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Laurels (Irish Greyhounds)
The Laurels is a greyhound racing competition held annually at Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium located in Bishopstown, west of Cork, County Cork, Ireland. It was hosted by the old Cork Greyhound Stadium from 1944 to 1999 but inevitably continued to be held at the new track after it opened. It is a prestigious event targeted by many of Ireland's leading greyhounds and is an integral part of the Irish greyhound racing calendar. Clonbrien Hero, trained by Graham Holland and owned by Ms. Kay Murphy of Athlacca, Co. Limerick set a new record for the final of the Laurels (at Curraheen Park) when he won by three lengths in a time of 28.00 on 22 July 2017. Past winners Venues & Distances *1944–1960 (Cork, Western Road, 500 yards) *1961–1999 (Cork, Western Road, 525 yards) *2000–present (Cork, Curraheen Park, 525 yards) Sponsors *1979–1981 (Cashmans) *1985–1986 (Joe Donnelly) *1987–1991 (Kantoher Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curraheen Park
Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track located in Bishopstown, west of Cork, County Cork, Ireland. Racing takes place every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening and the facilities include the grandstand Laurels restaurant, fast food facilities, a number of bars, totalisator betting and ample seating. Race distances are 330, 525, 550, 575, and 750 yards and the feature competitions at the track is the Laurels. History Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium is situated to the west of Cork on the Curraheen Road in Bishopstown. The track opened in the year 2000 as a replacement for the previous track the Cork (Western Road) Greyhound Stadium which is now the Western Gateway Building (science building of the University College Cork). The stadium is a third generation Cork Greyhound Stadium with the first two being The Show Grounds Greyhound Track (1928-1935) and then the previously mentioned Western Road stadium (1936-1996). The sale of the old track enabled ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1953 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1953 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 28th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary The annual totalisator was £61,522,849 which constituted a solid year. The main stars of the year were Spanish Battleship, in Ireland and Magourna Reject, in the United Kingdom. Competitions There was a surprise in store during the first major event of the year when 1951 Scurry Gold Cup runner up Mushera Silver won the Gold Collar, at 13-2 beating Monachdy Girlie by two lengths. The Scottish Greyhound Derby was cancelled for the second successive year due to insufficient entries but the Welsh Greyhound Derby received a high standard of entry. Glittering Look made amends for his unlucky Derby performance beating fellow Derby finalists Small Town, Galtee Cleo in addition to Endless Gossip and Ollys Pal. A competition called the London Tracks Coursing Cup (confined to London track greyhounds) was held near Cambridge and was won by Must Ventu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1964 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1964 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 38th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary The Dagenham Coup incident that took place at Dagenham Greyhound Stadium on 30 June 1964 took all the headlines and became one of the most infamous moments in greyhound racing history. Despite the government reducing the totalisator tax to 5% from 10%, the industry saw a further fall in attendances. The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) affiliated tracks saw 11,208,657 paying customers at 6011 meetings with tote turnover of £50,178,166. Tracks The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) acquired Catford Stadium. Crayford & Bexleyheath Stadium owners Northumbrian and Crayford Trust Ltd joined the Totalisator Holdings group, owners of six other tracks. The Liverpool tracks of Seaforth Greyhound Stadium and White City Stadium (Liverpool) re-joined the NGRC set up after spells as independent tracks. A new independent opened called the Bosto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1963 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1963 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 37th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary The Greyhound Afternoon Service was established whereby tracks supplied afternoon racing for the larger bookmaking clients. However the track promoters made a request for a guaranteed payment for the off course rights from all bookmakers taking bets from their stadium. Negotiations would continually take place between the stadiums, the National Greyhound Racing Society (NGRS) and the bookmakers. The problems had been ongoing since the introduction of the Betting and Gaming Act 1960. Clapton Stadiums Ltd owners of Clapton Stadium, Slough and Reading scrapped evening starting times in an attempt to disrupt the betting in bookmaker's shops. Tracks racing during the afternoon had already implemented this procedure. A further development resulted in the tracks ending the annual £100,000 agreement with the off course bookmakers to provide forecas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1962 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1962 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 36th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary The decrease in attendances continued as a result of the Betting and Gaming Act 1960, which contributed to more track closures. Boundary Park Stadium in the Hellesdon area of Norwich closed on 1 December 1962, to become a redeveloped site for the Eastern Electricity Company. Rochdale switched to independent status and Charlton Stadium closed after difficulties (it would re-open four years later however), in the meantime their top event the Cloth of Gold would take place at Wandsworth Stadium. English Greyhound Derby finalist Dromin Glory, a brindle dog trained by John Bassett had a brilliant year winning both the Scottish Greyhound Derby and Cesarewitch at West Ham Stadium in consecutive months. This was achieved in addition to lifting the Birmingham Cup, Gymcrack and Select Stakes and was voted Greyhound of the Year. Competitions The G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1961 