1978 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

1978 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
Pat Seamur, 1978 Scottish Derby champion
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The 1978 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 52nd year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. ^[1]

Roll of honour

Major Winners
Award	Name of Winner
1978 English Greyhound Derby	Lacca Champion [2] [3]
1978 Irish Greyhound Derby	Pampered Rover [4] [5]
1978 Scottish Greyhound Derby	Pat Seamur [6]
Greyhound Trainer of the Year	Geoff De Mulder
Greyhound of the Year	Lacca Champion
Irish Greyhound of the Year	Pampered Rover
Trainers Championship	Ted Dickson

Summary

The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) released the annual returns, with totalisator turnover up, at £71,504,284 and attendances down, recorded at 6,027,327 from 5688 meetings. ^[7]

Lacca Champion, a brindle dog trained by Pat Mullins was voted the Greyhound of the Year after winning the 1978 English Greyhound Derby. ^[2]

Paddy Keane became the first trainer to win both the English Greyhound Derby and Irish Greyhound Derby following the 1978 Irish Greyhound Derby win by Pampered Rover. ^{[5] [8]}

Tracks

Ramsgate owners Northern Sports bought Oxford in April, with the proviso from the council that the Stadium must be used as a recreational Stadium until 1983. The Managing Director David Hawkins changed the stadium name back to Oxford Stadium from Cowley Stadium; Bob Newson was appointed the General Manager and Jim Layton would soon arrive as Racing Manager from Catford. Northern Sports also owned Doncaster and then added independent track Long Eaton to their portfolio bringing four tracks under their banner. ^[9]

Brandon Stadium in Coventry opened on 19 September. Independent track Cambridge had a second attempt at NGRC racing on 24 November; the previous attempt had only lasted five months. This second spell would be more successful with top trainers Joe Cobbold, Natalie Savva and Pat Mullins taking attachments at the track over the next couple of years. ^{[10] [11]}

Watford closed on 30 October; the site would now only be used by the football club. As a consequence the BAGS contract went to Willenhall.

News

The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) made a profit which helped pay back some of their debt. The sale of the land that formerly housed Harringay Arena boosted the profits. ^[12]

Trainer Phil Rees Sr. retired from training and his licence was handed to his son Phil Rees Jr. The latter chose not to take part in the trainer's championship because he had qualified by virtue of his fathers achievements in 1977. Gordon Hodson returned from Australia to take up a contract trainer's position at Brighton and two respected trainers Sid Ryall and Dave Barker retired. After a decade at Brighton, Peter Shotton took the role of head of racing at Wembley followed to the track by his assistant Jim Cremin. Other Racing Managers on the move were Jim Simpson to Romford from Crayford, Des Nichols moved to Brighton from Romford just one year after taking over from Les Cox. Paul Richardson took the chair at Brough Park and Gosforth replacing Tony Smith who switched to Crayford. At Hall Green Assistant Racing Manager Horace Peplow retired after 50 years on the racing staff and was replaced by Simon Harris son of former trainer the late Roger Harris. ^{[10] [11]}

John McCririck was brought in as an investigative reporter for the Sporting Life. In 1978, McCririck was voted the Specialist Writer of the Year in the British Press Awards. His stories included a sting that he had exposed based on the fact that Extel, who used to broadcast commentaries into betting shops, gave the off-times for greyhound races in minutes, without the refinement of seconds. By briefly delaying the commentaries, criminals were able to back dogs after a race had started.

During the same year McCririck took the lead in covering the Rochester Stadium coup. The track had decided to hold a dual distance event with heats over 277 metres and a final over 901 metres, unusual competitions were seen as an interesting way of presenting racing by several management teams. Two greyhounds trained by Jack Purvis both won sprint heats, Leysdown Pleasure at 33-1 and Leysdown Fun at 4–1. They had been backed off course by five South London men winning a reputed £350,000. Fun was withdrawn from the 901 metre final and Pleasure finished last, not staying the distance. BOLA advised its members to withhold payment and the Big Four Bookmakers refused to pay out. The NGRC held an inquiry and found no evidence of rule breaking. The police submitted a report to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) who also took no action. It appeared that a legitimate coup had been staged and a protest resulted where 800 betting shop offices had their locks super-glued for not paying out. It was not until 1985 that a judge agreed that bookmakers were not liable to pay out. ^[13]

Competitions

Greenfield Fox trained by Ted Dickson continued his fine form carried over from 1977 by claiming the Scurry Gold Cup in April from favourite Lacca Champion. Another Pat Mullins greyhound Paradise Spectre (the Grand Prix champion) won the Guys and Dolls trophy and won 18 consecutive races from 9 September 1977 to 4 February 1978. ^[14]

