Remember when- Ladies

Remember When-Ladies

Just five bitches remain in the last 48 of the Derby.

Coincidentally, since its inception only five females have won the event.

Which was the best of them and why?

5) GRETA RANEE – 1935

Greta Ranee was not only the first female Derby winner, she would also have been watched by the biggest ever crowd.

The Derby first round was spread out during the week and after impressing in her first round heat when winning in 29.80 for White City’s 525 yards, the locally trained fawn was beaten in the second round which took place just two nights later.

But it would be her semi final win where controversy first raged. The sport was less than a decade old and races were still declared void when dogs fought or when there was excessive trouble in racing.

The Derby semi final won by Greta Ranee was one of those occasions. She avoided huge first bend trouble with the remaining five all beaten a distance. Much to the annoyance of a huge crowd, the result was allowed to stand.

A week later, and in front of a crowd of 88,700 spectators, the locally trained fawn again avoided the worst of the trouble and won a messy final by three quarters of a length in a very slow, 30.18.

The crowding had resulted in all six runners finishing within five lengths of each other and the crowds were unhappy to see favourite Curleys Fancy II finish second

They booed, Racing Manager Percy Brown claimed that the favourite had been fought at the third bend, but the result was allowed to stand.”

4) FARLOE VERDICT – 2003

It is unfortunate the Farloe Verdict’s 2003 win came courtesy of a stewards enquiry because it detracts from the career of an outstanding greyhound who on track ability alone, would merit a higher position.

Bred by Dessie Loughrey in Northern Ireland, the black joined Charlie Lister and reached the final of the Midlands Futurity as a pup.

She was just turned two when she won an Olympic semi final at Hove (29.72) only to finish runner-up in the final won in 29.86.

She then headed off to Hall Green where she set a new 480m track record when winning the Blue Riband.

It is ironic that she never really ran Wimbledon particularly well, won one slow heat of the 2003 Derby and was a 12/1 shot when crossing the winning line in second place behind Droopys Hewitt.

Verdict broke a metacarpal and then came in season and missed most of late 2003.

She returned better than ever in 2004 by going unbeaten through the Scottish Derby setting a new Shawfield track record of 28.79 in the final.

An attempt was made at a second English Derby and she went unbeaten for three rounds before having to be withdrawn.

She came back to a golden spell winning regional Oaks competitions at Nottingham and Coventry with a series of 10 wins from 11 races.

Verdict came back for a third season and finished runner-up in the Coventry Derby but was retired following a failed attempt at defending her Scottish title.

Unfortunately, Verdict made little impression as a brood before dying early.

3) SARAHS BUNNY – 1979

Behind every Derby winner there is a story, and in Sarahs Bunny’s case, there was more than one.

The ‘Meridan Maestro’ Geoffrey De Mulder had won the 1974 Derby with Jimsun and had the strong ante post fancy for the 1979 Derby, Desert Pilot.

The handsome white broke track records for fun and was backed by owner Joe De Mulder, Geoffrey’s dad to win £28K ante post (equivalent today of £235K).

Also in the kennel was Sarahs Bunny. Geoffrey had trained her dam Sugarloaf Bunny who had been involved in a terrible accident at Reading whereby she broke a front leg.

Geoffrey persuaded the track vet that she could be saved and a year later, when fully recovered, she had been mated to Jimsun.

The pups were reared in Ireland by Geoffrey’s sister-in-law Paula, and Sarahs Bunny was the pup in the litter chosen by Sugarloaf Bunny’s owner, Glyn Thayer.

Once she reached the track, Thyer planned to sell her to John Coleman. Geoffrey intervened and offered her to one of his owners, Midland jeweller Roy Hadley.

Bunny had done little of note as a pup but was only just turned two when she came in season in the January.

Her first run of note was a second round 29.27 in which all eyes were on her eliminated kennelmate Pat Seamur. She had won her third found heat well, been beaten by Desert Pilot in the quarters and then won her semi final.

Ironically, the brindle wasn’t even the quickest finalist. That honour went to the former grader turned Derby favourite, Tyrean.

By any standards, the 1979 final was a cracker also featuring defending champion Lacca Champion and crack Irish open racer Tough Decision.

But with Lacca having lost his early pace, Sarahs Bunny took a commanding early lead and was never headed.

Her winning time of 29.53 was ‘decent’ though in hindsight it would just be the start. Before the year was out she had also won the Eclipse and finished runner-up in the Northern Flat and Select Stakes.

She would return as an outstanding brood throwing two Derby finalists in Master Hardy (RU) and Fearless Action, Blue Riband winner Fearless Champ and dual Pall Mall winner Fearless Ace.

2) NARROGAR ANN  – 1949

A daughter of the 1944 Waterloo Cup winner Dutton Swordfish, British bred Narrogar Ann came into the 1949 Derby as the previous year’s Western Two Year Old Produce Stakes winner at Eastville, Bristol. Three of the litter took the tricast places.

