GONE TO THE DOGS LIVE - Greyhound Derby Final Night

I'll be watching. But for the distance I'd have driven to Towcester. Good luck to all the runners.

The first Derby I saw was 1961.

Loved going to the white City for the Derby.

Seems like a life time ago now.

Is it on Sky?

Don't think so Swifty, the youtube coverage is good though imo.

I'll have a look. Is Errol Blyth still commentating?

Loved going to the white City for the Derby.


Was diffo gear Seaside , fantastic track , Great  Atmosphere

heart breaker when it Closed

Errol packed up

Just have phone on standby
If it starts to buffer
Had few teething problems on some of the nights

I wish it go back to its old format being post 10 o clock
Race,  on 9.15 for shops ! Dusk
Coral lads ain’t showing it so what % of shops
Do they take up ? Can’t imagine to many punters
In shops past 9pm on Saturday night

Casino Punters in Shop Fats , Nee dog Men  , race should be under Lights ,sadly  No more   

Seaside did you post on the White City threads on the Dog forumm ? Were some great posters on there, First Final I seen was 75 

So a youngster regarding the City , was my second Home never missed a Meeting  for years after that

there is Zero comparison to what we Have now  .. I would need a Pair of Bins to watch the Racing at Towcester

£45 to get in tomorrow Some kind of entertainment put on , The only entertainment we needed was the Bar open After racing

Meetings used to end after 11 even at the Don ,Wouldn't leave till 1 am on occasions at the Don ..

As you say All gone ,replaced by a load of Bollox TBH

Fats, I will have the PC Connected Watch on BF if Tube playing up  , The thing they Used last year Froze Mid Race During the Final

with thousands watching tomorrow night , Have a reserve ready

if 6 breaks Level leads and wins IMO , If not anything can happen in the Next 30 Seconds  , Sandwiches would be deserved winner 

Think 1 will run well at a price

Watched Some Derby Heats from 365 No problem there Good pictures no Buffering Good Luck Everyone

The only entertainment we needed was the Bar open After racing

That problem at many events useless bar staff

Been at few fiasco’s at Wimbledon, definitely the Derby at notttingham
Where they have didn’t have enough staff or they couldn’t pull a pint (wimbo we had perfect spot
On edge of restaurant where boys did half clocks best place to be with access to the restaurant bar, so no ****g about golden age sport  even though fip the track rd

Shelbourne never had that problem in derby final night
Or night of stars


£45 sheets tonight surpose get head rd it’s dog meeting
It is what it is

1st Derby I saw was 1951. Ballylanigan Tanist.  Never been the same since White City closed. Probably 60,000 for the final in them days. Bookmakers the length of both straights and some on the bends. How many will be watching from 50 yards away tonight?.

I might not see many more

Chin up Clacton, you have plenty of memories to keep you goig.

   My first was 1975, I was only 17 yrs old and i remember getting stopped by a copper getting off the train asking me where I was going.

    What an atmosphere that can never be replicated.

     Final result
Position    Name of Greyhound    Trainer
1st    Tartan Khan    Gwen Lynds (Bletchley)
2nd    Sallys Cobbler    John Bassett (Private)
3rd    Pineapple Grand    Frank Baldwin (Perry Barr)
4th    Myrtown    Eddie Moore (White City - Manchester)

* Going

Patricias Hope was my 1st at the White City.

My school teacher saw me at the City one Saturday night. Monday morning he asked me what I was doing there. I said I liked the train ride from Ealing Broadway to White City.

Glasgow

We could have walked past each other that evening, i was a regular at White City pre-1984, my favourite track and i saw quite a few Derbies. I was on Sally's Cobbler who almost used to scrape the paint off the rails and for whatever reason drifted away from it to let in Tartan Khan.

The WC Derby was an incredible experience, nothing has come close to it in Greyhound racing since.

Patricia's Hope my first too and around 7 or 8 during that White City /Wimbledon transition . Had dogs with Paddy Milligan at the time and one made the Wimbledon heats (which I probably enjoyed more than final nights - not so many Irish certainties ).

