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name white city trainers

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By:
Willfire
When: 22 Aug 10 12:10
No, couldn't have been Jimmy and Randy, me finks they may be too young!
By:
sherrys prince
When: 23 Aug 10 20:35
no willfire worked for frank melville before that
By:
sherrys prince
When: 23 Aug 10 20:37
derek knight was head lad john padian was kennelhand
By:
sherrys prince
When: 23 Aug 10 20:37
who did you work for willfire
By:
Willfire
When: 25 Aug 10 00:35
Joe Pickering for a while with Ann and Heather, then went to Ted Parkers with Dave Pinfold and Chris Brett. I got a photo of John Padian with Peters York, where did he go to? Derek is down at Brighton & Hove isn't he? Several of the kennel hands from the 70's have been relocating one another, hoping for a reunion.
By:
Willfire
When: 25 Aug 10 19:13
Do Rose and Miss Gunn come to mind Sherrys Prince?
By:
sherrys prince
When: 25 Aug 10 19:53
put me down for the party it would be great fun
wen i started at northaw frank melville was head lad to joe pickering
what part of the country are you
By:
sherrys prince
When: 25 Aug 10 19:58
rose and lorrain come to mind very much are you in touch with them
i would love to see them
happy days prob best days of my life it was a great laugh wen you think what
you have to put up with today i used to love the walks down the lane on a snowy winters morning
then back for breakfast
By:
sherrys prince
When: 25 Aug 10 20:02
john padian works in a factory in peterbrough i saw him not long ago
do u remmeber big sally at jim singletons i was his head lad wen she was there
and some called barry
who are you in contact with at the mo
By:
Xerophyte
When: 25 Aug 10 23:02
Does anybody with an excellent memory recall a three dog race at White City with Duet Leader, Spanish Battleship and Hi There? My dad took me that night and I was very young indeed (maybe 1956?). I think Duet Leader won it. The crowd seemed absolutely huge.
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 11:21
I'm down in Cornwall, Frank was already trainer when i started at Northaw. No not intouch with Rose or Lorraine, was just trying to figure out who you were, i thought you was Ray!!! I can't remember Barry, but Sally is in Ireland now. Hazel,Gerald,Chris,Yorkie,Smithy,Paul,Brenda,Mark,Dave,Steve, Sledge, Kelvin. Did you know that Graham(Slim)passed away? Are we allowed to pass contact details on this site?
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 11:24
Oooops,Brenda,Mark,Dave,Steve.
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 11:25
Sorry,I was only just born in 1956!!
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 11:56
Who else on this chat forum used to work at Northaw, Philbet,Case Money,Colonels Rib,Southwalk Star???
By:
ColonelsRib
When: 26 Aug 10 12:17
Nope Jim and Randy were Lancashire, Joe Pickering and Jimmy Rimmer who ended up at Wembley and was a well known coursing slipper as well is the answer.   Yes Willfire I worked at Northaw, but not officially until the 70's  would have been the taxi driver in your day for Joe. yes I would be interested if there is a reunion.   Marion is in Wales.  Last I heard Heather was in the south I think she married Eric Vose who is an NGRC Steward.  and anybody who remembers '60s staff Glenda is in Suffolk.  Frank Melville is retired, became NGRC Steward
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 12:37
No Karen Barrett married Eric Vose, they both live up the north. Eric is a Steward isn't he? Heather was friends with Ginger Alan, where in the south? Do you mean Marion who was in the territorials? I started at Northaw in 72.
By:
sherrys prince
When: 26 Aug 10 15:51
philbet do you remember steve goldstone i think he worked for stan gudgin
i started there in 68 i worked for wilf france first he was a strange bloke
people use to take the pissout of him
we were across from stan gudins kennel do u remember maureen baines
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 16:27
Steve Gouldstone, he later worked for Jimmy and then Adam
By:
sherrys prince
When: 26 Aug 10 17:41
willfire are u in touch with anyone now
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 18:12
Yep, all those i named earlier,Steve Gouldstone,Hazel & Gerald Golledge,Chris Brett,Dave Pinfold,Yorkie & Paul Smith,Brenda & Mark Sherrif,Paul Newton,Sledge,Kelvin Mann. Have also located John Padian.
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 18:13
Oh and Janet, Hazels sister
By:
sherrys prince
When: 26 Aug 10 19:19
what is sledge doin now
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 19:30
Taxi driver, what about you Sherrys Prince?
By:
sherrys prince
When: 26 Aug 10 19:54
keepin my hand in dont want to say to much on here you never know whos watchin
By:
sherrys prince
When: 26 Aug 10 20:01
do you remember i dont know if you ever done this
got a taxi to ptters bar then got the 134 bus to barnet odeon
then back to the chinese at potters bar i think it was called the somethin garden
many a time iv walked back to northaw havin spent all my money happy days
compared with today we had no worries were wud u have the reunion if you had one
By:
Willfire
When: 26 Aug 10 20:28
Jasmin Garden, and yes, didn't we all? email me:
snow-drop@tiscali.co.uk
By:
ColonelsRib
When: 27 Aug 10 16:35
Willfire, Taxi driver for the dogs on open night.  See your in touch with some of the old gang- can you give a message to Kelvin Mann please, just say Cass says hello he will know who the nickname is for, if his memory is bad, its a voice from the good old days, when we were young.
By:
ColonelsRib
When: 27 Aug 10 16:38
Sherrys Prince did u know John Ayton who worked for Wilf in the 60's. Anybody remember Hedi the aussie girl who worked for Joe in the early 70's.
By:
Willfire
When: 27 Aug 10 18:01
Will do ColonelsRib, did you know he was my favourite when I worked for Joe?? And no, I didn't know Heidi. Do I know you??
By:
Willfire
When: 27 Aug 10 18:02
ColonelsRib - the dog, I mean!
By:
sherrys prince
When: 27 Aug 10 20:36
no wen i worked for wilf it was a guy called ian he was head lad
he went to aussy land a girl called sue and some other guy
By:
sherrys prince
When: 28 Aug 10 10:00
colonels
       was johns dad the caretaker at northaw
are you still in touch with him
By:
sherrys prince
When: 28 Aug 10 10:04
willfire
         is yorkie the yorkie who is tom fosters wifes sister
By:
Willfire
When: 28 Aug 10 17:01
No, we called her Yorkie coz she came from Yorkshire, but has no relations down here.Shes a short girl married Paul Smith (Smithy)
By:
ColonelsRib
When: 28 Aug 10 17:12
Willfire, Yes unless you were there between March 72 and April 73 when I was overseas most of them on here who were at Northaw even Yorkie should know me.  A clue for you Kelvin has known me the longest of all.
By:
ColonelsRib
When: 28 Aug 10 17:16
Sherrys Prince - No John came from Islington, his dad had a shop there, Last I heard he was working for BT and getting married that was back in 70's
By:
Willfire
When: 28 Aug 10 17:23
The plot thickens, I started in Nov 72 but was still there when you got back, Ha-got ya!
By:
ColonelsRib
When: 28 Aug 10 17:44
Thought that would get the old brain working
By:
Willfire
When: 02 Sep 10 23:48
Here's one for you, who was the longest trainer at the G R A
By:
Fashion Fever
When: 03 Sep 10 01:10
Remembering White City - 'the governor' of lost tracks
Lost Tracks  / Darrell Williams / 06 December 2007 / 3 Comments Free £25 Bet