She had been placed with Wembley trainer Les Reynolds just a couple of months before the Derby and duly won her first round heat and second round in 29.13 and 29.05 before finding one too good in the semis when narrowly beaten by 29.20 winner Sailing At Dawn.

Ann was drawn trap two in the final with Sailing At Dawn on her inside and the other semi winner Glencoy Regent (28.87) in three.

The race pattern was decided when outsider, and hurdles track record holder, Dangerous Prince trapped in front and moved across to rails on the run-up and impeded the two inside him.

5/1 chance Narrogar Ann, always expected to be at the back of the pack in the early stages and found herself in third place behind the leader and Sailing At Dawn at the second bend.

She passed Sailing At Dawn by the third bend and Prince on the run-in, thus becoming the first hound in 14 years to come from behind to win the Derby. Her time was a decent 28.95.

She came into season two days after the final.

She returned to racing to win the Critchley Trophy beating the infamous Red Wind and the fabulous Sheevan and also won the Gilbert Trophy at Hackney setting a new 550 yard track record.

The following year, following a mating with Reynolds 1948 Derby winner she produced the 1952 Derby, Laurels and Welsh Derby winner Endless Gossip.

After an attempt at coursing and winning a prize at Crufts, he was eventually sold to the USA where he became a successful sire with progeny including the All-American Big Gossip.

1) DOLORES ROCKET – 1971

There are so many stories about Dolores Rocket that a book could be written about her.

In fact the drama started before she was born.

Rocket’s dam, Come On Dolores, was trained by Ernie Gaskin snr and was probably the best marathon performer of her era. And also the toughest. On one occasion she won two marathons – 1025 yards and 1030 yards – within three days. On another occasion, she landed a 1,030 yard marathon just 24 hours after a 1,041 yard open.

At the end of her career, she was sent to Jack Mullan to be mated to top coursing sire Newdown Heather, only for stud keeper Jack Mullan to be unhappy about the mating. She was then covered by kennelmate Monalee Champion.

Mullan attempted to void the first mating but the Irish Coursing Club refused to cancel the paperwork.

In the meantime, Dolores had returned to England but while heavily in whelp, his father died and Ernie decided he would need to sell Come On Dolores.

She was bought in whelp for £375 by four brothers from Surrey, Bert, Len, Arthur and John White. She was whelped down by them and at three months old, they advertised the litter for sale in the Sporting Life, but they went unsold

She made her NGRC debut as a 12/1 shot in a Brighton open in September 1970.

By December she had shown enough ability to win the Puppy Oaks and be invited to contest the Sporting Life Juvenile Championship at Wimbledon which she won by a short head.

She was still not two years old when entered in the 700 yard Spring Cup at Wimbledon, which she duly won.

She was kept incredibly busy. In April alone she races six times winning the Spring Cups at Crayford and Wembley.

Plans for an attempt at the All England Cup were scuppered when Rocket finished lame at Harringay and she went straight into the 1971 English Derby.

She made it through to the final with a couple of heat wins but was beaten in the semi final by Irish entry Ivy Hall Flash who went to traps as the 7/4 favourite.

In all honesty there was very little on the clock between the six finalists, with only Cobbler (20/1) seen as a complete outsider.

At trap rise, Surpeme Fun took up the lead with the favourite crowded and Dolores Rocket in last place.

By the time they entered the back straight there was little between them. Supreme Fun continued to lead and connections would later privately claim that for the first and only time in his career, the Sid Ryall runner didn’t go on.

Certainly, he was being caught by his paternal half sister on the run-in and she went on to win by half a length in 28.74.

To this day, she remains the only winner of the Juvenile to go on and win the Derby – albeit they were in separate years. (The Juvenile was held in December).

Within days, she was contesting the Essex Vase at Romford. She wins the final by 10 lengths in a track record setting a 650 record that was never beaten.

She then progressed onto Wembley where she went within one spot of the 700 yard track record on her way to winning the 1971 St.Leger. She would later go lame in the Cesarewitch Final.

Rocket finished the year having won 26 of 40 races (having gone lame in October!) and is duly elected as Greyhound of the Year.

In fact, when she retired the following April, Rocket’s career earnings were a record £15,044, a figure that wouldn’t be beaten until Patricia’s Hope won his second English Derby and then by a mere £23.

Though not quite achieving the heights of Sarahs Bunny as a dam, Dolores Rocket threw a number of very decent hounds including Golden Jacket winner Sindys Flame and Crayford track record breaker Sandpiper Dolly.

STEVE NASH PIC+++Wimbledon 2.12.03+++FARLOE VERDICT poses perfectly for the Sky cameraman as Mark Bates proudly walks his bitch up the track to collect the Derby trophy, awarded following the disqualification of Droopys Hewitt.