| 1966 Irish Greyhound Derby | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Shelbourne Park |
| Location | Dublin |
| End date | 6 August |
| Total prize money | £2,000 (winner) |
The 1966 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 6 August 1966. [1]
The winner Always Proud won £2,000 and was trained by Gay McKenna and owned and bred by Albert Lucas. [2] [3]
At Shelbourne, 6 August (over 525 yards):
| Position | Winner | Breeding | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Always Proud | Clonalvy Pride - Always A Rebel | 1 | 11-8f | 29.44 | Gay McKenna |
| 2nd | Tiger Chief | Knockhill Chieftain - Last Landing | 5 | 9-2 | 29.56 | Gay McKenna |
| 3rd | Val's Prince | Oregon Prince - Val's Orphan | 6 | 7-4 | 29.59 | Paddy Turbridy |
| 4th | Cairnville Chief | Man Of Pleasure - Just Sherry | 3 | 100-8 | Leslie McNair | |
| 5th | Newrath Dancer | Hi There - Miss Congo | 2 | 100-7 | J McGuinness | |
| 6th | Can Trap | Odd Venture - Russell Ville | 4 | 50-1 | T O'Rourke |
1½, neck (lengths)
The fastest first round winners were the joint ante-post favourites, McAlinden cup winner Newrath Wonder and the Gay McKenna trained Always Proud, they won in 29.48 and 29.49 respectively, followed closely by 1965 Irish Greyhound Derby finalist Val's Prince in 29.60. [4]
In the second round Val's Prince won in an extremely fast 29.10 and Always Proud recorded 29.19, but in a major shock Newrath Wonder was eliminated. [5]
Vals Prince lost his semi-final to Newrath Dancer the litter brother to Newrath Wonder but still qualified for the final. The remaining two semi-finals went to Tiger Chief from Cairnville Chief and Always Proud from Can Trap. Gay McKenna's Monalee Champion went out at this stage but would become a major breeding success. [5]
Always Proud the 5-4 favourite duly obliged in the final to seal a second successive victory for Gay McKenna. The brindle dog had been knocked out of the 1965 Irish Derby in the third round after which his English owner Albert Lucas put him with Gay McKenna. Failure a year later in the English Derby second round was put down to him being off-colour (sick) before he returned to Ireland. A brilliant three way battle ended with Always Proud beating Tiger Chief and Vals Prince. The Derby trophy was presented by Charles Haughey. [4]
Val's Prince gained revenge on Always Proud later in the year when winning the Guinness 600 by three lengths from his rival. [5]
The 1956 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 11 August 1956.
The 1962 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 11 August 1962.
The 1964 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 8 August 1964.
The 1965 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Harold's Cross Stadium in Dublin on 7 August 1965.
The 1968 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 10 August 1968.
The 1969 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Harold's Cross Stadium in Dublin on 8 August 1969.
The 1970 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 8 August 1970.
The 1971 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 7 August 1971.
The 1972 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 19 July 1972.
The 1973 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 28 August 1973.
The 1975 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 26 July 1975.
The 1976 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 24 July 1975.
The 1977 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 13 August 1977.
The 1978 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 29 July 1978.
The 1979 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 28 July 1979.
The 1980 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 26 July 1980.
The 1982 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 24 July 1982.
The 1990 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 15 September 1990.
The 1993 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 25 September 1993.
Yellow Printer was a famous racing greyhound during the late 1960s. He is regarded as being the one of the fastest racing greyhounds in history and won Ireland's ultimate prize, the Irish Greyhound Derby, in addition to being voted the 1968 UK Greyhound of the Year.