1995 Midway through the six month trial of the new innovation of ‘middle seeding’ held at Wimbledon, racing manager Simon Harris is sceptical about its impact. He believes trainers are avoiding middle seeding due to the imbalance of railers and wides. For example in a race of five railers, the middle seed would automatically be given trap six. He states: “It is not the ‘be all and end all’ that everyone thought it would be.” Wimbledon announce that there will be no middle seeding in the forthcoming Oaks.
2003 The BGRF faces its biggest crisis to date when the bookmaker directors refuse to approve the BGRB’s proposed budget for 2004.
1955 Chubb O’Connor the owner and breeder of the sensational triple Irish Derby winner Spanish Battleship reveals that the dog’s racing career almost took a completely different route. After rearing, the whole litter were due to be sent to trainer Quinn at Eastville, but immediately before their departure, ‘the Battleship’ was bitten by a pig and was left in Ireland to recover. Upon recovery he ran a fantastic qualifying trial and never made the trip. O’Connor also revealed that the ‘Spanish’ prefix came about several years earlier after a whole series of previous names were rejected by the ICC. While on the phone, the Kerry breeder spotted a box containing Spanish marmalade and offered the name out of exasperation. An offer of £15,000 from an American syndicate was rejected for the dog who goes unbeaten through his last 18 races. For the final of the McCalmont Cup at Kilkenny, the record breaking crowd was so huge that over 1,000 spectators had to watch the race from the centre of the circuit. Battleship’s racing career culminates in two four-runner invitations, at Celtic Park and Galway. He wins both and sets a new track record at Galway. He then travels to Romford for an exhibition trial before heading onto White City His final outing, he is now four years and three months old, is a three dog race against Duet Leader and Hi There where he finishes third.
2000 Friday November 24 saw 54 opens staged on the same night.
1963 Britain’s best known greyhound journalist Charlie Hawkins dies following a short illness. Hawkins was the inspiration behind a number of racing initiatives including the Gymcrack and Anglo-Irish International. He was best know though as the public face of greyhound racing’s drive against discriminatory tote tax. He coined the phrase – later adopted by comedian Sid James – “diabolical liberty”. Bookmakers Joe Coral and William Hill both issued lengthy tributes to Hawkins’ ability and drive.
1995 Star columnist Phil Donaldson bemoans the lack of hurdlers in the Capital. A reccy of the various strengths reads Wimbledon (33), Crayford (32), Catford (28), Romford (18), Walthamstow (10), Wembley (1), Hackney (10)
1975 A year after her defeat in the ’74 Oaks Final, Pineapple Grand (The Grand Silver-Pineapple Baby, Oct 72) rectifies her error with an awesome display in the same event. The Frank Baldwin trained light fawn had been off the track for four months with injuries and seasonal rest, prior to the start of the Harringay classic. She nevertheless went unbeaten throughout and pipped Tory Mor by half a length in 28.85. During a fantastic year, she also won the Trafalgar Cup, Spring Cup, Northern Oaks and Laurels and was third in the English Derby.
2000 The NGRC agrees to waive the fees for any greyhound taken on by its trainer once it is no longer wanted by the owner.
1996 When Sunderland trainers open envelopes containing their monthly payments, three – Alison Coxon, Norman Miller and Terry Wood – discover letters giving them three months notice.
1946 A breeding survey reveals that the average stud fee is around £15 (around £770 in modern terms). However the most expensive sire by far is wartime champ Ballynennan Moon at £100 (roughly £5,130). Mrs Cearns’ champ would also prove to be one of the worst dogs at stud, never even throwing a Derby finalist.
1975 Olive Turner becomes the first female Secretary of the National Coursing Club when she succeeds the retiring Tom Ball. She has four staff.
1980 Ernie Gaskin’s home bred Devilish Dolores (Glin Bridge-Dancing Dolores, follows up her recent 20-1 victory in the Oaks by winning the puppy equivalent at Wimbledon in 28.03 for the 460 metres.
2012 Recently attached George Oswald spends almost £10,000 on six greyhounds at Sheffield Sales including top lot Royal Buzz (3,700gns). The dog wins A2 before being moved onto Monmore where he joins Chris Allsopp. The sale turned over a total of £39,000.
1963 In preparation for their first afternoon greyhound meeting to be broadcast directly into the betting shops (a predecessor of BAGS), the Kings Heath management supply the racing press with a written profile of every dog currently on the racing strength describing their ability and guide as to how they prefer to run.
2013 Trainer Paul Young provides the £63 tricast when Jaytee Lightning leads home Jaytee Jules and Bubbly Soviet in the Olympic at Hove.