Darrell Williams looks back at the former home of the sport, west London's White City...

As the song goes, 'regrets I have a few', and in terms of greyhound racing one has to be never getting to visit White City before it closed in 1984. White City was 'the governor' in greyhound racing. Host venue for the Derby, the Oaks and the Grand National, it was the without doubt the number one venue in the sport.

White City Stadium itself was built for the London Olympics of 1908, and with a capacity of 150,000 was the biggest stadium in the world at the time. Greyhound racing first made an appearance on 20th June 1927 after the GRA took over the running of the track, building a restaurant in the process and over 10,000 people turned up to see a dog called Charlie Cranston win the very first race. Within weeks the track staged the first Greyhound Derby, with the £1000 prize won by long odds-on favourite Entry Badge, providing a local success for trainer Joe Harmon. Two years later and the most famous greyhound of them all, Mick The Miller, made his mark by winning the 1929 Derby, before going on to also secure the 1930 renewal. He also crossed the line first in the 1931 Derby, only for the race to be re-run after a rival was disqualified for fighting in the original race.

With club house accommodation for a thousand people, and a massive 500 yard track circumference producing wide sweeping turns and therefore fast times, White City was an immediate hit with the public, with even the Prince of Wales and Prince George, later King George VI amongst the early attendees. In its peak years soon after the Second World War, attendances reached as high as 30,000 per meeting with the 1946 Derby final watched by more than 58,000 spectators.

One of the great names of racing officialdom, Major Percy Brown, was installed as Racing Manager soon after the track opened and stayed for nearly 50 years until 1976, while probably the greatest trainer to grace the circuit was Leslie Reynolds in the 1930s before later moving to Wembley, from where he would send out a record five Derby winners.

The track also provided a royal Derby success in 1968 when the Duke of Edinburgh-owned Camira Flash won the Classic under the tutorship of trainer Randy Singleton providing the first locally trained winner of the Classic for more than thirty years.

White City was always at the forefront of developments and in 1945 became the first track to install a photo finish camera, while the stadium was also used for numerous films including the 1950 movie The Blue Lamp as well as the film Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.

The Derby has always been the sport's main draw and in 1973 Patricia's Hope became only the second greyhound to win the race twice, the same year that dog food manufacturers Spillers first put their name to the event resulting in a substantial increase in prize money, which when Indian Joe won the Jubilee Derby in 1980 was worth £35,000 to the winner.

In 1983 the Derby sponsorship was taken over by the Daily Mirror, but sadly their backing of the race at White City would last only two seasons with Whisper Wishes entering the record books in 1984 as the last Derby winner at the 'Mecca' of greyhound racing.

The end was near and on 22nd September 1984 the Tommy Foster handled Hastings Girl became the very last winner at White City. Within day's demolition teams had arrived and greyhound racing's most historic stadium was no more.

Today the site of the former White City Stadium is now home to the BBC.

Click here to view a selection of posters from the London Underground archive featuring dog tracks

Share  ShareThisComments (3)
Caroline Pickering | 23 March 2009

Attending the track on race nights and leading the dogs round, was one of the greatest feelings and if they won even greater. Listening to the Derby roar was the highlight of the year, those days are now long gone and all I have are the memories, from child to adult I lived for the greys.

ed sweeney | 30 April 2009

is caroline the daughter of joe pickering .
my wife linda also paraded greyhounds at white city from 1970 until the sad last meeting on 22 september 1984 . like many who loved this wonderful sport in this famous stadium we all lost somethink that just could not be replaced .
it is a shock that 25 years have passed in september since the the wonderful green track under floodlights gave us so much grace and speed with the greyhound derby on that last saturday in june .

also its 80 years since mick the miller won his first derby in 1929
i myself displayed the R I P on the board in the WHITE CITY STADIUM ON 24 SEPTEMBER 1984

ED

Caroline Pickering | 13 May 2009

Yes Caroline is the daughter of Joe.
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