1968 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

1968 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
Oaks champion Shady Parachute

The 1968 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 42nd year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[1]

Roll of honour

Major Winners
Award	Name of Winner
1968 English Greyhound Derby	Camira Flash [2][3]
1968 Irish Greyhound Derby	Yellow Printer[4][5]
1968 Scottish Greyhound Derby	Lisamote Precept [6]
1968 Welsh Greyhound Derby	Swift Half [7]
Greyhound Trainer of the Year	Phil Rees Sr.
Greyhound of the Year	Yellow Printer
Irish Greyhound of the Year	Russian Gun

Summary

A greyhound called Yellow Printer arrived on the racing scene and was regarded as the fastest greyhound for many years. The fawn dog was voted Greyhound of the year and won the Irish Greyhound Derby, in addition to setting a new world record over 525 yards of 28.30 seconds at White City Greyhounds.^[8]

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was presented with greyhound called Camira Flash, to become the sports most prominent greyhound owner. The fawn and white greyhound was given to him at a charity meeting at Harringay Stadium just over a month before the Derby started, with the condition that all prize money earned would go to the Duke Of Edinburgh Awards Scheme. The greyhound went on to win the 1968 English Greyhound Derby.^[9]

Tracks

The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) closed the operation at Stamford Bridge on 1 August, which left a gap on the Bookamkers Afternnon Greyhound Service (BAGS), which was taken by New Cross Stadium. Stamford Bridge trainer Sid Mann switched his runners to West Ham Stadium.^[7][10][11]

Swindon Stadium changed over to National Greyhound Racing Club rules in April and Cambridge opened on the 6 October as an independent track.^[12]

News

The foot and mouth disease had continued into early 1968, which forced racing to lose more fixtures. A new publication started called the Greyhound Magazine with the intention of giving the sport complete coverage, although the Sporting Life gave results coverage, it did not give an inside view of the sport itself.^[7][10][11]

In September the GRA moved all of the greyhounds out of the Clapton Stadium kennels at Claverhambury Farm and the West Ham Stadium kennels and put them at the training establishment at Hook Estate and Kennels, in Northaw. The kennels would now house all trainers from Harringay, White City, Clapton and West Ham which brought the estate under considerable pressure. Furthermore the move indicated that the GRA directors had earmarked Clapton and West Ham as possible future sales. Trainer Paddy Keane acted quickly and moved back to Ireland to train from kennels there. In a further change George Curtis left Portsmouth for Brighton.^[7][10][11]

Eastville Stadium became one of the first circuits to abandon grass, becoming sand based, many tracks would follow suit over the next decade. John Jolliffe, Racing Manager at Wembley Greyhounds retired after a 37 year career that started as Dundee Racing Manager, then Aberdeen and Cardiff, before his Wembley appointment.^[7][10][11]

Trainer Dick Carter and his wife Patricia were killed in a car crash on Christmas Eve 1968, leaving the Reading stadium management and bookmakers organising a trust fund for their two daughters.^[10][11]

Ireland

The Bord na gCon invested heavily into Irish tracks, purchasing Shelbourne Park and putting £240,000 of investment into the track.^[13] It received an added bonus when it was decided that it would host the Irish Greyhound Derby every year from 1970.^[4]

Competitions

In the Western Produce Stakes trainer Jim Morgan owned and trained the first three home, Happy Harry relegated sister Hiver Whitenose and brother Harrys Oppo to the minor placings.^[12] Tric Trac returned to racing for a short time, after taking a rest from stud duties and won the Wimbledon Champion Stakes; he died shortly afterwards following a kennel accident. Yellow Printer won the Wembley Summer Cup before heading for Ireland and the Irish Greyhound Derby. After returning to England he won the Anglo Irish International.^[10][11][8]

Forward King, one of the exceptional Leo Stack litter, won the St Leger at Wembley Greyhounds and the Scottish St Leger, the only dog ever to have won both. He also won the Wembley Gold Cup and the Cock of the North. He won half of his 70 open events but might never have reached a race track at all because when he was twelve months old, he escaped from his kennels and lived wild on the Yorkshire moors for several weeks before being recaptured.^[10][11]

The year ended with a major challenge at Limerick when the leading Irish star Flaming King trained by Tony Quigley, met Yellow Printer now under the charge of Paddy Milligan. The race was won by Flaming King and Yellow Printer's owner Pauline Wallis reacted by buying Flaming King for £5,000 from Frank Moran and taking him back to England.^[10][11]

