Greyhounds
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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.
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.
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memories of a misspent youth never missed the derby meetings from 1971 till closure even used to go for the trial sessions for derby qualifying back in the day
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Same wedge 74 on wards ,did you ever go the Pre Qualifiers use to be held during the Day ,think the last ones were 74 , I was in my school uniform
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Must have been 75 because That was my 1st derby ,Think that was the last pre qualifiers was no betting from what I can remember ...
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White City Derby winners 1945- 1984
1984 Whisper Wishes Charlie Coyle (Maidstone) 7/4F 29.43 1983 I'm Slippy Barbara Tompkins (Coventry) 6/1 29.40 1982 Lauries Panther Terry Duggan (Romford) 6/4F 29.60 1981 Parkdown Jet Ger McKenna (Ireland) 4/5F 29.57 1980 Indian Joe John Hayes (Ireland) 13/8JF 29.68 1979 Sarahs Bunny Geoff De Mulder (Hall Green) 3/1 29.53 1978 Lacca Champion Pat Mullins (Private) 6/4F 29.42 1977 Ballinska Band Eddie Moore (Belle Vue) 1/1F 29.16 1976 Mutts Silver Phil Rees Sr. (Wimbledon) 6/1 29.38 1975 Tartan Khan Gwen Lynds (Bletchley) 25/1 29.57 1974 Jimsun Geoff De Mulder (Hall Green) 5/2 28.76 1973 Patricias Hope Johnny O'Connor (Ireland) 7/2 28.68 1972 Patricias Hope Adam Jackson (Clapton) 7/1 28.55 1971 Dolores Rocket Herbert White (Private) 11/4 28.74 1970 John Silver Barbara Tompkins (Private) 11/4 29.01 1969 Sand Star Hamilton Orr (Ireland) 5/4F 28.78 1968 Camira Flash Randolph Singleton (White City) 100/8 28.78 1967 Tric Trac Jim Hookway (Owlerton) 9/2 29.00 1966 Faithful Hope Paddy Keane (Clapton) 8/1 28.52 1965 Chittering Clapton Adam Jackson (Clapton) 5/2 28.82 1964 Hack Up Chieftain Percy Stagg (Belle Vue) 20/1 28.82 1963 Lucky Boy Boy Johnny Bassett (Clapton) 1/1F 29.00 1962 The Grand Canal Paddy Dunphy (Ireland) 2/1F 29.09 1961 Palms Printer Paddy McEvoy (Clapton) 2/1 28.84 1960 Duleek Dandy Bill Dash (Private) 25/1 29.15 1959 Mile Bush Pride Jack Harvey (Wembley) 1/1F 28.76 1958 Pigalle Wonder Jim Syder Jr. (Wembley) 4/5F 28.65 1957 Ford Spartan Dennis Hannafin (Wimbledon) 1/1F 28.84 1956 Dunmore King Paddy McEvoy (Clapton) 7/2 29.22 1955 Rushton Mac Frank Johnson (Private) 5/2 28.97 1954 Pauls Fun Leslie Reynolds (Wembley) 8/15F 28.84 1953 Daws Dancer Paddy McEvoy (Private) 10/1 29.20 1952 Endless Gossip Leslie Reynolds (Wembley) 1/1F 28.50 1951 Ballylanigan Tanist Leslie Reynolds (Wembley) 11/4 28.62 1950 Ballymac Ball Stan Martin (Wimbledon) 7/2 28.72 1949 Narrogar Ann Leslie Reynolds (Wembley) 5/1 28.95 1948 Priceless Border Leslie Reynolds (Wembley) 1/2F 28.78 1947 Trev's Perfection Fred Trevillion (Private) 4/1 28.95 1946 Mondays News Fred Farey (Private) 5/1 29.24 1945 Ballyhennessy Seal Stan Martin (Wimbledon) 1/1F 29.56 1944 Not Run |
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Only Rom and Sheffield left out of the Winners tracks
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What do you mean by "Winners Tracks" ? as 1982 Lauries Panther Terry Duggan at Romford.
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It is good all us old uns have these great memories, they were fantastic times.
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casemoney by trials I meant pre qualifiers and bookies high street ones ie mecca vc power used to do the odds me and dad used to punt all the hq dogs definitely was pre qualifying in 76 we had a touch with a dog of gers
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Was no Books at Track Wedge if I remember Correctly
Tartan Khan came 3rd in a Pre qualifer then headed off to run in a minor open at Hall green was beat ,Before the proper 1 st round  |
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The Prerace Paddock below the Forecast Board was brilliant
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Print I have in my hallway
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brilliant print casemoney, it just shows how times change, only one black dog there, i've got 2 prints 24x24 of Scurlogue Champ and Ballyregan Bob by Monica Long 1987 hanging on my wall in the hallway, see them everyday. only attended White City in 1983 went down for 1/4,semi and final, been to every track for the derby since then except last year, was booked up this year for the first rnd. fri. sat. but no chance now, just hope I get the chance to go to Nottingham for the next one. cheers.
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A great Derby final I remember.
