The History of the Yarmouth Derby

2009 - Fear Zafonic bursts clear early on his way to East Anglian Derby victory from kennelmates Jordansoilutions (1) and Farloe Reason (2) for a Lister tricast Yarmouth Pic Steve Nash 

The start of the Yarmouth Derby 

The first Yarmouth Derby was staged in August 1947 and was part of a major revamp of the stadium with the feature event arriving just too early for the opening of a new grandstand. 

Work was already in hand to add speedway racing the following summer. 

Promoted by Len Franklin and Ernie Whedon, the track staged regular graded races over three different distances, plus hurdles. 

There are few details known about the first winner beyond her name, Maggie Rose, owner ‘Mr A Banham’ and winning time of 28.93. 

The £350 planned first prize which would be the equivalent of around £19,800 today, though local records suggest that the 48 entries were not met and the winner collected £150. The entry fee was £10 (£565). 

The trophy was presented by British heavyweight champion Bruce Woodcock, who was himself a well known greyhound trainer, based near Doncaster who had both racers and coursers. 

Over the years, the track regularly invited sportsmen or celebrities, appearing locally in the Yarmouth theatres, to present the trophies. 

They included another British heavyweight champ and Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough. 

The Yarmouth Derby unknowns

Prior to 1975, the registered identities of the winners of the various finals remained known only to the close connections. 

One of the interesting performers was a dog called White Nigger. A dog of similar name had been a leading NGRC performer for owner trainer Frank Davis but the dog had been declared ‘dead’ by Davis who was later imprisoned for his part in the most famous ‘ringer’ case in history involving Waggles, aka Red Wind. 

Happy Harry was reckoned to be the fastest dog ever to run the track, prior to its switch to rules and stud book names. 

A winner of the event in 1966 and 1967, and the 1966 Ipswich Derby, he was reckoned by most locals to have been trained by the ‘King of the Flaps’ Joe Booth. The record says the owner was ‘Mr Key’ and the 1966 winning time of 28.19 was a record which stood for 25 years until bettered by Terry Kibble’s track record breaking Dempsey Duke. 

It was also suggested that other Booth trained winners included Pauls Fun, the dog who the Nottingham based handler trained in the second half of his career having already won the English Derby for Leslie Reynolds. 

The first East Anglian Derby under NGRC rules was staged in 1975 and won by Ron Wilding’s Another Gear, who just happened to be a son of Joe Booth’s English Laurels winner Cricket Bunny. 

Ron was back the following year and won it again with Huberts Town 

Multiples winners and records

 There is possibly no event in the racing calendar that has been more heavily dominated by one trainer than Charlie Lister OBE and the East Anglian Derby which he has won on 12 occasions. (Gunner Smith’s nine Regencys would be one of the closest) 

Charlie can’t remember how many times he won it himself ‘as a flap’ nor as one of Joe Booth’s owners. 

Although he had won a couple of lesser events, the 1981 final won by Swift Band was Charlie’s first major success as an NGRC trainer. 

Charlie had reached agreement to buy the powerful fawn from Irish trainer Dinny Brae (dad of Ollie) after the pair had found themselves bidding against each other at Shelbourne Sales. Band then went on to win the Bedfordshire Derby at Henlow. 

The classiest of Charlie’s winners though was probably Fear Zafonic who won the event in 2009/2010. 

He followed a tradition set by Lister runners of breaking the ‘462’ track record following Ramtogue Dasher (27.91), Geordie Parker (27.52), Farloe Reason (27.49), and Ninja Jamie (27.40).  

In 2010, Zafonic reduced the clock to 27.27 and 27.17, which he held for eight years until it was equalled by King Elvis and then beaten last week by Swift Depot (27.10). 

Other multiple winners included Noreen Simmons with Our Rufus. The fawn won the 1978 and ’79 final when trained by John Coleman. 

Noreen made it three in a row when landing the 1980 final with Kilrickle Star which she trained herself. 