Principal UK races

Grand National, White City (April 20 525y h, £500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Ballintore Tiger Norman Chambers 1-3f 29.50 1 2nd Benmore Prince Nora Gleeson 11-2 29.88 4 3rd Super Fame Nora Gleeson 12-1 30.44 6 4th Handy John 25-1 30.58 5 5th Big Crackers 33-1 30.90 3 6th Shells Tiger Clare Orton 12-1 30.91 2

BBC Sportsview TV Trophy, Romford (Apr 23, 880y, £1,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Shady Begonia Norman Oliver 2-1f 50.53 2nd Hi There Snow 3rd Poor Mick Randy Singleton 4th Old Irish Gilbert Shaw 5th Forward King Ted Brennan 6th Miss Taft Bob Burls

Gold Collar, Catford (May 11, 570y, £1,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Shanes Rocket Paddy Milligan 7-2 33.39 3 2nd Ballyneale Kim Tom Reilly 9-2 33.79 5 3rd Greenville Boy John Horsfall 9-2 34.07 6 4th Discretions Dave Geggus 7-4f 34.09 1 5th Breachs Bills Paddy Milligan 10-1 34.13 4 6th Surprising Fella Jack Smith 8-1 34.37 2

The Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Jun 1, 600y, £500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Carmen John J Millis 10-1 41.16 5 2nd Spotted Nice Tom Johnston Jr. 3-1 41.30 4 3rd Lissadell Como Jimmy Jowett 4-1 41.62 2 4th Conna Queen 10-1 41.72 1 5th Fully Booked Eric Adkins 4-1 41.78 3 6th Keen Dew Tom Johnston Jr. 3-1 00.00 6

Welsh Derby, Arms Park (Jun 29, 525y £500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Swift Half Jim Irving 9-2 29.58 5 2nd Moose Jet 12-1 29.82 4 3rd Hack Up Georgie Phil Rees Sr. 20-1 30.16 6 4th Ballinaglough 20-1 30.32 3 5th Discretions Dave Geggus 4-5f 30.36 2 6th El Campo Jim Irving 3-1 30.52 1

Oaks, Harringay (Jul 1, 525y, £1,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Shady Parachute Phil Rees Sr. 1-2f 29.38 1 2nd Shady Hobby 12-1 29.68 4 3rd Brinmark Suzy Jim Singleton 8-1 29.71 3 4th Sid's Rose Noreen Collin 4-1 30.11 2 5th Ciarraidhe John Bassett 20-1 30.19 5 N/R Keymer Jill Charlie Curtis

Scurry Gold Cup, Clapton (Jul 13, 400y £1,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Foyle Tonic Paddy Keane 15-8f 22.59 3 2nd Bygone Time Paddy Keane 11-4 22.95 1 3rd Monkhams Express 20-1 23.41 5 4th Fionas Chance Barney O'Connor 12-1 23.47 2 5th Hi Moments 2-1 23.57 6 6th Model Grand Dave Barker 25-1 23.71 4

Laurels, Wimbledon (Aug 9, 500y, £1,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Ambiguous Paddy McEvoy 8-1 28.10 4 2nd Shady Parachute Phil Rees Sr. 4-5f 28.11 5 3rd Petrovitch Jack Harvey 6-1 28.43 1 4th Kerry Long Ago Paddy Milligan 4-1 28.44 6 5th Beaverwood Wind Stan Martin 12-1 28.62 3 6th Duck Snatcher Adam Jackson 20-1 28.82 2

St Leger, Wembley (Aug 26, 700y, £1,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Forward King Ted Brennan 9-4 39.98 1 2nd Cream Puff II Tom Johnston Jr. 5-2 40.22 3 3rd Hiver Whitenose Vicky Holloway 15-8f 40.26 5 4th Ballygill Rover Jim Singleton 20-1 40.42 4 5th Clueless Pigalle Paddy McEvoy 10-1 40.56 6 6th Deise Flash Jack Harvey 33-1 40.86 2

Scottish Greyhound Derby, Carntyne (Aug 31, 525y, £1,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Lisamote Precept Joe Kelly 5-1 28.93 1 2nd Cu Luain Jim Brennan 7-1 28.95 2 3rd Prairie Jet Paddy Coughlan 1-1f 28.99 4 4th Super Kid Joe Pickering 12-1 29.05 6 5th Quiet Cheer Joe Booth 4-1 29.08 3 6th Hack Up Georgie Phil Rees Sr. 8-1 29.12 5

