1955 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

1955 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
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The 1955 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 30th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. ^[1]

Roll of honour

Major Winners
Award	Name of Winner
1955 English Greyhound Derby	Rushton Mac [2] [3]
1955 Irish Greyhound Derby	Spanish Battleship [4] [5]
1955 Scottish Greyhound Derby	Not held [6]
1955 Welsh Greyhound Derby	Rushton Mac [7]
Greyhound of the Year	Rushton Mac

Summary

Spanish Battleship became the greatest greyhound in Irish history by securing a third consecutive Irish Greyhound Derby title. No other greyhound had managed to win more than one Irish Derby previously. Before retiring, he broke the track record at Cork during his Laurels victory and won another McCalmont Cup title. His connections turned down a £15,000 bid from a London syndicate. ^{[5] [4] [8]} Rushton Mac defeated the versatile and hot favourite Barrowside in the English Greyhound Derby final. ^[2]

Competitions

Barrowside dominated the Grand National at White City, the red fawn dog claimed a five length victory at odds of 1-3 in a track record time of 29.43. ^[9] The Gold Collar at Catford Stadium was won by Firgrove Slipper, a competition that featured 1953 English Greyhound Derby champion Daws Dancer. ^[10]

The new Derby champion Rushton Mac won the Welsh Greyhound Derby at Cardiff Arms Park, winning the final by nine lengths, flattering because the race turned into chaos as three runners fell. Derby finalists Gulf of Honduras and Coolkill Chieftain finished second and third respectively. ^{[9] [10]} The Scottish Greyhound Derby was cancelled again, denying Rushton Mac the opportunity to win the Triple Crown. He had won the Scottish event in 1954 to hold all three titles at the same time but had not won all three during the same year. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

Rushton Mac completed a successful year by defending his Northern Flat and Edinburgh Cup titles. Duet Leader also had a great year winning the Laurels at Wimbledon Stadium, the Pall Mall Stakes, Select Stakes and Grand Prix at Walthamstow Stadium. ^{[11] [12]}

Lizette won the Oaks, two years after her first triumph and her half brother Gulf of Darien won the Cesarewitch. ^[13]

News

Wandsworth Stadium hurdle grader, Moyshna Queen starred alongside Frankie Howerd in a film called Jumping for Joy. The bitch was called Lindy Lou in the film. ^[9]

In November the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) applied for a special licence to allow Spanish Battleship to line up against two of England's leading greyhounds, Duet Leader and Hi There, in a triangular match race. The match saw the GRA put up £120, in addition to the three owners adding 125 guineas; Spanish Battleship (Tim O'Connor), Duet Leader (Mrs Frances Chandler) and Hi There (Jack McAllister). Home Straight stood as reserve. The legendary Irish hound Spanish Battleship travelled to England for the first time with White City as his destination but age and the travelling had caught up with him, because home track advantage proved decisive and he trailed in third. Tom Lynch and Tim O'Connor retired him to stud. ^{[7] [9] [10]}

Principal UK races

Grand National, White City (May 7 525y h, £300) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Barrowside Jack Harvey 1-3f 29.43+ 1 2nd Turn Back Dave Geggus 6-1 29.83 2 3rd Roguish Shaggy Peter Hawkesley 10-1 30.01 6 4th Daring Son Bert Heyes 25-1 30.23 5 5th Spotless O'Leer Joe Pickering 100-7 30.26 4 6th Gifted Composer White City 50-1 30.44 3 +Track Record

Gold Collar, Catford (May 28, 440y, £500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Firgrove Slipper Jim Syder Jr. 7-2 26.35 6 2nd Wild Flower Jack Harvey 6-4f 26.38 4 3rd Daws Dancer Sidney Orton 6-1 26.58 5 4th Sandown Bouncer 20-1 27.78 2 5th Shauns Thief Paddy McEllistrim 8-1 28.26 3 6th Chance Me Paddy Robert Linney 3-1 00.00 1