I used to go there a lot at that time,my memory is that bad I thought Myrtown had won a Derby till reading Glasgow's 10.50 post.

Second Again

Myrtown was the odds-on fav

50 yrs later it has just dawned on me, I remember saying to my mate about the number of West Indians running about in the ring backing Pineapple Grand, well now I see the dog was Birmingham ( perry barr ) trained which of course had a large West Indian community.
Talk about waiting for the penny to drop.! 

Thanks,if I remembering the  correct greyhound he was normally electric from trap 1.I backed him many a time but mistakenly have remembered him as a derby winner.

I remember that one very well GLASGOW.  Posted about it on here many moons ago.
Loadsa money!

Don’t worry about it GLASGOW.  Took 50 years plus to dawn on me why Dr McCoy on Star Trek was called “bones”, 

Myrtown made 3 Derby Finals Including Irish Derby Was short price in all 3

Tartan went on to win the leger Broke the track Record  at wembley

he was some dog

Astonishing to think that the guy who did the grading at W.C. told conns. to take Tartan elsewhere as he wasn’t good enough to make the grade there.
I wonder if it was the same guy who disqualified ( much disputed at the time ) Sherrys Prince as a pup, the dog who went on to win three Grand Nationals, and that after recovering from a broken hock.
I contacted GbGb about their ridiculous exclusion of the great Sherrys from their Hall of Honour.  The reply I got was “We can’t include everything”!
The dog was second out of the box in one of twelve G.N. heats and finals, otherwise was never ever headed,  Not to mention the two Scottish Nationals and other top class events he won in a stellar career.  A brilliant, brilliant greyhound.

.. Yankee on the growlers .. 

7.46: T3.
8.39: T4.
8.57: T6.
9.15: T5.


"G/L 2~night" 

"If you~dig" 

sorry gents but what time is the final?

9.15 Towcester Irons , live on exchange & You Tube

Thanks Hayden,I shall watch on here but not bet!

Ditto

Why no in-running on the doggies?

Probably winning in real time as the traps open here

Inrun on dogs.....what year was that

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I'm on De Lahdedah (Tp 3).

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Nevermind. There's always 2026.

A perfect example of why I don't bet on dogs

who won it ?

TI Foyles at 14.0 , odds on fav 2nd

The owner of the winner looks some prick what with the earrings and tattoos.

if the 6 had stayed out I think 4 would've won it.

Trap 3 finished like a whirling dervish. dunno whether it met trouble early doors.
animated roulette for sure.

1 & 3. The fave had every chance.

thanks Hayden

Another disappointing Derby final. All in a heap at the line.

The early paced dogs did not hit the lids as expected and plenty of crowding at the last bend.

Is Towcester the right place for the sport's biggest competition given how inconsistently dogs seem to run there - and also given the track is so far from the stands? No, it plainly is not.

Thank goodness I packed up betting on dogs 20 years ago, but still sad to see how far the sport has fallen.

Think the Derby will be run at Dunstall Park in a couple of years.

This is a report from a genuine lover of the sport who attended last night. It seems I may have it all wrong about the place as well. I'll attend and see for myself but this sounds far better than what I was expecting to hear. I hope the OP doesn't mind me copying this over but on the grounds I was expecting to read the complete opposite of what is written below maybe the place and the comp and those doing the promoting deserve a chance. We shall see.