Dickson had a superb year winning the Trainers Championship at Monmore, where he gained five winners, Donals Greatest, Rip Perry, Kudas Toy, Lesleys Charm and Black Legend. ^[15]

Principal UK races

Trainers Championship, (Monmore) Pos Name of Trainer Points 1st Ted Dickson 52 2nd Natalie Savva 37 3rd Geoff De Mulder 32 4th Barbara Tompkins 30 5th George Curtis 25 6th John Coleman 24

BBC TV Trophy, Walthamstow (Apr 5, 820m, £1,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Westown Adam Natalie Savva 52.27 11-4 6 2nd Top Touch John Sherry 52.53 20-1 3 3rd Westpark Kale Phil Rees Sr. 52.59 1-1f 5 4th Shakehands 53.15 40-1 2 5th Gloss Bette Godwin 53.18 16-1 4 6th Langford Dacoit George Curtis 53.24 3-1 1

Grand National, White City (April 8 500m h, £1,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Topothetide Tim Forster 8-11f 30.23 2 2nd Raybet Norah McEllistrim 12-1 30.47 6 3rd Moreen Penguin Bette Godwin 9-1 30.93 4 4th Danger Freak Tom Foster 14-1 31.01 5 5th Moreen Flamingoe 7-2 31.09 3 6th Ballyhar Aim 10-1 31.10 1

Scurry Gold Cup, Slough (April 15, 442m, £2,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Greenfield Fox Ted Dickson 5-2f 27.00 4 2nd Northwood Double Paddy McEvoy 4-1 27.02 3 3rd Westmead Orchid George Bailey 20-1 27.14 1 4th Tiger Jazz Terry Dartnall 7-2 27.26 2 5th Lacca Champion Pat Mullins 9-4f 27.46 5 6th Vals Son 50-1 27.48 6

Laurels, Wimbledon (May 19, 460m, £3,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Jet Control Bertie Gaynor 9-2 27.45 2 2nd Night Fall Bertie Gaynor 11-4f 27.51 6 3rd Pigeon Flyer Tom Reilly 3-1 27.61 1 4th Great Storytella Norah McEllistrim 4-1 27.65 4 5th Shady Monkey Colin West 12-1 27.67 5 6th Tiger Jazz Terry Dartnall 4-1 27.83 3

Scottish Greyhound Derby, Shawfield (Aug 5, 500m, £2,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Pat Seamur Geoff De Mulder 11-4 30.52 2 2nd Kentim Khan Bertie Gaynor 3-1 30.60 5 3rd Blissful Hero Geoff De Mulder 5-4f 30.70 3 4th Rum Please 5-1 30.90 1 5th Erins Band 14-1 31.06 4

St Leger, Wembley (Sep 4, 655m, £10,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Westmead Power Natalie Savva 4-5f 39.67 2 2nd Rhu Matt O'Donnell 11-4 39.93 5 3rd Nipa Lassie Stan Gudgin 13-2 40.03 3 4th Waveney Boy 40-1 40.15 6 5th Tour Tess Frank Baldwin 12-1 40.23 1 6th Ascarne Bronco Pat Mullins 10-1 40.69 4

Gold Collar, Catford (Sep 23, 555m, £2,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Im A Smasher John Coleman 7-1 35.31 6 2nd Pat Seamur Geoff De Mulder 3-1 35.45 3 3rd Rockaway Star Barney O'Connor 3-1 35.59 2 4th Owners Guide Tony Jowett 3-1 35.63 1 5th Adamstown Sonny Dave Geggus 11-4f 35.79 4 6th El Cavalier Ted Griffin 10-1 35.95 5

Ladbrokes Cesarewitch, Belle Vue (Oct 7, 815m, £2,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Sportland Blue Harry Crapper 7-2 51.20 3 2nd Tour Tess Frank Baldwin 8-1 51.21 1 3rd Westown Adam Natalie Savva 4-5f 51.35 6 4th Micks Glory Ron Saunders 14-1 51.51 4 5th Corboy Kojak Harry Bamford 10-1 51.54 2 6th Peggys Darling Miss.B.Gavin 3-1 51.94 5

The Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Oct 21, 640m, £5,000) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Paradise Spectre Pat Mullins 3-1cf 40.03 2 2nd Toytown Sparkie Gwen Lynds 14-1 40.27 6 3rd Ruakuras Mutt Paddy Coughlan 3-1cf 40.39 1 4th Langford Dan 8-1 40.57 4 5th Adamstown Sonny Dave Geggus 3-1cf 40.58 3 6th Ballinamona Prim Brian Jay 9-2 00.00 5

