Your favourite track, now gone?

Has to be Hereford where our beloved Now We Know won 3 from 3 and chucked Julian Pritchard into the ditch when attempting win number 4. Friendly track and a fair track, real shame.

I used to like Stockton you may not believe it but they used to run a Classic trial there.

I had a right touch there one day over a horse named Sandras Secret. Happy days long gone

When I lived in Scotland I liked Lanark and in London the very different Ally Pally. I used to work in Wandsworth and it was a Hell of dash getting to Ally Pally for a Monday night meeting.

I had a Scalextrix track that i still miss.

Wye was paradise on earth.

Good to hear from you, miprixabloater. I miss Alexandra Park.

I'll put up three. Firstly the chase course at Haydock before they introduced the mobile fences. Secondly the old Grand National track before they made the fences less of a test, and thirdly, yes I too miss Hereford.

For me it has to be two point courses.
Flagg Moor-Formerly home of The High Peak Point
Robert Hill-Formerly home of The Dumfries Point.
Mention of Stockton also reminds me of a horse I went there specifically to back.It was called Silver Teal,it had run at Sedgefield in its previous run & had been a blatant non tryer finishing 3rd or 4th.As I left Sedgefield that day I swore I would go & back it in its next run thus I ended up at Stockton.They set it away at Stockton & there was never a sweat.This must have been the early 70s.

Stockton was one of the most boring, uninspiring gaffs I have ever visited!

Is Dunstall Park on the same site as the old course at Wolves ?

Yes, half of it!

Have to agree about Stockton. A most depressing place.

I remember going to Stockton years ago used to get the train from Darlington to Thornaby, half an hour walk to the course then next door to Cleveland park dogs.

many times walking back along that long road to the station with empty pockets, now that was depressing.

My local course was Tweseldown and was a regular for many years until sadly it closed about 3 years or so ago.

I remember my father taking me to Tweseldown in the 1950s. A real eye opener for a young East London boy!!

Was Mark Johnson commentating? - Tweseldown is where he started.

No wonder they closed it down.

I don't think they had a commentator in the 50s and if they had it certainly wouldn't have been him.   

White City Greyhound track

Phoenix Park. Lucky enough to see El Gran Senor win on his debut there.

As for a favourite and if we allow greyhound tracks then it must be Clapton. Without doubt it had the classiest dogs based there in the 60s and it supplied the Derby winner 4 times between 1961 and 1966. The track closed in the 1970s.

Stockton was potentially the best track in the North East ,depressing only because to one side of the course was old industry and run down railway ,the place is lot different now but alas the track is no more a depressing poorly designed
Retail park stands in its place .

Enjoyed Wolverhampton turf, both flat & jumps.....



fibresand was a licence to print money !

Baldoyle

i remember the old dunstall track at wolver ..there was a old bookie there called bob ???
one monday afternoon a old fella turned up with his daughter ..bob had ago at him and the old boy turned nasty in fact uncrontable his  daughter said i cant do nothing with himn whens he like thsi old bob the bookie didnt know how to deal with it the old boy was seriously giving him aggro a policewomen intervend and she couldnt do a thing it was hilarious bob had to run off ..might have been bob austin ...but old geezer was a game un

Looks like no one misses Hurst Park or Lewes.

I miss Hurst Park. Across the Thames in a rowing boat from Hampton church.Was magic for a young lad.
I dont think they build many houses on it. Great shame as the place was packed after the war years.
Winston Churchill's Colonist always seemed to be running.
White City for the dogs was just as bad for me.

1st pic is a young Pat Eddery at Stockton



https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/stockton-races-1970/

warhan
23 Aug 15 12:27

YORK

Used to be the best track in the country now a bookies gaff track




Yes, so much better when they used to have the joggers path and you had to be on the rail

Folkestone - the only track in Kent gone!! What a waste - its still there unused.

Bolton  Dogs  1966  to  1990   the best flapping  track  ever ,  some real strong bookies   
re trainer  charlie  lister  was the best .. went ngr racing  won about every major comp
re  champion dogs to run there   open racing some of the best  from  Ireland  andthe  NGR

I used to go to Lewes and Hurst Park. They did build a lot of houses at Hurst Park. I used to go to Hurst Park by Trolley bus. In some races the runners went behind the stands. I even thought that I would like to live there by the winning post as we were house hunting at the time they were building in the 60's. Evidently as time went it became run down.

Folkestone loved it to bits disgraceful how the bha or who ever run uk racing allowed this to happen also Folkestone council have done nothing to help the situation,talk about a good time to bury bad news the announcement was made at lunch time on the day of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

Have to agree about Bolton dogs zipper. Raced a lot of mine there, you could have a thousand on back then with Maurice Lindsay.

