 Tico in 1986 | |
| Sire | The Stranger |
|---|---|
| Dam | Derry Linda |
| Sex | Dog |
| Whelped | 6 February 1984 |
| Died | February 1995 (aged 11) |
| Country | Ireland |
| Color | Black |
| Breeder | James Morrissey |
| Owner | Alan Smee |
| Trainer | Arthur Hitch |
| Record | |
| 23 | |
| Major wins | |
| 17 | |
| Honours | |
| 1986 English Greyhound Derby champion Pall Mall Stakes champion | |
Tico was one of the sports leading racing greyhounds during the 1980s and a winner of the English Greyhound Derby. [1]
He was whelped 6 February 1984, from a mating between The Stranger and Derry Linda. He was bred by Jim Morrissey of Carrick-on-Suir. [2] [3] As a puppy he was moved to a pig farm and reared by Sean and Michael Dunphy of Portlaw. [4]
Tico made his debut at Clonmel Greyhound Stadium on 8 July 1985 when owned by Morrissey and won by ten lengths. He was purchased by Alan Smee for £5,000 and sent to trainer Arthur Hitch, who had recently left Oxford Stadium for Slough Stadium. [2] He raced several times at Wimbledon Stadium before being rested until the following year. [1]
The black dog was aimed at the Pall Mall Stakes and went on to win the final at Harringay Stadium. In the final he beat his Hot Sauce Yankee. After winning a Derby Trial Stake at Harringay (on 16 May) he was entered for the 1986 English Greyhound Derby and was one of the leading fancies for the competition. [1] He won a qualifying heat on 27 May (at odds of 1–6) and first round on 7 June (at odds of 4–7), but lost to the new track record holder Fearless Action in the second round but still qualified. In the quarter-finals he bounced back on 19 June in the quarter-finals and impressed when beating Fearless Action and Lodge Prince in the semi-finals two days later. [5] In the final he ran brilliantly to win by over five lengths helped by Murlens Slippy moving off and hampering Fearless Action, kennelmate Master Hardy finished second. [2] [1] [6]
Tico then travelled to Shelbourne Park in an attempt to double up and win the 1986 Irish Greyhound Derby. The English champion progressed to the final which included a semi final win in 30.06 for 550 yards, just three spots off the track record. [7] Although hot favourite for the final on 20 September he could only finish third after a poor start ruined his chances. [4]
After a final appearance and win at Harringay he was retired to stud despite only being lightly raced, with a record of 17 wins from 23 races. [8] He died in Ireland in February 1995 aged 11. [4]
| Yanka Boy | |||||||||||||||
| Dark Mercury | |||||||||||||||
| An Tain | |||||||||||||||
| The Stranger | |||||||||||||||
| Myross Again | |||||||||||||||
| Lovely Blend | |||||||||||||||
| Clomoney Star | |||||||||||||||
| Tico | |||||||||||||||
| Monalee Champion | |||||||||||||||
| Linda's Champion | |||||||||||||||
| Merry Linda | |||||||||||||||
| Derry Linda | |||||||||||||||
| Kilbelin Style | |||||||||||||||
| Ballinderry Moth | |||||||||||||||
| Skipping Chick | |||||||||||||||
Mick the Miller was a male brindle greyhound. He is celebrated as the first great racing greyhound to compete in England. Despite a short three-year racing career, his achievements were highly publicised around the world and by the end of his career he had become an icon in the sport. His achievements include winning nineteen races in a row, including the English Greyhound Derby on two successive occasions. He suffered an injury at Wimbledon Stadium whilst racing which broke the streak in 1931, and once recovered was beaten in the attempt to win a third Derby title. He went on to appear in films, and is still considered one of the greatest sporting heroes in the UK.
The 1991 Daily Mirror/Sporting Life Greyhound Derby took place during May & June with the final being held on 30 June 1991 at Wimbledon Stadium. The winner Ballinderry Ash received £40,000. The competition was sponsored by the Sporting Life and Daily Mirror.
The 1988 Daily Mirror Greyhound Derby took place during May and June with the final being held on 30 June 1988 at Wimbledon Stadium. The winner was Hit The Lid and the winning owner Fred Smith received £30,000. The competition was sponsored by the Daily Mirror.
The 1986 Daily Mirror Greyhound Derby took place during May and June with the final being held on 30 June 1986 at Wimbledon Stadium. The winner was Tico and the winning owner Alan Smee received £25,000. The competition was sponsored by the Daily Mirror.
The 1985 Daily Mirror Greyhound Derby took place during May and June with the final being held on 22 June 1985 at Wimbledon Stadium. It was the first time that Wimbledon hosted the event following the closure of the White City Stadium. The winner was Pagan Swallow and the winning owner David Hawthorn received £25,000. The competition was sponsored by the Daily Mirror.
The 1982 Spillers Greyhound Derby took place during May and June with the final being held on 26 June 1982 at White City Stadium. The winner was Lauries Panther and the winning owner Laurie James received £25,000. The competition was sponsored by the Spillers for the final time.
The 1954 Greyhound Derby took place during June with the final being held on 25 June 1954 at White City Stadium. The winner was Pauls Fun and the winning owner Mr Thomas Henry Watford received £1,500.
The 1940 Greyhound Derby took place during June and July with the final being held on Monday 8 July 1940 at Harringay Stadium. The winner G.R.Archduke, owned by Mr. O.G Leach, received a first prize of £1,000. The event took place at Harringay because the traditional venue of White City was closed after the first round due to the war. This Derby became known as the 'Silent Derby' due to the impending war and following the final the Derby was postponed until 1945.
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 1986 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 20 September 1986. The competition was raced over the slightly longer race distance of 550 yards for the first time.
The 1991 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 14 September 1991.
The 1934 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the ninth year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1935 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the tenth year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1945 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 20th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1957 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 31st year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1985 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 59th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 1986 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 60th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The 2021 Boylesports Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September, with the final being held on 18 September at Shelbourne Park. The competition was sponsored by BoyleSports and the prize money purse was €300,000, of which €125,000 went to the winner.
The 2022 Star Sports Greyhound Derby took place during May and June 2022, with the final being held on 25 June 2022 at Towcester Greyhound Stadium.
The 2022 Boylesports Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September 2022, with the final being held on 24 September at Shelbourne Park. The competition was sponsored by BoyleSports and the prize money purse was €300,000, of which €125,000 went to the winner.