For some, the naming of their dogs can take a lot of thought. It is the name that the greyhound will carry with it through their racing life, printed on racecards and in the press. Something memorable is ideal although in the days of tracks being full on a Saturday, a humorous name was a surefire way to see them in all forecast and tricast multiples on the Tote.

Of course, these days there are fewer owners. Those who are still involved in the sport are still finding the right name for their pride and joy. Often, this will be after a loved one who has been lost or a private joke. We put a tweet out on X chasing down some stories. Anyone who has further please write in and we’ll do a follow-up at some point in the future.

Uncle Freddie

Mark Burridge with his Uncle Freddie in the mid-1960s.

So, who is Uncle Freddie and where does the syndicate name Kangaroo Petrol come from?

No better man to ask than Mark Burridge of Burridge Trophies, part-owner of the Richard Rees-trained Coral Sussex Cup finalist, who explained that ‘Uncle Freddie’ was a close family friend.

“He was my dad Derek’s best mate and our godfather. So not quite a blood relative, but we called him Uncle Freddie – and he was great,” explained Burridge, an avid Brentford fan and commentator.

“He died when I was 15 from prostate cancer in the days when treatment and diagnosis were pretty scarce. He left us with many happy memories, so when Freddie runs – and we’re calling his name – some great memories come flooding back.

“I’ve got a few greyhounds with my Brentford contacts but was looking to get a dog for myself as such – and call him Uncle Freddie. I saw this dog at Waterford and liked his attitude and, with the help of James Corden, did the deal.

“Charlie Rees was also a great help and they love him at the kennels. He always gives his best, is never far away, and did great to reach such a hot Sussex Cup final for myself and Brett (Capaldi), a great friend who’s the other member of Kangaroo Petrol.

“I know, it’s quite unusual and has caused something of a stir, but we were struggling timewise to get the names sorted, so just went with a syndicate name – and one of my Uncle Freddie stories came to mind.

“We’d be in his car and, after filling up at a petrol station. He used to make us laugh stopping and starting the car as we left the garage, bouncing the car all over the place, telling us he’s filled up with Kangaroo Petrol – hence the syndicate name!”

Uncle Juan

After an uncle seems to be a popular way to name a dog. Uncle Juan was named in memory of Juan Oliva’s uncle. A huge supporter of greyhound racing since moving from Gibraltar to England, he frequently attending racing at Walthamstow and Romford during greyhound racings heyday!

When the time came for Juan & his dad Andrew to purchase their first greyhound together it took no time at all to decide the dogs name.

Uncle Juan is a versatile performer over both four and six-bend trips and is proving to be a “model of consistency” as Juan told us with the majority of his races ending in a top 3 finish.

His highlight at the time of writing being an open maiden trophy victory at the current home of the derby, Towcester. This Rosie Tungatt trained hound is certainly one for everyone to watch and enjoy with Juan & his dad Andrew.

Wotnobubbles and Wotnofizz

Kevin Dear and Paul Carpenter have had some excellent dogs over the years. Kevin told us that “one evening while the Derby was on at Wimbledon, Paul and I went into the cafe situated in the car park for dinner before racing. We were told, much to my dismay, that they weren’t serving beans at night. The Wotnobeanz syndicate was formed as a result.

They had Wotnobubbles whose early pace made her the sectional record holder at Henlow. She injected that speed into her pups as well with Not So Lento a 14-time open race winner and Hardy Rebel who was an All England Cup finalist. Wotnofizz was a nine-time open race winner who made the quarter-final stage of the Derby for the syndicate.

Out Of Time

Not a take on the famous numberplate in Back To The Future but a solution to a problem. Liam Aspin’s dad bought a puppy from Linda Jones but struggled to come up with a name. Linda said they needed to come up with a name for the pup as they were running out of time. With that, the puppy was named.

Race For Grace

Bought after the passing of Grace Cawthorn Wilson’s great-grandmother Rose. She arrived from Ireland with the name Helleborus Niger which means black Christmas rose. That was changed to Race For Grace. She would go on to run in 99 races, winning 19 of them.

Tenor Max

We end with a humourous one sent in by James Moore. His friend David Connor named the dog as that was all they could get on with the bookies.