Greyhounds
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My local and all time favourite track.
From 1900 the home of Clapton Orient FC, now Leyton Orient, Clapton Stadium designed by the famous architect Sir Owen Williams, became London's fourth greyhound track, with the first meeting staged almost eighty years ago on 7th April 1928.
After spending over £80,000 to install greyhound facilities at the Millfields Road ground, which was also a major venue for boxing, and even in its early days baseball, the football team was soon asked to find a new home as the track invested in the dogs, opening its first restaurant in 1930 and building covered stands and a second restaurant in 1939.
The track, almost circular in shape with its short straights of only 75 yards and wide, easy bends made it one of the fastest tracks in the country, a factor which in its very first season resulted in it staging what would become the sprinters' Classic, the Scurry Gold Cup - a race that in its heyday would rival even the Derby in terms of prestige, it would remain the most important race to be staged at the East London circuit throughout the track's near fifty year tenure.
Staged over 400 yards, the Scurry attracted the fastest greyhounds in the land, and the list of winners through the years reads like a who's who of sprinting. Yet it took nearly twenty years before a local champion was crowned, when the Stanley Biss trained Rimmell's Black set new figures when winning the 1947 renewal. Biss, one of the country's most respected handlers - he had trained two Oaks winners from West Ham before the Second World War - was back twelve months later to double up with Local Interprize.
One of the all time greats, Local Interprize was also a dual Gold Collar winner, and went within a short-head of also winning the 1949 Scurry in front of a crowd of over 30,000, many of whom believed the result should have been a dead-heat. Clapton was renowned for attracting big name trainers, another was Jimmy Jowett who won a record four Scurry's between 1952 and 1960, two of those wins being credited to Gorey Airways, who became the first dual winner in 1959/60, a feat Don't Gambol would repeat in the early seventies.
Another trainer John Bassett also made his own piece of history when claiming three successive Scurry's in the early sixties, with Lucky Joan's victory in 1963 one of a record four Classics for the handler that year. In its later years, Clapton was a hotbed of Classic winners with no fewer than six Derby winners produced from its kennels at Claverhambury Farm in Waltham Cross between 1956 and 1972.
One of those winners, Palm's Print in 1961, created a unique double having also won the Scurry the same year for Paddy McEvoy, while Adam Jackson sent out the last Clapton Derby winner Patricia's Hope who claimed the first of back to back successes in the race in 1972..
An immensely popular track, Clapton's demise caused much upset when the track was sold by the GRA in 1969, eventually closing its doors for the final time on 1st January 1974. It was replaced by the Millfields housing estate in the early eighties.
From 1900 the home of Clapton Orient FC, now Leyton Orient, Clapton Stadium designed by the famous architect Sir Owen Williams, became London's fourth greyhound track, with the first meeting staged almost eighty years ago on 7th April 1928.
After spending over £80,000 to install greyhound facilities at the Millfields Road ground, which was also a major venue for boxing, and even in its early days baseball, the football team was soon asked to find a new home as the track invested in the dogs, opening its first restaurant in 1930 and building covered stands and a second restaurant in 1939.
The track, almost circular in shape with its short straights of only 75 yards and wide, easy bends made it one of the fastest tracks in the country, a factor which in its very first season resulted in it staging what would become the sprinters' Classic, the Scurry Gold Cup - a race that in its heyday would rival even the Derby in terms of prestige, it would remain the most important race to be staged at the East London circuit throughout the track's near fifty year tenure.
Staged over 400 yards, the Scurry attracted the fastest greyhounds in the land, and the list of winners through the years reads like a who's who of sprinting. Yet it took nearly twenty years before a local champion was crowned, when the Stanley Biss trained Rimmell's Black set new figures when winning the 1947 renewal. Biss, one of the country's most respected handlers - he had trained two Oaks winners from West Ham before the Second World War - was back twelve months later to double up with Local Interprize.
One of the all time greats, Local Interprize was also a dual Gold Collar winner, and went within a short-head of also winning the 1949 Scurry in front of a crowd of over 30,000, many of whom believed the result should have been a dead-heat. Clapton was renowned for attracting big name trainers, another was Jimmy Jowett who won a record four Scurry's between 1952 and 1960, two of those wins being credited to Gorey Airways, who became the first dual winner in 1959/60, a feat Don't Gambol would repeat in the early seventies.
Another trainer John Bassett also made his own piece of history when claiming three successive Scurry's in the early sixties, with Lucky Joan's victory in 1963 one of a record four Classics for the handler that year. In its later years, Clapton was a hotbed of Classic winners with no fewer than six Derby winners produced from its kennels at Claverhambury Farm in Waltham Cross between 1956 and 1972.