I remember Mels Talent and I think it was trained by Paddy Keane and never mind the quarter finals as it finished 3rd in the 1967 Derby Final. Just confirmed it and another 2 Clapton dogs in the Final. At White City (over 525 yards):[3] Position Winning Greyhound Breeding Trap SP Finish Time Trainer 1st Tric Trac Crazy Parachute - Supreme Witch 1 9-2 29.00 Ronald 'Jim' Hookway (Owlerton) 2nd Spectre II Crazy Parachute - Supreme Witch 6 2-1f 29.08 Ronald 'Jim' Hookway (Owlerton) 3rd Mels Talent Buffalo Bill - Nice Talent 2 6-1 29.46 Paddy Keane (Clapton) 4th Shady Parachute Crazy Parachute - Shady Contempara 3 9-2 29.56 Phil Rees Sr. (Wimbledon) 5th Silver Hope Clonalvy Pride - Millie Hawthorn 5 5-2 29.94 Paddy Keane (Clapton) 6th Ambiguous Crazy Parachute - The Mistress 4 100-8 30.34 Paddy McEvoy (Wimbledon) Spectre II was the ante-post favourite leading into the 1967 Derby and his owner Nat Pinson refused a £5,000 offer for the greyhound before the competition started. Pinson also owned Tric-Trac and put the pair with Owlerton trainer Jim Hookway. Other leading entries included Irish greyhound 'The Grand Silver' trained by Paddy Dunphy and Silver Hope one of a strong team of four for Clapton trainer Paddy Keane. Neither Tric-Trac or Spectre II won their first round heats but all of the main contenders safely progressed to the second round with the exception of Monalee Champion. Irish interest ended in the second round and despite a troublesome race both Spectre II and Silver Hope survived the same heat to progress. Both were drawn together again in the semi-finals. After taking a bump in the first semi-final Tric-Trac ran on well to claim third behind Mels Talent, Ambiguous another son of Crazy Parachute qualified in second place. The second semi-final was a repeat of the first with crowding affecting the race, Shady Parachute a daughter of Crazy Parachute won it with the pair of Silver Hope and Spectre II qualifying second and third respectively. The final had four siblings, two full brothers, one half-brother and one half-sister, as well as two Hookway trained and two Keane trained runners. The Hookway pair had suffered problems after the semis with Tric-Trac having a split web and Spectre II suffering with a minor muscle strain, the injury with Spectre II was a concern due to the fact that he had been pulled out of the Gold Collar with the same injury. However by the day of the final both were reported fit and well. During the final both Mels Talent and Shady Parachute swung wide baulking Silver Hope and Ambiguous and forcing Spectre II wider. Tric-Trac missed the trouble by slipping through on the rails followed by Mels Talent and Spectre II. Tric-Trac held on to the win from his fast finishing brother Spectre II in a time of 29.00 sec |
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sparrow that final must have been some sight at the White City is it on you tube. cheers.
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No chance of any greyhound racing from the 60s on youtube I'm afraid.
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ok,thanks though for great stories, it is good to listen to good guys on here for a change. cheers.
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bairn, Youtube got Steptoe And Son at White CIty!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R65GsJ6WnMQ
The Band was a Machine What a fooookin track |
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debtford, i'll have to look it up, got plenty of time. cheers.
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case bookies not at track correct we used the shops in and around the area
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You know sparrow, I booked a table in the restaurant for the 1967 Derby and what a fantastic race the 2 litter brothers gave us! Unfortunately the wrong one won for me, I had 3 doubles and a treble on Royal Palace (Derby), Charlottown (Coronation) and Spectre. I stood to win £700.
I used to love White City. As a boy I used to watch the regular Athletics meetings there, I'd pay 10 pence for a cushion and sit on the steps. I was there when Derek Ibbotson broke the World mile record in 1957. Later on I worked for a chap who owned greyhounds, trained at Wimbledon. he had one really good dog who came into his own when he was sent hurdling, No Chips was his name and I followed him everywhere, he didn't quite have the pace for the 500m at Wimbledon but he was good enough for open racing and he loved the wide open spaces at the City and the 525m was made for him, I'm not sure that he ever got beat there. Away from the City, he won the Holiday Stakes at West Ham 3 years running after which it was renamed the No Chips Stakes. I believe he held the track record when they closed. My best memories of White City however,were the Charity meetings that they held now and then, my gf and I used to dress up, me in the monkey suit and her in an evening dress. The racing was great, the food was pretty good and I was Jack the Lad sitting among the many celebrities who enjoyed dog racing. Sparrow, I've enjoyed thinking about those great times from so long ago, thanks for the thread. |
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driver, great memory for you being there for the 1967 final. I was first taken there in the 50s as my father worked as a bookmakers clerk for John White senior at the track for many years.
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was the Pie and Mash shop on the Cheapside there in the 50s 60s ??
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I can only remember the hot dog with an extra size frankfurter stall in the 50s. Never liked Pie and Mash so wouldn't have noticed it.