They always used to say if it can't do the grading time at Bolton then put it on Belle Vue!

I can remember racing taking place at Manchester racecourse in the early sixties, it was to the outskirts of Salford, a fair way from Manchester City centre itself.

barstool    maurice   was  on the board at   Wigan  rugby club    so say he was   the major share holder   but that aside   bookie   take today    closed accounts   and all that jazz

Maurice  would  stand  any bet  for grands   more if he did not fancy it 


top guy

do you remember  Johns Mansion ...

The name rings a bell was it a grader or open racer?

I certainly remember Springwood Mickey mopping up all the Northwest West opens back then, there was a lot of cloak and dagger stuff going on back then. Geoff De Mulder used to run a few on Bolton as well as Charlie.

barstool

I played football on castle Irwell in the mid eighties do you know if theres anything left of the site now ?

I believe it was sold to Salford University who have built a student campus on it. Going back a few years you could see a bit of the old track and railings off the western part of the M60, not any more.

now you say that about Salford university I remember somebody else telling me that barstool I never went to Salford dogs I believe it was very popular with its 5 dog races,went the odd Friday afternoon to white city that was very quiet.

barstool  re  DE Mulder  and Charlie  .. ran  plenty at Bolton   but you got to remember   the Bolton Derby was  worth 10 grand to the winner     1975 .....
re Johns  Mansion   ..he was a pet  knew andy very  well  thats the owner
but  had no papers    so could not run NGRC  .....   Harry Thorpe   said    he was the best  flapping   dog he ever graded   ...and  Harry was the grader  for  30 odds years at Bolton
the boys  after racing had a few laughs and drinks in the bar   them were the days

Always brings a tear to my eye entering Wolverhampton as you walk past a house built on the very spot where a John Manners 40/1 shot fell in the lead at the last in a selling hurdle.

Used to like the sprawling old track there, with the ramshackle stands and the Baluchi Bar.

screaming

the boxing day card at Wolverhampton always staged some novice hurdles where the Christmas money could be got.

Hard to beat Baldoyle on a St Patricks day , Johnnie Roe on a 2yo for Connolly first race of the flat season , a 3 mile  hurdle race Orient War the winner ,ah the memories..

zipper, I remember Harry Thorpe well, did not like the bloke though, he called everyone coc k. Got on much better with the handicapper at Blackburn John Dutton much better. Used to race on straw there in winter. Peter 'o Dowd was the manager at Preston (now at Romford).

Best of all was Alec Broadbent at Blackpool, would always oblige with a good mark if he knew you were struggling a bit, this was when the Boyle family owned both tracks.

Great days, never to be repeated alas. Still we were there when it was at it's best and for that I am thankful.

rye house dogs was an old fav,close finish and one of the books would shout '6/4 a dead heat'

workrider 24 Aug 15 17:59 Joined: 29 Jun 02 | Topic/replies: 21,053 | Blogger: workrider's blog
Hard to beat Baldoyle on a St Patricks day , Johnnie Roe on a 2yo for Connolly first race of the flat season , a 3 mile  hurdle race Orient War the winner ,ah the memories..

Was that the Orient War owned by John Banks, the Glasgow bookie?

Eastville stadium once housed Bristol Rovers and a BAGs track-the only dog racing I ever attended. I was taken to Eastville as a child to watch Bristol beat Man UTD in the FA Cup and in the next round they lost to Preston including Tom Finney! They demolished the whole place and built a shopping centre in its place.

Would love to have seen Taunton dogs in the 1960s and 1970s. Dave Pipe snr (David Pipe's grandfather) was both promoter and bookmaker, so no conflict of interest there.

The dogs ran around the perimeter of the cricket field at the County Ground opposite the old cattle market in the town centre. They paraded in what is now the car park, but at the time was the cricket nets, which must have been interesting for the cricketers the next morning.

leicester used to have a dog and speedway track at blackbird road/parker drive now houses http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/leicester.htm

I was at the last Cardiff greyhound meeting.

played rugby against Warwick Uni inside Wolverhampton racecourse.
Our coach driver got Brahms and Liszt so we spent the night at the uni.

I also played cricket at Taunton.

The very same Screaming , won at 1/3 if i remember correctly.

I remember eastville and my only visit there was  also against united at easter the season they were in division two ,

Coincidentally, I was trying to remember the name of Bristol Rovers old ground - whilst we were having a pint last night.

I said it was the worst ground that I had ever been to - and on the day that I went it poured down all day - making the Greyhound and Speedway track, around the outside, look a right mess.

I did, eventually, remember the name Eastville.