One of those winners, Palm's Print in 1961, created a unique double having also won the Scurry the same year for Paddy McEvoy, while Adam Jackson sent out the last Clapton Derby winner Patricia's Hope who claimed the first of back to back successes in the race in 1972..
An immensely popular track, Clapton's demise caused much upset when the track was sold by the GRA in 1969, eventually closing its doors for the final time on 1st January 1974. It was replaced by the Millfields housing estate in the early eighties.
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A mistake here as the track was sold "to" the GRA in 1969 and they then ran it into the ground before closing it in 1974.
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Further corrections to the above,
The company sold Slough Stadium to the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) in 1966 and the Clapton shareholders contemplated a bid from GRA which included Clapton Stadium, two training sites with 180 acres and an interest in the West Ham site. The deal went ahead later that year. In 1969 the GRA sold the track to what was effectively a redevelopment company. The sale of the popular track caused much upset regardless of the fact that there were no immediate plans for closing. On 1 January 1974 the stadium closed and was later demolished making way for the Millfields housing estate in the early 1980s. |
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A list of some of the dogs I recall at Clapton in the 1960s.
Geddys Empress, Ashtown Tanist, Kilcarbery Pride, Kilcarbery King, Prince of Tullig, Ashtown Ace, Woodford Alan, Lisheegan Lady, Lisheegan Brigadier, Ballinasloe Eileen, Winning Hope, Lambeth Walk, Gleesome, Tullaroan Boy, Ballintan, Micky Tough, Jaimie Get Lost, Tenerani, Daffodil, Chittering Cheapjack, Chittering Clapton, Cagey Baby, Greshams Law, Hazelbury Lass, Landing, Supreme Suzanne, Contra Account, Lucky Hi There, Larrys Model, Cunning Fox, Easterbury Prince, Easterbury Star, Joans Rose, Bottoms Up, Modulus, Repetition, Brides Offspring, Feudal Mariner, My Suit, Westgate Linda, Westpark Gem, Perhaver Blackie, Blackamoor, Fast Cat, Chop Suey, Kims Blewitt, Toreador Tommy, Wotanother, Kilnaglory Magpie, Chalfont Line, Roaming Beauty, Finolas Thrush, Kilfera General, Lazy Noreen, Park Miss, Handsome Lass. So many more I could have mentioned, but many of these were just graders and so high was the standard at the track that nearly all would win open races at most other tracks. Handsome Lass will be remembered for running in the infamous race at Dagenham which was an attempted coup on the forecast dividend. |
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Sparrow 38 bus from Kingsland Rd Shoreditch to Clapton pond. Cab 5 people 6d each to stadium. ROLLING Mike was my favourite Scurvy cup winner. Do you remember Glenachil Boys bought by Stanley Barrett renamed Lucky Boy Boy?he won a Fortune backing it at 100 1.
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I remember Lucky Boy Boy and Lucky Hi There but not Glenachil Boys.. A cab from Clapton Pond? just a 10 minute walk down the hill
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Sorry just noticed Glenachil was Lucky Boy Boy but I never knew that.
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The Final
The surprising result in the first semi final meant that the final was seen as being contested by the dogs from the second semi. However, Misty King (8/1) and drawn in an outside 5 box, was not seen as a forlorn hope as a Bassett second string to the warm Evens favourite Lucky Boy Boy. As the traps opened it was the 2 dog Greenane Wonder who got out ahead of the inside boxed favourite. However, he made the mistake of moving off the rails and bumped both Misty King and Bulgaden Glory leaving a gaping gap for Lucky Boy Boy to race through. By the third bend he had raced into the lead and started to go clear from that point, striding to a 6 3/4 length victory in 29.00, especially as Bulgaden and Misty were involved in more trouble to enable Greenane Wonder to get back up to claim second spot by a length. The Winner was owned by Mr S J Barrett Lucky Boy Boy was trained by John Bassett at Clapton Greenane Wonder was trained by Jack Harvey at Wembley Barronstown King was trained by Clare Orton at Wimbledon Hack It About was trained by Jack Harvey at Wembley Misty King was trained by John Bassett at Clapton Bulgaden Glory was trained privately by John Haynes |
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Stanwas a local bookie.My uncle Dickie Hatton was a bookie there ,he also worked with my Dad in the thirties for Darby Sabbiniat southern racetracks.
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My dad clerked at White City for John White senior in the 50s and early 60s but had been a clerk from the late 1920s for various firms. That 1963 Derby was the year before I became a regular at Clapton and you will no doubt recall all those other Derby winners from the track in the 60s.
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They had a casino upstairs for a time.
In the middle of the night I raced a person around the track for money. I showed a lot of E.P and won by a long way. |