In terms of numbers though, Mark Wallis is closest to Charlie with four victories, normally ‘at a price’: Fear No One (3/1), Clondoty Alex (9/2), Antigua Storm (7/4f) and Hopes Paddington (7/1). 

The local Yarmouth Derby winners

The first verified local to win the East Anglian Derby was Bungay Joker who won the penultimate final as an independent track (1973) for Bungay butcher and keen dog man, Jack Lambert. 

Joker was most notable for his size, a male who tipped the scales at a mere 57 pounds (25.8kg). 

The first local to win the race ‘under rules’ was Westmead Dance in 1977. Bred by Nick Savva and trained by John Wells, Dance became for the first greyhound to break 28.00 for the ‘462’, an astonishing record that she held for a decade. 

Among the more interesting local stories was Whole Day, a British bred son of Prince Champion who showed no inclination for racing as a youngster. 

He was sold to local farmer Michael Cock for £5 and ran around his farm until he was approaching his fourth birthday. 

Given a zest for life, Michael decided to give the dog a couple of runs at Bury St.Edmunds. He was a revelation and Michael asked local trainer Pam Cross to take him.  

A strong finisher blessed with excellent trackcraft, he reached the 1980 final and finished runner-up to Kilrickle Star. 

The 1996 winner Blue Murlen was bred in nearby Gorleston, a son of the 1992 winner Murlens Abbey out of Lovely Lovely, a former Walthamstow trained bitch who had been doubly disqualified for deliberate interference. 

Trained locally by Gary Harding, the 37 kilo blue was one of the fastest dogs of his generation, winning the Arc and Blue Riband, and one of the few dogs to beat Some Picture on merit. 

Regular A1 winner Hanover Peer was the biggest priced winner (16/1) of recent years for respected local dog man Ray Pleasants. 

The last local to win the event was Norwich bred hound Do It For Twiggy in 2015. The son of A1 regular Rackethall Holly then went on to win the Kent Derby for trainer Erica Samuels. 

The 44th and Charlie’s second. Yarmouth joint founder Len Franklin about to present the winner’s trophy to connections of the 1990 winner Artie Joe. (l-r) Len Franklin, Valerie Lister, George Hall (kennelhand), Denis Neale (owner), Paul Richardson (owner) and trainer Charlie Lister. Pic Steve Nash 

Gorleston bred Blue Murlen won the 1996 East Anglian Derby and plenty more besides. Pic Steve Nash 

Lakenheath based Linda Jones landed the 2000 Derby with Courts Legal. His is pictured with his training connections (owner on holiday) - left to right: (a very young) Mark Wallis, Allan and Doris Gutteridge, Ron Smith, Kelly Gutteridge, Eric Brown and Linda Jones Pic Steve Nash 

Mark Wallis was back as a trainer for the 2005 victory of Fear No One, led on parade by his (young) kenneland Patrick Janssens who would in turn train the 2020 and 2024 winners Kilara Lion and Druids Say Go.  

Stephen Franklin presents the East Anglian Derby trophy to Mark WallisAlso pictured are kennelhands Dale Thomas (left) and Patrick Janssens Pic Steve Nash 

The ‘Yarmouth’ Derby was one event that Pat Mullins always hoped to win but died before achieving it before his premature death . (He did win an English Derby, a string of classics and was champion trainer in the year before he died). Nevertheless the competition remained personal to the family. Widow Linda got there with Ceekay in 1998, paraded by her Assitant Trainer son John. 16 years later, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when John trained Swift Keith to win the 2014 final. 

The Sky cameras move in as John Mullins lifts the Yarmouth Derby trophy at the presentation. Swift Keith held by Colin Hadley. Pic Steve Nash

The last of the locals to win it. 13/8f Do It For Twiggy held off Southfield Jock to win the 2015 final for trainer Erica Samuels. 

Co-owner Keith Cooper holds the East Anglian Derby trophy aloft. Erica Samuels centre front with son and assistant trainer Craig alongside, Chloe Fairman (Erica’s granddaughter) holds the winner. Pic Steve Nash