Barstool
Towards the end have you any idea how many bookies actually bet there with their own money?You'd be surprised if you knew as one gentleman from over the hill didn't just put the money up for his own pitch & you would be doubly amazed at one of the pitches he was running.

No, sorry I have not. You will have to enlighten me.

Used to see Alex Murphy and John Spencer there quite a bit. Fair bit of money on the track back then, especially the last two races on the card when the open class dogs were running. Fond memories.

managed to go the last folkestone and hereford meetings in the same december, of the two i preferred folkestone although it was more run down than hereford at the time..was a regular at catford dogs in 90s when lived in london, was surprised to hear it closed, was living abroad at the time - what did they do with it, houses?  don't think hereford or folkestone will ever re-open

Catford was same as last time I was over Gordon63, toteboard and entrance still intact and no development in progress, that was a while back though, we need Slippy or someone from the area to update how it is currently.

As mentioned earlier, White City for those memorable Derby Final nights and of course, Walthamstow for almost any Saturday or big final night - nothing but fond memories...

when i lived in Westcombe Park in the 60s frequently went to the dogs at Catford and Charlton...Anyone remember wide running Newgrove Toddy at Catford which was a well supported track in those days;Charlton however lacked atmosphere and seemed to me to be a 3rd division track.

barstool your post  yesterday   18.27   re  John Dutton  a very fair guy  if  you played fair Do you remember  Eddie Thomas  was the grader at  White City Manchester  when it closed had a spell at Bolton  last  i heard of him  he had a paper shop in Sheffield

Tony Morris was laying four figure bets at Charlton even in the 60s.

Gordon

when the news broke Hereford was permanent Folkestone was just for a couple of years until things were sorted out,well from what I see nobody is interested in Folkestone the locals the council and arc have given up,hereford however is ticking over with a bit of arab racing and whilst I agree its unlikely either will reopen the more likely of the two would be Hereford.

Don't miss Warwick flat much.

Sorry zipper, I did not know him.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/at-dear-old-ally-pally  Check out the huge size of the crowd at Ally Pally albeit 1927.

Hurst Park

Bus from Hammersmith and the ferry over the river to the track.

For a young boy it did not get any better.

Remember I had 2/6 on a 10/1 chance that won think the horse was called King of diamonds would be interesting if that is correct.

Might have been with the away's I had the bet so long ago now.

Clacton

Read what you said about Hurst Park.

OMG you might have been in that boat at the same time as me.

Can not believe there is someone around still that would have got that boat.

Unbelievable

barstool  you have  been a flapper    do your remember   THE  Waterloo Cup    talking about  gambling  bookies    Steven  Little    would lay  anything  for 5k  in a match    thats was  1970  ...  when the average   wage  was  £30 a week..
.Other top layers John  Banks  horses
and that  top  judge  on the dogs  the one  only  Mick  THE Miller     the best ever

barstool    go  to google  see what a champ  this dog was

bar thats mick the miller

Seaside we may well have been on the same boat.
Trolley bus from Hanwell to Brentford Half-Acre and another one to Hampton church.Then the rowing boat.
Loved the place. The Victoria Cup on the dogged-legged 7f was a much better race than the present one at Ascot.
Walter Nightingall was the man to follow in them days. Saw Lester Piggott win the Triumph Hurdle on Prince Charlemange.
When I got old enough I cycled all the way and watched the racing over the fence that run along the straight.
Wonderful days that have never been equalled.

Great memories of Hurst Park, lads.  I think though that the Victoria Cup when run there was 1m 2f (incl the dogleg 7f), not the 7f of Ascot today.

I just wish I remembered it as I am told I went aged 8 (1960) but I do not remember it, or Ally Pally which I went at the same time. I remember Brighton though!!!!

zipper, I have been to see the Waterloo Cup at Altcar, just the once, should have gone more as I only live a few miles away. I can remember a few heavies from the North West flapping tracks getting together and going down to sort the animal rights lot out, but too many police there. Master Mcgrath won it three times, Mick the Miller won the Derby 3 times

I also went to the  call over at The Scarisbrick Hotel in Southport that year. Steven Little would be there offering the prices and as they called out the dogs names they would lay the bets, no money changed hands, you paid when you lost.

I got one of my best ever spinter's, a courser ownned by Mark Prescott called "Unsighted Again", sired by Best Man after the event one year. He gave it to a friend of his who lived near Preston and he put with me to train.
I entered it in the Bolton Guineas but Harry Thorpe would not put him in so I graded him in with a ton in hand and he had his first race on the night of the Guineas heats. Off scratch giving 4 yards he led at the first and hosed in 20 spots faster than any of the open races. Had it been an ordinary meeting we would have got the red light. A week later under the name of Dr Winnington we cleaned out the books at Blackpool. Those where the days.