Cesarewitch, West Ham (Oct 4, 600y, £1,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Deen Valley Paddy Keane 4-5f 33.29 1 2nd Badge of Fancy Tom Johnston Jr. 7-1 33.35 3 3rd Prince Ringo Jack Harvey 8-1 33.41 6 4th Willing Billie Noreen Collin 12-1 33.46 4 5th Shady Begonia Norman Oliver 5-2 33.50 2 6th Fire Trap Paddy McEvoy 12-1 33.74 3

Totalisator returns

Extended content

The totalisator returns declared to the licensing authorities for the year 1968 are listed below.[14][15] Stadium Turnover £ London (White City) 6,309,024 London (Wimbledon) 3,972,064 London (Harringay) 3,711,958 London (Walthamstow) 3,626,404 London (Wembley) 2,887,589 Manchester (Belle Vue) 2,280,860 London (Catford) 2,199,834 London (West Ham) 1,999,279 London (Clapton) 1,933,664 London (Hendon) 1,686,713 Romford 1,638,605 Edinburgh (Powderhall) 1,488,177 Manchester (White City) 1,368,519 Birmingham (Perry Barr, old) 1,368,054 London (Charlton) 1,293,979 Brighton & Hove 1,258,339 London (Hackney) 1,250,685 Birmingham (Hall Green) 1,240,832 London (New Cross) 1,170,341 Newcastle (Brough Park) 1,108,106 Stadium Turnover £ Glasgow (Shawfield) 1,043,003 London (Park Royal) 1,036,574 Crayford & Bexleyheath 946,751 Slough 938,006 Wolverhampton (Monmore) 910,976 Leeds (Elland Road) 853,544 Glasgow (White City) 851,393 Manchester (Salford) 834,695 Sheffield (Owlerton) 827,124 Bristol (Eastville) 817,051 Newcastle (Gosforth) 721,345 Southend-on-Sea 717,160 Willenhall 715,099 London (Stamford Bridge) 703,205 Gloucester & Cheltenham 686,844 Birmingham (Kings Heath) 650,388 Cardiff (Arms Park) 624,127 Liverpool (White City) 587,254 Poole 570,807 Reading (Oxford Road) 551,253 Stadium Turnover £ Derby 524,353 Ramsgate (Dumpton Park) 521,997 Bradford (Greenfield) 504,981 Cradley Heath 490,596 Rochester & Chatham 469,712 Oxford 427,720 Glasgow (Carntyne) 416,034 Portsmouth 394,804 Leicester (Blackbird Rd) 361,202 Middlesbrough 340,907 Nottingham (White City) 301,450 Rayleigh (Essex) 291,408 Hull (Old Craven Park) 289,295 Preston 282,625 Aberdeen 239,956 Norwich (City) 235,807 Wakefield 176,812 Swindon 95,860

References

1. Fry, Paul (1995). The Official NGRC Greyhound Racing Yearbook. Ringpress Books. ISBN 186054-010-4.
2. Dack, Barrie (1990). Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years, pages 127/128/129. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-36-8.
3. "1968". greyhoundderby.com.
4. Comyn, John. 50 Years of Greyhound Racing in Ireland. Aherlow Publishers Ltd.
5. Fortune, Michael. Irish Greyhound Derby 1932-1981. Victory Irish Promotions Ltd.
6. Hobbs, Jonathan (2007). Greyhound Annual 2008, pages 153-154. Raceform. ISBN 978-1-905153-53-4.
7. Genders, Roy (1975). The Greyhound and Racing Greyhound. Page Brothers (Norwich). ISBN 0-85020-0474.
8. "Hall of Fame". Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
9. Dick, Barrie (1990). Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years, pages 127/128/129. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-36-8.
10. Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.
11. Genders, Roy (1990). NGRC book of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 0-7207-1804-X.
12. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
13. "Remember When Series - January 2020". Greyhound Star. 5 January 2020.
14. Particulars of Licensed tracks, table 1 Licensed Dog Racecourses. Licensing Authorities. 1968.
15. "Track of the Year, It's Stow with record tote takings". No. 1192. Greyhound Owner and Breeder. 6 February 1969.