Floyd's Memories of August Past - 12 August 2025

Greyhound Racing in August

1978 

Sherrys Prince, the only dog to win three Grand Nationals, dies at GRA’s Northaw Kennels, aged 11 years and four months. ‘Nooky’ was reckoned to be so ungenuine when racing on the flat that he recorded faster times over hurdles. He won 45 opens for John Shevlin and Colin West and broke six track records. 

2020

GBGB announce the appointment of Exececutive Commercial Director Mark Moisley. A Board press release states “As Commercial Director, Mark will work closely with stadia and stakeholders across the sport to raise the profile of greyhound racing, widen its appeal to new audiences and explore commercial opportunities.” 

CEO Mark Bird states: “British greyhound racing is an exciting, historic and welfare-centric sport. It is clear, however, that, to ensure it has a bright future, we need greater and more focused commercial direction so that we promote everything that is great about our sport, further our commercial partnerships and reach untapped audiences.   

“Mark has a clear entrepreneurial drive and through the recruitment process has proven his ability to see the big picture for the future of our sport. He has strong experience of working for a club, stadium and players and, over the coming months, he will translate this experience into the context of greyhound racing by getting to know stakeholders throughout our sport.”  

1987

Gosforth Stadium, Britain’s last remaining all-covered track closes. 

1977

Xmas Holiday (Supreme Fun-Marys Snowball) is retired to stud at the kennels where he was born and reared, Phil Rees’ range in Surrey. During a successful career, ‘Pudding’ won the Laurels, Scurry and Essex Vase and reached the 1976 Derby Final won by kennelmate Mutts Silver. 

2007

GRA is put on the market with property consultants King Sturge Financial Services for a price “in excess of £100m” 

1985

The NGRC has two new stipendiary stewards. Ex-White City trainer Frank Melville will take over the south east. Former general manager and promoter Dan McCormick will cover East Anglia. 

2001 

Late Late Show is a best priced 15-8 to win Shelbourne’s Champion Stakes Final despite defeat at 1-7f in the heats. He had won his previous 16 in a row. 

2020

Eddie Lesley, the owner of Swaffham Raceways called a meeting to anyone interested in seeing the venue return as a greyhound stadium. Around 20 people attended. Lesley has already acquired starting traps, a hare rail and a photo finish. 

2013

The 2011 champion trainer Chris Allsopp is 4-9f to win the Trainers Championship which he leads by 18 points from reigning champ Mark Wallis. The latter bemoans a bad run of injuries and has drifted to 8-1. What value that would have looked four months later! 

1995

Shelbourne Park opens its greatly upgraded main grandstand.  New features include four exec boxes plus new bars and a complete new restaurant. The cost is £2.5m 

2003

The RGT announces that it has homed its 25,000th former racer. The landmark retiree is former Stow grader Westpoint Becca. 

1998

Police are to investigate how the Racing Post carried four incorrect results on the same night at Yarmouth and Reading. The real winners were Granard Class (11-10f), Decoy Elm (9-2) Brothers Beach (6-1) and Lisnakill Roy (11-10f). The paper had previously printed the winners as Sand Buster (4-1f), Security Gaz (4-1), Kilacquinn (7-1) and Lisnakill Roy (3-1). 

1978

Preston leave the NGRC to race as an independent following its sale to the owners of the track at Blackpool. Lancashire will now have two NGRC venues, Belle Vue and Manchester White City. 

1966

Trainer Gay McKenna sends out the forecast in the Irish Derby Final at Shelbourne Park. The winner is favourite Always Proud (Clonalvy Pride-Always A Rebel, Jan 64) who leads home Tiger Chief by a length and a half in 29.44 to win the biggest prize ever paid to a winner in Ireland, 2,000 punts.  

1996

The National Association of Dog Wardens are threatening to blacklist greyhound racing. They are angry over the refusal of greyhound authorities to identify greyhounds. The warden’s spokesman describes the greyhound authorities as “hiding behind the Data Protection Act.” The BGRB’s Geoffrey Thomas responds: “We are obviously very cautious about who we give information to, though we always try to work with recognised bodies such as the National Canine Defence League and RSPCA. If the dog wardens will contact us, I am sure we can work something out.” 

1966

Walthamstow trainers: Durkin, Dave Geggus, Marsh, O’Neill, Barney O’Connor, Paddy Reilly. 

2020

Greyhound Trust issue a statement confirming that following an investigation by the Charity Commission, they have been exonerated of any “financial instability and leadership and governorship concerns.The Trust had self-reported themselves to the Commission following what they describe as “allegations made by GBGB in April 2020.”  

2005 

Bell Legend, who seemed destined never to race again, makes his debut for Mark Wallis in a Monmore open. The black, who had broken a hock some 13 months earlier in the Select Stakes, completes his rehabilitation with a win the Steel City Cup. 

2001 

Ron Jeffrey, a trainer for 44 years, is convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after a bitch in his kennel is bitten by two other dogs. 

1997

Nicki Chambers’ Uncle Festa wins his 15th consecutive open race at Harlow. 

1976

Bord na gCon are to experiment with dope testing for the first time. Samples from a small number of races will be sent for analysis to laboratories at Trinity College Dublin. 

2002 

Following a serious health scare Charlie Lister announce he will halve his current racing strength of 40. 

2011

Sheffield grader Shome Thebunny makes her debut for BBC Radio 5 Live’s presenter Colin Murray. 

1986

Autumn Magic (Tender Hothead-Long Bar), disappointing favourite for the Coursing Derby, returns to Northern Ireland to win the Irish National Sprint Final. 

2016

Steve Gammon relinquishes his trainer’s licence with Katie O’Flaherty taking over. Meanwhile Bernie Doyle hands in his notice at Wimbledon after being offered a Romford contract. In the Midlands, Paul White switches from Nottingham to Monmore. 

1996

Charles Lenox-Coyngham is appointed the new chairman of the BGRF. He boasts an impressive CV in business management having worked in merchant shipping. 

2008

 The strongly fancied Killahan Phanter breaks a foreleg and a hock in the quarter finals of the Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park. 

1984

New track record holder Chief Ironside (29.30) was market leader for the £4,000 Dundalk International. But the cash went to Ger McKenna and his Irish Laurels winner Rugged Mick (Ceili Band-Blueberry Pet). Fastest away, Mick led home Hove runner The Jolly Norman in 29.34. 

1995 

Two men were arrested at John McGee jnr’s kennels in relation to two stolen paintings. 

2015

Harry Crapper retires as a Sheffield trainer aged 71. He joined the stadium as a kennelhand after leaving school.