The Victoria Cup was 7f. It started down by the open-air swimming pool.It certainly was not 1m 2f.

Clacton, your memory of the course is way before mine.  My only solid evidence is based on Copes Racegoer Encyclopaedia which from the early 50's until 1962 lists the race as being run over 1m 2f. I am happy to defer.

Put 'Victoria Cup at Hurst Park' in Google.
Ive got the 1952 Copes Encyclopaedia in front of me. Cant see where it says 1m 2f anywhere.

The 1952 Cope's doesn't list the historic Victoria Cup results at all. I don't have all of them but the 1955 to 1962 inclusive issues show the race as being over 1m 2f.  Perversely the 1954 issue shows the distance as 1m 7f which is clearly nonsense.

Of course, the race was originally run over 1m 2f but the date of change seems to be uncertain. However as I said I am happy to defer to you that during OUR time the race was run over 7f (I think!!)

Onlooker will be able to help!

Why do they not re-open Folkestone?. As I understand did not Arc agreed to redevelop the track providing the council allowed them to build on part of the site. Surely a win win situation for all. What is the present state of affairs and why no agreement?

Can't really describe it as a favourite but I do think it is sad to see Worcester reduced to Summer jumping fodder. These days there is probably more chance of finding a needle in a haystack than a decent horse turning up and if they do it is probably by accident. We all know about the flooding but if it was such an issue how did the Winter fixtures survive for so long?

No one missing Tralee?

have to agree with Go To War with regards to the old chase track at Haydock. used to be a proper course, now alas just like Southwell's chase course, a crime what they did to it

Good thread this one interesting read

Thanks lads

blackbarn and clacton -  Just looked at 1949 Raceform

Hurst Park - Saturday May 21st 1949 - Good

3-10 Victoria Cup - 7 f

1.  My Babu - 4-9-7 - Charlie Smirke

14 ran - Won by 3 lengths - 7/1 (opened 4/1)

* The year before - MY BABU had won the 2000 Guineas.

Thanks Onlooker -  My Babu won the big race at Ally Pally that year too.  Re the distance of the Victoria Cup, it looks like Copes Annuals of the fifties had a long standing error which they failed to correct.   The race was first run in 1904 and was definitely originally run over 1m 2f.

Trivia question - What does My Babu have in common with Bahram and Tudor Minstrel.  Apart from being 2000 gns winners.

Were they all leading juvenile sires ?

onlooker it seems incredible that a 2000gns winner should run in the Victoria Cup....must have been a very prestigious race in those days

Good guess posy, but doesn't apply to Tudor Minstrel and it is not what I am looking for  It is a bit more esoteric than that. It is to do with their names.

Charlie Smirke gave me a coat when I was a young lad one winter when I needed one.

I don't suppose anyhone else on here ever went to the Beaufort Hunt meeting at Sherston (which was under NH rules, not a point to point). I went a couple of times in the 1950's as a child and remember the likes of Bob Turnell, Derek Ancil and Michael Scudamore riding there.

Cork Langer
     25 Aug 15 15:56   

Catford was same as last time I was over Gordon63, toteboard and entrance still intact and no development in progress, that was a while back though, we need Slippy or someone from the area to update how it is currently. 

Lots of flats going up on the old Catford stadium, development is called Catford Green, 2 beds flats around £400,000 mark.

lived in bargery road and there were loads of trees brought down in the famous michael fish storm - good to see there's some green being restored!  still 400K for catford - can't believe it...

Yes and stuck between two railway lines.

posy 30 Aug 15 15:20 

onlooker it seems incredible that a 2000gns winner should run in the Victoria Cup....must have been a very prestigious race in those days  -----------------

The Victoria Cup was worth £2413 to the Winner, in 1949

The 2000 Guineas - run on Wednesday April 27th - was worth £13,606

By comparison - The Royal Hunt Cup was worth £3463 - The Wokingham Handicap £1903

Incidentally - The Royal Hunt Cup was run over 7f 155yds

The Ascot course Layout has moved inwards twice since then - both times to accommodate new Grandstands and Lawns in front of the Stands.

^

Don't know if anyone's mentioned it, but Pompey Dogs. Loved an evening there, terrific value as well, with their five things for a fiver deal.

Folkstone nh - Walthamstow Dogs they were the days

Park Royal

Oddly enough the flat turf course at Southwell. Only had a few meetings on it then they deemed it unnecessary for some reason.

The old Flat track at Kempton too.

miss any turf track replaced with AW!!  used to go to portsmouth dogs when i lived there in 96-98, good to see that graham holland having success in ireland

Exeter, St. Austell, Newton Abbot, Glastonbury - all dog tracks.