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Was he Under the stand by the 3rd Bend Think my mate went through his roof When we had scaled the wall to get in one night |
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I JUMPED DOWN NO PROBS , NEXT THING ME MATE FRANKS LEGS APPEARED IN THE KIOSK
WAS ONLY 14 ,MAD AS HATTERS |
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Middle of the track under the stand as far as I recall. Always a big queue there and me as a 10 year old wishing I could get one.
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ANYONE EVER GET THE COACH FROM THE CITY TO WEMBLEY USED TO RUN MON AND FRI
CAN REMEMBER LIKE YESTERDAY THE SMELL OF SMOKE PEOPLE WITH THE CARDS FROM THE MIDDAY STANDARD STUDYING AWAY ..... STANDARD DONE FULL CARD WITH FORM ... |
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MY MATES DAD RAN THE GENERAL SMUTS PUB ,WAS ALWAYS A FEW OF US UP THERE ,ONE NIGHT ONE OF THE BARMAN WAS GIVEN A LOAD OF FREE TICKED TOOK 4 OF US WITH HIM ,I CAN VIVIDLY REMEMBER WALKING IN
THE TWO TOTE BOARDS EITHER END ,THE BOOK MAKERS SHOUTING THE ODDS , THE LIGHTS DIMMING AND THE DOGS FLYING FROM THE TRAPS ,I BET THE LAST WINNER A DOG CALLED RED ALERT OVER 725 TRAP 6 10-1 ON THE TOTE THINK 50 P , THAT WAS A THURSDAY NIGHT . I WAS BACK ON THE SATURDAY ,HOOKED  I CAN REMEMBER LOADS OF GRADERS THEIR RUNNING STYLES ETC FROM LATE 74 - 77 MORE THAN ANY OTHER YEARS  YET I STILL WENT AS MUCH AFTER THAT ... I MISSED THE LAST MEETING THE FOOKERS DIDN'T ANNOUNCE IT ,IT WAS A THURSDAY IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY . A FRIEND OF MINE FROM THE DON WENT SAME PERIOD ,BUT HE WENT THE DEAR SIDE ,HE COULD REMEMBER EXACT SAME DOGS |
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Case, i am 62 my first Greyhound Derby was also 1975 ( Tartan Khan ) ... been hooked ever since. !!
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Still aint got a Clue why sally Cobbler moved off at the 1st bend , I can remember connections
Saying the hare was Jigged ,But what a dog Khan turned out to , Track record in Final of Leger That still stood to the day Wembley closed Im sure he ran graded at the city and could not win a race |
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https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVADXWGA630TOEYCOXFQN7H7FWZ3-ENGLAND-THE-GREYHOUND-DERBY/query/greyhounds
Laura Thompson in her book states that at the beginning of 1975 White City asked the trainer of Tartan Khan to take the dog away after it lost 8 graded races in a row. https://epdf.pub/the-dogs-a-personal-history-of-greyhound-racing.html |
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I am grateful to Keith Landles for his observations of the final.
Lively Band did not take part, having been disqualified controversially, in the Semi-Final, for fighting. The dog he "fought" into fourth place, Shamrock Point, an ante-post favourite for the competition went on to win the Consolation Final in a time some 56 spots faster than the Final. So, the Final was a five dog race. Myrtown, who had been an unplaced finalist the year before, was all the rage ( media fuelled hype ) for the final, even though he'd drawn the "coffin box" of three, until, a day or two before the race when some sustained support came for Sally’s Cobbler in Trap 1. A dead-railer inside a slow starter it was argued that he was the best drawn dog in the Final. Pineapple Grand, a useful wide seed would need to improve again to win as would Foreign Exchange who had proved to be the "improver" of the competition. Tartan Khan was overlooked by all. He was a stayer who had actually qualified for the final with straight third place runs, all around the 29.60 mark, a time which had been beaten by all four of the others, by some way. As so often happens, the expected happened then didn't quite pan out. Tartan Khan in 2 made light of the "Derby roar", trapped far better than any had thought possible and moved out to hinder Myrtown, who had slept a yard and met trouble going to the bend, in the shape of Foreign Exchange. The rail opened up and Sally's snatched the lead going into the bend and bombed up the back straight. Then, unbelievably this dead-railer moved off and Tartan Khan came up his inside to lead going into the last turn. Stunned race-fans could not believe it as the sure stayer, Tartan Khan, who was recognised as more of a St Leger hope, took the lead and ran on to the line to win by 1 and a quarter lengths. 33/1 had been freely available all week and 25/1 on the night - so sure were the betting public that the dog was a no-hoper. Tartan Khan went on to win the St Leger that same year then did absolutely nothing of note at stud. |
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I have read that book Sparrow good read , I can vaguely remember him being on a graded card , I would have had the card but a load got thrown out a few years back
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Thanks for the Video Sparrow that is the first time I have seen the race ,since the night ..Were no replays then
I thought Sallys moved off at the 1st bend Great video highlighting what a special place it was , no wonder a lad of 15 could fall in love with it  My birthday is 25 th of June many a derby fell on or around then ,I didn't celebrate my birthday , I celebrated the Derby |
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I have that card Sparrow I think was the 25 th june that night ,I turned 15 then
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