Oaks, Harringay (Nov 3, 475m, £1,750) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer SP Time Trap 1st Kilmagoura Mist Tom Johnston Jr. 10-1 28.55 4 2nd House Party Geoff De Mulder 1-2f 28.65 5 3rd Westmead Orchid George Bailey 5-1 28.71 1 4th Dot the Domino Dave Geggus 7-2 28.75 6 5th Timeless John Coleman 12-1 29.09 2 N/R Shiloh Jenny Ray Wilkes

Principal Irish finals

Liam Cashman Laurels Cork (Sep 9, 525y, £5,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer Time Trap 1st Knockrour Girl [16] Denis Lynch 29.40 5 2nd Gay Corner Duggan 29.61 2 3rd Killaclug Jet Denis Lynch 29.89 1 4th Allemaine Batt O'Keeffe 29.94 4 u Shanaway Lad Ger McKenna 3 u Median Line Ryan 6

Sean Kelly Bookmakers Oaks Shelbourne (Sep 16 525y, £5,500) Pos Name of Greyhound Trainer Time Trap 1st Hail Fun [16] McGeough 29.40 3 2nd Tinnock Style Travers 29.50 2 3rd Oh Milady Gay McKenna 29.60 6 4th Sophronia Manning 1 5th Paddys Shandon Barry 5 6th Tain Gerty Fortune 4

Totalisator returns

Extended content

The totalisator returns declared to the licensing authorities for the year 1978 are listed below. [17] Stadium Turnover £ London (White City) 7,516,329 London (Walthamstow) 6,698,105 London (Wimbledon) 5,499,899 London (Harringay) 3,921,877 Romford 3,279,645 London (Catford) 3,218,912 London (Wembley) 3,187,421 Brighton & Hove 2,635,330 Slough 2,603,149 Manchester (Belle Vue) 2,565,272 Birmingham (Hall Green) 2,278,397 Edinburgh (Powderhall) 2,083,876 Crayford & Bexleyheath 1,846,876 Birmingham (Perry Barr, old) 1,645,611 Southend-on-Sea 1,617,033 Stadium Turnover £ Newcastle (Brough Park) 1,555,827 Leeds (Elland Road) 1,480,743 Sheffield (Owlerton) 1,453,632 Glasgow (Shawfield) 1,310,937 Wolverhampton (Monmore) 1,176,329 Bristol (Eastville) 1,104,259 Manchester (White City) 991,229 London (Hackney) 946,398 Gloucester & Cheltenham 906,462 Derby 870,547 Yarmouth 851,157 Newcastle (Gosforth) 802,030 Ramsgate (Dumpton Park) 669,845 Portsmouth 618,449 Rochester & Chatham 618,449 Stadium Turnover £ Willenhall 604,875 Poole 498,953 Reading 458,276 Middlesbrough 443,152 Hull (Old Craven Park) 407,433 Milton Keynes 400,088 Leicester (Blackbird Rd) 332,625 Cradley Heath 298,762 Ipswich 292,998 Oxford 276,205 Swindon 264,205 Rye House 254,346 Henlow (Bedfordshire) 248,273 Coventry 168,628 Norton Canes 120,000

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 160/161/162/163/164/165. Ringpress Books. ISBN   0-948955-36-8.
3. "1978". Greyhound Data.
4. Fortune, Michael. The 75 Years History of the Irish Greyhound Derby 1932-2006. Irish Greyhound Review. ISSN   0332-3536.
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. NGRC calendar. National Greyhound Racing Club. January 1979.
8. Fortune, Michael. The 75 Years History of the Irish Greyhound Derby. Irish Greyhound Review. ISSN   0332-3536.
9. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. ISBN   0-948955-15-5.
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. ""Back to profits at G R A Prop." Times, 10 June 1978, p. 21". The Times. Times Digital Archives. 10 June 1978. p. 21.
13. "Remember When May 1978". Greyhound Star. 19 May 2016.
14. Barnes/Sellers, Julia/John (1992). Ladbrokes Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. ISBN   0-948955-22-8.
15. "Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When 1978) April edition". Greyhound Star. 2012.
16. Irish Greyhound 1979 Annual. Victory Ireland Promotions Ltd. 1979. pp. 44–45.
17. Particulars of Licensed tracks, table 1 Licensed Dog Racecourses. Licensing Authorities. 1978.