Stanley Baker, Morecambe and Wise and Kenneth More to name but a few to the large crowd. Some of the stars become owners for the night and they accompany the parade leaders around the track.
2010 Newton Abbot racecourse step in to sponsor the Gymcrack following the withdrawal of Skybet. The winner’s prize will be reduced from £10,000 to £6,000.
1971 Spectre Jockey (Spectre-Jockeys Dream, Oct 68) heads the NGRC open race prize money table after taking heats and final of Brough Park’s All England Cup within 48 hours. The 1,200gns sales purchase has already won £1,896 in prize money this year.
1983 A bid of £6,000 was not enough to tempt Ronnie McKeown from selling McAlevey Gold Cup winner Major Black after his sales trial at White City. The dog’s reserve was £8,000. Interestingly, the son of Yellow Band is one of the smallest open racers in training, weighing in at a mere 58lbs (26.3kg).
2001 Alan Hutton apparently secures the long term future of Brough Park when purchasing the freehold from Kevin Wilde. Regulars belived the track would soon close
1976 The great Newdown Heather dies at Jack Mullan’s range in Newry. He was 12 years old. A winner of the 1964 Dunmore Puppy Cup, he switched to the coursing field and won the Ulster Cup at Ballymena. But it was at stud that the 94lb (42.6kg) white and black really made his mark. One of his first litters, out of Tender Heart, won the Coursing Derby, Coursing Oaks and Irish Cup. The following year, 34 of the 64 Coursing Derby qualifiers were by Newdown Heather. Heather went on to win five Coursing Derbys, three Oaks, three Irish Cups and a Waterloo Cup. On the track his progeny included the brilliant Derby/Leger winner Dolores Rocket, son Supreme Fun was the Derby runner-up. There was Westpark Mustard, Time Up Please, Crefogue Flash, Mortor Light etc etc
