Remember When - 18 June 2025

Remember When

1927 June 20 Britain’s second track, White City (London) stage their first greyhound meeting. It was built to stage the 1908 Olympic Games and was opened by King Edward VII. The first race on the eight-race card is a veterans race “for six greyhounds that ran last season at Manchester”. The event was worth £15 to the winner and was won by Charlie Cranston in 30.86 for the 525 yards. The eight-race card includes an event for unraced dogs plus three events over hurdles. Also running on the same card, but narrowly beaten, was the dog destined to win the first Greyhound Derby, Entry Badge. 

1971 GRA announce plans to close Charlton. In a board statement, it is announced that White City may be sold though an alternative site is being sought. Harringay is to be 'developed' though there are no guarantees for Manchester, White City, Glasgow Carntyne, Clapton or West Ham. 

1993 Portsmouth trainer Hugo Spencer retires after 55 years at the track. 

1981 Figures from the 100th Greyhound Stud Book show 1,569 litters, the highest number of British bred pups since 1948. The book covers a 13 month period, though the 1,446 litters for 12 months is still the highest for many years. 

1951 Walthamstow decide to rip out their inside lure and replace it with a McKee-Scott, as used at all the major tracks. 

1993 Manchester United centre back Paul McGrath wins the Macroom Motors Stake at Cork with Dive For Gold. 

1983 Ladbrokes face widespread criticism after announcing that Perry Barr and Crayford have been sold for development. Of the seven tracks bought by the company in 1975, they have already shut Willenhall and Leeds, the latter of which saw them lose a public enquiry (they have gone to appeal). The betting giants have also leased out Brough Park and Gosforth to the unpopular Jim Glass leaving only Monmore Green untouched. Even there, they were subject of a highly critical survey from local owners who claimed that the management were ‘ex betting shop staff with little knowledge of greyhound racing’. 

Some 35 months earlier, Ladbrokes’ Head of Greyhound Stadia Nigel Payne had said: “I wish our critics would shut up. We did not enter the greyhound industry to speculate on property deals. We are 100% sincere in our view that greyhound racing has a secure, profitable future and we have a hard working management team that are marketing that philosophy. 

“Monmore and Perry Barr are doing extremely well. Crayford, as our critics admit, is an outstanding success story. Leeds is popular and profitable and we are spending £300,000 on improvements at Brough Park. Yes there are still people prepared to think the worst. It’s not fair on our staff, our owners and our regular customers.” 

1961 In a review of the failure of his dogs to run well in the Flagler International, Lesley Reynolds focuses on three main difficulties: the Florida climate, the sand track, and the banked bends, which Reynolds believes was  “80%” of the problem. 

2012 A survey in the Sporting Press reveals that since 1970 the number of on-course bookies attending meetings has fallen from 687 to 91. 

1985 June 11 A huge crowd turn out at Brough Park, Newcastle, for the first race there of Ken Peckham's phenomenon, Scurlogue Champ, in a £250 to the winner open. The July 82 black dog by Sand Man out of Old Rip, starts a very short 1-8 fav. The local bookies lay the other 4 runners at 8-1, 20-1, 50-1, 100-1, a good book of 108%. The big crowd gave a huge roar as the race started, and "Duke" (Scurlogue's pet name) was well away laying second to the 8-1 second favourite Muskerry Prince, for the first four bends. He then swept into the lead at the fifth bend and turned on his power house finish to delight the crowd. Champ won by 11 lengths in a new track record of 52.62 the old record was 52.97. It was also Duke's 14th win in a row. 

1993 The ICC announce that they will introduce muzzling to coursing.

2018 Matt Dartnall, having his best ever year as a trainer, departs Towcester after accepting a contract to race at Hove. He is soon followed by Hampshire based June Harvey. Meanwhile their new colleague Claude Gardiner is temporarily quarantining his kennel following the death of one of his greyhounds due to pneumonia. No sooner had quarantine been lifted than one of Norah McEllistrim’s runners was taken ill with similar symptoms. With runners at a premium, Hove cancel the next three Saturday meetings. 

1969 June 25 GRA announce plans to sell Clapton, Charlton and Manchester White City to Stock Conversion. The deal will also gives a three year option for the sale of 12 acres of Harringay, though not the six acres containing the stadium. GRA is to take up 30% share of the equity of the new development. company. “GRA shareholders will receive notification today of changing the character of their business” The company name is to change to GRA Property Trust. 

1928 June 27, Cork hold their first meeting at the Showgrounds. 

2003 The Irish Greyhound Board announce that they will scrap the 96 runner limit for the ’03 Irish Derby. 

1936 June 13, Cork hold their first meeting at Western Road.

1993 Canterbury grader Farncombe Lady won her first ever race - at five years and three months of age. 

2010 Compass Mikey completes the set when winning at Lifford. He has now won at every track in Southern Ireland – some 54 wins in 152 outings. 

1971 Despite a visit from NGRC Secretary Fred Underhill and steward Ken Guy, Yarmouth promoter Len Franklin has turned down the opportunity to switch his track from independent to NGRC racing. He states: “Local owners cannot be expected to pay a £15 a year licence fee to race one £50 dog” (Index linked to £313 and £1,046 respectively). 

2015 Dogs Trust produce a report ‘Don’t Bet On Fair Treatment’ that it is highly critical of greyhound racing, most specifically the condition of trainer’s kennels, including dark, dirty, and damp conditions. They are also unhappy at the condition of some of the vehicles used to transport racers and some kennels only feeding once a day due to racing schedules. 

1950 An owner successfully sues Catford Stadium and trainer Sherry after his racing bitch, Fine Lass, has an ‘accidental’ litter of three pups by a minor open racer in the same kennel. The owner is awarded £10 (index linked to roughly £477) plus costs. 

1982 Locally trained Donnas Dixie (Black Beetle-Bright Parade) completely dominates the £2,500 Western Produce Stakes at Bristol. The Henry Kibble trained started at 1-5f in the final and clocked 28.54 for the 470m decider. 

2004 Aidan Tynan is appointed as the new CEO at the Irish Greyhound Board. Tynan's father Aidan and uncle Frank were both well known breeders responsible for the 'Jamie' and 'Hack Up' prefixes respectively. 

1946 White City announce that the Derby finalists will not be required to kennel until 10pm. 

1993 Hall Green regulars are unused to seeing unraced pups qualify straight into A1 but a 17 month old blue brindle does just that after a 28.76 qualifying trial. Her name is Westmead Chick. 

2012 Crayford plan a special Diamond Jubilee Tea meeting for the Bank Holiday Tuesday – before realising that they are not actually racing that day. 

1957 Bookmaker Richard Occleshaw of Wigan appears in court charged with conspiracy to defraud the public. The court heard that during a ‘sting operation’ a police office sat in the van belonging to Frank Hubbard, a trainer at Raikes Park, Bolton and heard Occleshaw attempt to persuade the trainer to ‘stop’ the dog by use of a double dose of a tonic.