 Sherrys Prince with trainer Colin West | |
| Sire | Mad Era |
|---|---|
| Dam | Nevasca |
| Sex | Dog |
| Whelped | April 1967 |
| Died | 1978 (aged 10–11) |
| Color | Brindle |
| Breeder | Nora Kennedy |
| Owner | Joyce Matthews |
| Trainer | John Shevlin & Colin West |
| Record | |
| Grand National (1970), (1971), (1972) Wimbledon Gold Cup (1971) | |
Sherrys Prince was a racing greyhound during the late 1960s and early 1970s. [1] He was three times winner of the Grand National and is considered the greatest hurdler of all time. [2] [3]
He was whelped in April 1967, by Mad Era out of Nevasca, owned by Joyce Matthews and trained out of West Ham Stadium by John Shevlin. The kennelhand was Irene Hazelwood later (McNally). [1]
His last race on the flat was 9 May 1969 at New Cross Stadium before being schooled for hurdles by Shevlin at West Ham Stadium. [4] He came to prominence after setting new hurdle track records at White City and Wembley. [1]
Sherry's Prince dominated the 1970 Grand National at White City, [5] winning his heat and semi-final before winning the final on 18 April. [6] He also won the Long Hop Hurdles at the same track during April. Unfortunately he broke a hock when finishing runner-up in the Scottish Grand National final, at Powderhall over 500 yards hurdles. [1]
By October he had recovered and had returned to racing but his trainer John Shevlin's health was failing at the time. Shevlin died which resulted in his West Ham kennel being allocated to Colin West with McNally remaining to help the kennel. [1]
The brindle won the New Year Hurdles at Wembley but was defeated by Derry Palm in the Supreme Hurdles Champion Stakes over 525 yards at White City. [7] In April he then equalled the record of Juvenile Classic and Blossom of Annagura, by winning a second Grand National title. He once again went unbeaten throughout the 1971 edition. The success included two track records in the heats and semi-finals. [1] [4] He later set a world record in the final of the Wimbledon Gold Cup when recording 28.83 seconds.
On 15 September 1971 at Hall Green Stadium, Prince recorded his 11th track record to date [8] and broke the record again on 2 October, when winning the Midland Grand National. [9]
He won the Cobb Marathon hurdles on 5 February 1972, setting a new track record of 35.75 [10] before being struck with a kidney infection. [1] However, by April he had recovered and then rewrote the record books by becoming the first greyhound to win a third Grand National. [11] The record was even more significant because he went unbeaten again for the third successive time. [12]
He retired after running in 105 hurdle races, winning 70 and finishing runner-up 15 times, in addition to setting 15 track records. [1] He died in 1978.
| Date | Venue | Time | Distance | Notes/Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 October 1969 | White City | 30.62 | 550 | [13] |
| 20 October 1969 | Wembley | 29.81 | 525 | [14] |
| April 1971 | White City | 29.26 | 525 | |
| April 1971 | White City | 29.20 | 525 | |
| 1971 | Wimbledon | 28.38 | ??? | |
| 8 May 1971 | White City | 29.10 | 525 | |
| 15 September 1971 | Hall Green | 28.60 | 500 | [15] |
| 2 October 1971 | Hall Green | 28.38 | 500 | Midland Grand National [16] |
| 2 November 1971 | Catford | 24.39 | 420 | [17] |
| 5 February 1972 | Catford | 35.75 | 610 | [18] |
| 1972 | West Ham | 30.89 | 550 | |
| 1972 | Harringay | 29.02 | 525 |
| Slaney Record | |||||||||||||||
| Hi There | |||||||||||||||
| Dublin Red | |||||||||||||||
| Mad Era | |||||||||||||||
| Mad Tanist | |||||||||||||||
| Drumloch Sheevaun | |||||||||||||||
| Sheevaun | |||||||||||||||
| Sherrys Prince | |||||||||||||||
| Champion Prince | |||||||||||||||
| The Grand Canal | |||||||||||||||
| The Grand Duchess | |||||||||||||||
| Nevasca | |||||||||||||||
| Keep Moving | |||||||||||||||
| Shangri | |||||||||||||||
| Hopalong Olly | |||||||||||||||
West Ham Stadium existed between 1928 and 1972 in Custom House, east London, England, on Prince Regent Lane, near the present-day Prince Regent DLR station.
Belle Vue Stadium was a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, where the first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It has also been used for motorcycle speedway, as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces from 1988 until 2015, and from 1999 until 2019 for stock car racing and banger racing.
New Cross Stadium, Hornshay Street, Old Kent Road, in South East London opened 1 June 1933, as a greyhound racing stadium and later speedway. The ground was adjacent to The Old Den, the then home of Millwall F.C. and was used as a training ground by the club when they did not have facilities of their own. The track was often referred to as 'The Frying Pan'. It was built inside the greyhound track and had banking all the way round. At the time of its closure in 1969 the stadium had a capacity of 26,000. The stadium was demolished in 1975.
Newcastle Stadium is a greyhound racing and former motorcycle speedway stadium, located on The Fossway, Byker, Newcastle. Racing at the stadium takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The circumference of the greyhound track is 415 metres. From 1929 until mid-2022, speedway racing took place at the stadium.
Hall Green Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium located in the Birmingham suburb of Hall Green, which existed from 1927 until 2017.
Long Eaton Stadium, previously the Recreation Ground, was a multi-use sports ground in Long Eaton, Derbyshire that staged cricket, cycling, football, greyhound racing and speedway.
Oxford Stadium is a greyhound racing and speedway venue in Oxford, located in Sandy Lane, Cowley.
The Grand National is an original classic greyhound racing competition held at Crayford Stadium over the hurdles. It was run at White City Stadium from 1928 until 1984, it moved to Hall Green Stadium in 1985 and then on to Wimbledon Stadium in 1999.
Crayford Stadium is a greyhound racing stadium located in the London Borough of Bexley in England. The stadium, which has featured races since 1986, has private suites, a restaurant and a number of bars.
White City Greyhounds was the greyhound racing operation held at White City Stadium in London. The venue was regarded as the sport's primary track during its existence.
The Grand Prix was a classic greyhound competition held at Walthamstow.
Kings Heath Stadium was a greyhound racing track in Birmingham that existed from 1927 to 1971.
The Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium, also known as the old Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium or Alexander Sports Stadium was a former greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway stadium in Birchfield in the north of Birmingham, England.
Reading Stadium (Oxford Road) was a greyhound racing stadium and short lived speedway venue in Reading.
The Birmingham Cup is a greyhound racing competition inaugurated in 1939 and currently held at Perry Barr Stadium.
The 1927 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the second year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1969 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 43rd year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1971 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 45th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 46th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Ben Truman Stakes was a greyhound racing competition held primarily at New Cross Stadium and Catford Stadium from 1962 to 1988.