1931 November 14 Reading opens for racing at a new track on Oxford Road/Wigmore Lane. Fitted with an inside hare, it is one of the biggest tracks in the country with a 400 yard two bend sprint with four bend races of 550 and 500yds. Owned by Clapton Stadiums, the Reading dogs are kennelled at Tilehurst. It eventually closes on November 10 1973.
1981 Brighton owners are a tad confused by pup Michelles Dream who appears on the racecard as a grader and as the dam of another racer just three months her senior. The confusion arises because the race is British bred but the dam of similar name is registered in the Irish Stud Book.
1990 American track Woodlands launch a promotion giving away wallets containing prizes. The idea is such a hit that attendances rose for 7,000 to over 22,000 for the matinee meetings.
2000 The NGRC agrees to waive the fees for any greyhound taken on by its trainer once it is no longer wanted by the owner.
1990 NGRC security office Jim Dickinson is made head of the new drugs testing unit nicknamed ‘the Flying Squad’. His old position is taken by another former police officer Alan Davis. In another ground breaking innovation, the Club announce that they are about to transfer all their registration and licensing information. . . onto a computer!
1995 Bord na Con announce that they will fight a court case concerning the positive test (Flunixin) returned by Irish Derby winner Joyful Tidings. Connections of Michaels Machine and Emmett Robert, second and third in the decider, have indicated their aim of seeking a disqualification of the winner. Faced with a string of complaints over various decisions, Kevin Heffernan resigns from his position as chairman.
1934 Cheerful Chinaman bd d (Cheerful Charger-Cheerful Coquette, Apr 27) runs his last race at Middlesbrough. In all, he ran 452 times winning 138, second 116 over 470 yards and 480 yards, flat and hurdles. He is kept into retirement but dies at the stadium kennels a year later.
1996 The Star publishes a study into the destiny of 27 greyhounds who had contested the five major puppy finals in the autumn of 1994. 12 are still racing, 14 are retired, with one unknown.
2013 IGB Chief Executive Adrian Neilan is grilled by Dail’s Public Accounts Committee over alleged overspend by the Board, most specifically on failing to take into account the considerable cost of landfill when the site was purchased for the new Limerick Stadium.
1957 The GRA management issue their annual order for tracks to lay straw in preparation for winter going. The operation is intended to take between three/four days with each track. Every effort is made to ensure as few meetings as possible are staged on half grass/half straw surfaces.
2006 Former Milton Keynes trainer Jackie Taylor dies aged 47. Jackie trained a number of successful open racers during her career including Super Trooper, Who Knows, Tarmon Tia and Canary Sky.
1945 November 10. The first running of the Grand Prix at Walthamstow sees Magic Bohemian (bk w d Jesmond Cutlet-Magic Pool, Jun 43), trained at Wembley by Lesley Reynolds, go unbeaten through three rounds. The 10-11 favourite takes the £500 fin al over 525 yards by two lengths in 30.05. Walthamstow call it their “Classic”, but it is not granted classic status until 1971.
1991 Owner Jim Morris is told he cannot register his new acquisition Certain Way because he owns dogs on the independent scene. The bitch was later registered – under a totally misleading ownership of Mrs A H Reed and went on to great things under rules – as did Morris’s independent trainer Jim Gibson.
1981 The Breeders Forum manage to attract one of the country’s leading athletic coaches as a guest speaker, the AAA’s Frank Dick.
1946 Surrey County Council have rejected plans for the opening of a greyhound track in the Dorking area.
1975 Natalie Savva sends two open racers to Derby and wins both races in new track records. Westmead Border (Always Proud-Cricket Dance, Aug 73) sets a new best for 420 metres while Westmead Gale (Westmead Lane-Hacksaw, Aug 73) breaks the 764 metre clock.
1936 Catford, Clapton, Stamford Bridge and White City enter their ‘close season’ and will not be allowed to race for two months. West Ham, in a different licensing area will switch from two to three meetings per week.
1956 Wimbledon announce that they are considering paying appearance (‘also ran’) money for graded dogs who finish out of the first four. Chairman Con Stevens stated that he was not in favour of paying prize money to dogs beaten in low grade races, but he would consider it for runners in ‘top class events.’
1962 Sir Alan Herbert, greyhound owner, former MP, diplomat, author and playwright, uses his invite as guest speaker at the Gimcrack Lunch to launch an attack on the Conservative Government. He says: “There is one law for the horse, and another for the dog. This means in practice, one law for the rich and another law for the poor.”
