Remember When - The English Greyhound Derby

Bruno Berwick and Ron Mills (holding Derby trophy) parade their Derby victor Salad Dodger. 

Wimbledon 31 May 2014. (Note his grinning tipster – furthest left) Photo: Steve Nash 

Remember When 

The first English Derby contested in 1927 was worth £1,000 to the winner. Nobody knows the origin of the ‘Derby roar’ though it was first recognised by the Greyhound Express in 1949 under the headline “Listen Tonight And You Will Hear It.”  

From 1932 until 1970, the Derby was for 48 runners selected by the White City racing manager and was completed in 14 days.  

Seeding was introduced for the first time in 1971 but was scrapped for the last two White City Derbys in 1983 and 1984. All Derbys since have been seeded. Sporting Life journalist Reg Potter had been trying to get seeding banned since it was first introduced.  

The first Greyhound Derby was recorded and shown on the BBC in 1952. The first live broadcast was in 1956 with Brian Johnston as the commentator. But the BBC steadfastly refused to broadcast radio coverage of the event.  

The first three home in the 1927 Derby, Entry Badge, Ever Bright and Elder Brother were all owned by Edwin Baxter.  

Patricia's Hope and Mutts Silver were both buried in the veterinary hospital grounds at the GRA kennels in Northaw.  

Probably the unluckiest Derby owner was George Flintham “the Aga Khan of greyhound racing”. He owned ten Derby finalists including beaten favourites Ballycurreen Garrett (7-4f) and Galtee Cleo (4-5f) but never won the event. Cleo came closest when beaten half a length in the 1953 final.  

2014 Derby winner Salad Dodger began his career in A6 at Romford where he contested 14 graded races, the last being a defeat in A3. He failed to be accepted for maiden opens at Perry Barr and Monmore and reached the final without winning a heat after starting in the previous rounds in 7/4, 3/1, 14/1, 12/1, 16/1 and was 16/1 in the final. Joint owner and trainer Bruno Berwick had taken taken ante-post bets of £50 each/way at 500-1 with a further bet at 125-1. His confidence was only matched by Racing Post’s Phil Donaldson who napped the dog for the final. 

Four female trainers have won the Derby: Marie Yate who trained Fine Jubilee (1936), Barbara Tomkins who trained John Silver (1970) and I’m Slippy (1983), Gwen Lynds who trained Tartan Khan (1975) and Dolores Ruth who trained Shanless Slippy in 1996.

The first superstar of the track, Mick The Miller, developed distemper as a pup and didn’t win his first race until he was 22 months old.  

Cambridgeshire reared Chittering Clapton had been a 250-1 outsider before winning the 1965 Derby.  

The first ever Derby winner Entry Badge was a moderate courser who had previously finished runner-up in the minor value 16 dog Mentmore Cup. But he was also the shortest priced winning favourite ever at 1-4f.  

Double Derby winner Mick The Miller was the first greyhound to change hands for more than £1,000. He was sold after winning the 1929 Derby for 2,000 guineas.  

Mondays News was the subject of the most successful ante post bet in the history of the great race. His owner Donald Stewart was laid a bet of £1,000 to sixpence - odds of 40,000-1.  

The closure of Cardiff in 1977 meant the end of the triple crown: the English, Scottish and Welsh Derbys. The first to win it was British bred Trev’s Perfection (1947) who was later exported to the USA. Also successful was Mile Bush Pride (1959) and Patricia’s Hope (1972).  

Priceless Border was the subject of probably the biggest ante post gamble ever. He was backed to lose £150,000 (in 1947!) but had to be withdrawn after developing gastro entiritis before the semis. The following year he was an odds on ante post favourite and duly landed the 1948 Derby.  

Rio Quattro (originally named Droopys Bushel) landed the most valuable race ever staged in Britain or Ireland when winning the 2015 English Derby Final. It was sponsored by William Hill and worth £250,000. He was retired immediately after the final having only raced on 23 occasions and winning 11. 

The 1930 Derby final was so dominated by Mick The Miller (4-9f), that his five opponents were returned: 8-1, 100-8, and 100-6 each of three.  

Among those who could be listed as the 'best never to win a Derby'. Few would have greater claim than Local Interprize. He won the Welsh Derby, Scurry Gold Cup, Gold Collar and Cesarewitch but was beaten in two English Derby Finals, including finishing runner-up. Indeed, his trainer Stan Biss probably won more classics than any other trainer who failed to win a Derby.  

The 1954 winning favourite and Irish National Sprint winner Pauls Fun returned to Joe Booth’s kennel, from Leslie Reynolds’ after the big race and continued a brilliant career on the independent circuit. He was buried in the Booth’s back garden.  

The first English Derby was decided after a series of track championships with the first three home in the northern final competing against the first three in the southern final. The result was a south 1-2-3 whitewash.  

The 1965 Derby was disrupted by the theft of top puppy Hi Joe from the racing kennels at White City. He was eventually found by police in a Dunstable garage but had been injured and had a wrist pinfired. A peculiarity of a very old law meant a charge could not be made about dog stolen for more than six months. The two defendants were actually charged with theft of the dog’s coat but signed a disclaimer and were never punished.  

1940 saw the only wartime Derby. After the first round, held at White City, strong political pressure saw greyhound racing cancelled at the track. But nine days later the Derby resumed at Harringay. It was won by GR Archduke, previously disqualified for fighting and reckoned by many to have fought in the decider which he won by a neck  

The 1928 Derby winner Boher Ash was bought from promoters GRA for £25. He was trained by Edinburgh based Tom Johnston whose son Tom trained Westpark Mustard.  

Top hurdler Barrowside scared off the opposition so thoroughly that he was unable to get a race. In desperation, the dog was tried on the flat in the 1954 Derby. Although eliminated, he returned in 1955 and finished runner-up - having won the Grand National two months earlier.  

Helen Roche thought she had the solved the problem of being in Lourdes at the time her dog Ballinderry Ash was due to contest the 1991 Derby final. She asked partner Terry Corden to commentate the final on a mobile phone. Unfortunately when the dog hit the front the Nottingam promoter got so excited he dropped the phone and was disconnected.  

The 1981 Derby final was only the ninth race in the career of winner Parkdown Jet.  

The 1976 Derby winner Mutts Silver bought by Sporting Life editorial manager Ray Lancaster at the suggestion of the paper’s greyhound editor, and later NGRC boss Archie Newhouse. Great vision - but not one of the Life journalists tipped ‘Muttsy’ in the ante-post selections.