Welsh Derby, Arms Park (Jul 2, 525y £500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Rushton Mac Frank Johnson 1-2f 29.40 4 2nd Gulf of Honduras Jack Harvey 6-1 30.12 2 3rd Coolkill Chieftain Jack Harvey 14-1 30.30 5 4th The Cure Ron Chamberlain 10-1 00.00 6 5th Broadway Darkie II Pam Heasman 5-1 00.00 3 6th Imperial Fawn George Crussell 8-1 00.00 1

Scurry Gold Cup, Clapton (Jul 23, 400y £600) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Chance Me Paddy Robert Linney 2-1f 22.85 6 2nd Even Gait G Holyhead 3-1 23.11 5 3rd The Grand Champagne Jack Harvey 7-2 23.25 2 4th Daring Imp Dave Geggus 3-1 23.63 4 5th Rather Cheerful Henry Parsons 20-1 23.99 3 N/R Smokey Captain

Laurels, Wimbledon (Aug 20, 500y, £1.000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Duet Leader Tom Reilly 7-4 28.25 1 2nd Step Inside Ron Chamberlain 33-1 28.45 2 3rd Gulf of Honduras Jack Harvey 13-2 28.47 5 4th Rushton Mac Frank Johnson 5-4f 28.65 3 5th Tax Diablo Jim Syder Jr. 10-1 28.83 6 6th Fife Fiddler Jack Harvey 20-1 28.95 4

St Leger, Wembley (Sep 12, 700y, £1,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Title Role Jack Harvey 4-1 40.78 6 2nd Copac Gwen Leslie Reynolds 100-6 40.79 2 3rd Black Magic II Jim Hookway 11-2 40.80 5 4th Ashcott Boy Dickie Myles 4-1 40.86 1 5th Gulf of Darien Jack Harvey 6-4f 40.94 4 6th Shauns Tip Wembley 7-1 41.38 3

The Grand Prix Walthamstow (Sep 27, 525y, £500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Duet Leader Tom Reilly 13-8f 29.42 6 2nd Tax Diablo Jim Syder Jr. 5-2 29.66 5 3rd Rushton Mac Frank Johnson 5-1 29.78 4 4th Even Gait G Holyhead 5-1 30.02 1 5th Rushton Spot Frank Johnson 100-6 30.14 2 6th Gulf of Honduras Jack Harvey 8-1 30.30 3

Oaks, White City (Oct 1, 525y, £500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Lizette [13] Jack Harvey 6-4 29.52 4 2nd Dearly Dawn Harry Buck 5-4f 29.53 1 3rd Racing Rhapsody Catford 25-1 29.59 6 4th Victory Christina Ken Appleton 100-7 29.65 5 5th Tanist Shade 20-1 29.68 3 6th Ballinasloe Ballerina Wembley 5-1 29.84 2

Cesarewitch, West Ham (Oct 14, 600y, £600) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Gulf Of Darien [14] Jack Harvey 4-6f 32.99+ 2 2nd Customers Son Jim Syder Jr. 5-2 33.31 1 3rd Atta Tanist Tom Reilly 100-8 33.67 6 4th Pancho Villa Jack Harvey 10-1 33.77 3 5th Black Magic II Jim Hookway 100-6 33.81 5 6th Manganstown Major Ron Chamberlain 33-1 33.95 4 +Track Record

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 page 98/99. Ringpress Books. ISBN   0-948955-36-8.
3. "1955". Greyhound Data.
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 320. Page Brothers (Norwich). ISBN   0-85020-0474.
8. Fortune, Michael. Irish Greyhound Derby 1932-1981. Victory Irish Promotions Ltd.
9. Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN   07207-1106-1.
10. Genders, Roy (1990). NGRC book of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN   0-7207-1804-X.
11. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. ISBN   0-948955-15-5.
12. Barnes, Julia (1991). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, Vol Two. Ringpress Books. ISBN   0-948955-61-9.
13. "Remember When - October 1955". Greyhound Star. 7 October 2018.
14. "Remember When - October 1955". Greyhound Star. 7 October 2018.