"well my honest opinion is: it was the best nights racing i have been to in years.....first off...the track promoters spent the time and money to ensure the venue was adequately staffed...stewards, parking attendants and security in number at both entrances....one for hospitality and one for grandstand....so getting in and parked was easy...by the way a free shuttle service was provided between the track and Milton Keynes Central Train Station and Northampton (Victoria Street Coach Station) during the day and the evening up until midnight running every 30 minutes...entrance was through a tented area where tickets were checked along with bags etc...plenty of staff....no issues....the track view is far superior than i expected....it really is....on the layered terraces it was very easy to watch the races unaided with a massive screen for replays or to watch live if you chose....the venue was packed....usual blend of racegoers but surprisingly not that many children running around like the old 5 packers....there was at least five bars so getting a drink was straight forward with not much queuing....food was readily available from various outlets in an area where there were 50 or so tables and benches so plenty of room for sitting to eat....again all very clean......toilets were clean and there was adequate facilities....there were around 10 bookmakers in three separate areas and all looked busy....there was not much in price difference for the shorter priced dogs but obviously the rags were two or three times better on betfair....value....the ticket price included parking, programme and admittance but this was promoted as a festival with gates opening at 10.00 and all funfair rides were included in the ticket price which was £10 for under 18's....at £45 it could be construed as steep but they have spent money on the event...staff levels were impressive with no signs of incompetency where someone in a yellow tabard doesnt understand their purpose...the race card was very well put together and gave a tip up to 5 stars at the bottom of each race and gave 9 out of 14 winners not counting the dorando as it went with the NR....the racing was different class and very enjoyable....after the plate there was communal sweet caroline singing which was a laugh....the final...1 1/2 sh sh sh 1/2 over the field was fantastic....plunge as we know does not parade because he is nervous so every care was taken....he remained in the middle where his photograph was taken by steve nash the quietly taken to an area where connections could congratulate him then off...all very professional and proper....then it seemed like the whole track got behind Romeo Steel who went from 4/5/to 1/2 to the joy of the punters....so my verdict is....you should go.....not for graded but the derby has found a home with a promoter who wants to find the old glory and i cant see how we cant join into that making that dream a reality....."

after you've paid /laid out your dosh,the obvious ?
where does everyone go if it rains ?

I used to love Towcester Race Course.
I have zero interest in dogs now

That was a positive synopsis of Derby night. I think I might give it a go next year. Maybe catch a coach or a train. The entrance fee seemed a bit steep but it was the doggie Derby night.

Jun 15, 2025 -- 12:08PM, 1st time poster wrote:

after you've paid /laid out your dosh,the obvious ?where does everyone go if it rains ?

plenty of space inside the grandstand

No need to post then irons, is there?

the grass is 50 yds away from track,never mind another 100 yds away, seen it last night must be one of worst viewing spots in sport,even old Wembley dog track was 50 yds closer than tow viewing

Are we all not entitled to give a view Honcho?
FWIW,you have more chance of swimming the Channel handcuffed than being a long term winner on the dogs

Thank you for sharing your supreme intelligence with us mere mortals.

You are welcome Honcho

i.ve never read so much pish about betting on greyhounds, 13 out of 15 1st or 2nd favs won on sat night, on par with the golf, tennis, or horses, don't think so, wtf do some guys want, cheers.

Care to post your BF P&l on greyhounds for the last three months,bairn?

Only the configuration of the track puts me off going, whenever I  have been I liked to get close up with the dogs in the paddock etc.
No interest in watching from miles away.

My family owned greyhounds in the 1960's and were based at Clapton and trained by Jimmy Jowett where there were big crowds.
We had several Open Racers who won frequently.
The racing was on grass.
I gradually lost interest when they started closing the Tracks and racing on sand.
One by one the tracks were sold and the demise continued until todays pitiful standards

... All correct Irons, and dont forget Bookmakers buying up tracks, that was a fair bit to do with its decline imo.

BAGS racing is animated roulette today with a handful of spectators with over rounds that make your eyes water

Meanwhile,Harry Findlay is surprised swhen Bookmakers laughed at his fairer prices for punters at Coventry which failed to get off the floor

His vision of the Tote, and only deducting 10% would have been viable in a thriving market with large attendances, it just cant work with the state of Greyhound racing Today. imo.

Went to all the London tracks in the 70s and had dogs at Catford ,Ramsgate (very briefly)  Walthamstow , Maidstone , Portsmouth and Hove . Absolutely loved my dog racing though I did have spare dosh in those days. For once I really enjoyed watching Saturday's programme , albeit replays of a few . The Star Sports betting blog was interesting too . Do I go now , nope , but I did swim my agility dogs at Yarmouth Trainer Ray Cross (dec) yard for 10 years and their ex head lad is still my gardener !

Swimming is great exercise for dogs, agree about the Star Sports blog.