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1961 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 35th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary The Betting and Gaming Act 1960 came into force on 1 January 1961. The effect was almost instantaneous with afternoon attendances collapsing. In an attempt to combat the decline, the National Greyhound Racing Society banned telephones at the track and did not allow results to be published before 9.00 pm. In addition they attempted delaying trap draws and enforced a copyright on the tote returns but the government legislation had effectively handed over the afternoon track trade to the bookmaker industry. Bizarrely the government handed horse racing a levy (a deduction from bookmaker's turnover that would be paid back to the racecourses), under the Betting Levy Act 1961. The levy was given because of the losses that horse racing would incur with daytime bookmakers shops opening. Greyhound racing was not given a levy which came as a furth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1960 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1960 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 34th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary The National Greyhound Racing Club released the 1960 figures for their affiliated tracks, which showed that 14,243,808 paying customers attended 5,736 meetings. The totalisator turnover was £54,188,302 but government tote tax remained at 10% with track deductions remaining at 6%. Turnover and attendances remained stable but one piece of government legislation was about to have a dramatic impact on the industry. The Betting and Gaming Act 1960 was passed on 1 September 1960 and would come into effect four months later, on 1 January 1961. Tracks Staines Greyhound Stadium closed, forcing Jack Walsh to open a bookmakers shop in Egham, Surrey, Walsh had been part owner with William Hill of the 1938 English Greyhound Derby winner Lone Keel. Gerry Bailey and Jack Carter took over the lease at Rye House Stadium from the Lea Valley Regional Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 33rd year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary Mile Bush Pride was voted Greyhound of the Year after becoming only the second greyhound, after Trev's Perfection to win the Triple Crown which consisted of the English Greyhound Derby, Scottish Greyhound Derby and Welsh Greyhound Derby. Trained by Jack Harvey for owner Noel Purvis, a shipping magnate, the brindle greyhound also won the Pall Mall, Select Stakes and Cesarewitch in 1959. Competitions Irish Greyhound Derby champion Colonel Perry moved kennels from John Bassett to Tom Baldwin and finished a disappointing fourth in the final of the Gold Collar behind Dunstown Warrior. After his English Greyhound Derby success, Mile Bush Pride ran out an eleven and a quarter winner of the Welsh Derby, in 28.80 seconds, eclipsing the previous track record by over five lengths. Mile Bush Pride then achieved the Triple Crown by winning the Scotti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1958 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1958 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 32nd year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary The National Greyhound Racing Society (the management branch of the National Greyhound Racing Club agreed a deal with the BBC to provide an annual greyhound event which would be shown live on Sportsview. The race would be known as the Sportsview BBC Television Trophy with the venues to be changed each year. The first competition was at Wimbledon over 500 yards but it was soon discovered that the distance was too short for the viewers to remain interested, which resulted in a switch to longer distances the following year. The inaugural event was claimed by trainer Leslie Reynolds with a 20-1 shot called Town Prince. Pigalle Wonder was voted Greyhound of the Year, after a year that included winning the 1958 English Greyhound Derby at White City, Cesarewitch at West Ham Stadium and Pall Mall Stakes at Harringay Stadium. Competitions Pig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1957 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1957 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 31st year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary Marsh Barton Stadium in Exeter closed; many smaller independent tracks were susceptible to closure, mainly due to the fact that government taxing of tote profits outweighed the income from attendances. This was leaving many of them untenable. Regulated tracks under the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) banner were better off and remained successful, with annual tote turnover still around £55 million. The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) continued to be the most successful greyhound company (as it had been every year since the introduction of racing in 1926). The Chairman Francis Gentle announced that net profits had increased to £119,000 but the sale of Harringay Arena had been agreed because it was operating at a loss. It was sold to the Home and Colonial Stores Ltd. Gentle remains Chairman of the company but relinquishes his ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1956 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1956 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 30th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Roll of honour Summary Attendances and Totalisator turnover had stabilised, with the latter resulting in a turnover of around £55 million. The Churches' Council on gambling quoted a figure of £119 million but that figure was for total gambling spend within the industry. One problem for the industry was the fact that the biggest names Spanish Battleship, Rushton Mac and Pauls Fun had all retired leaving the search for a new star. Competitions No single greyhound was able to secure more than one classic race success, the main Derby titles went to Dunmore King and Keep Moving. The 1956 English Greyhound Derby runner-up Duet Leader won the Laurels at Wimbledon Stadium and the Derby final third Gulf of Darien, reached the St Leger final at Wembley and the Cesarewitch at West Ham Stadium. The Welsh Greyhound Derby failed to take place again. Shipping magnate Noel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spanish Battleship
Spanish Battleship (August 1951 - July 1962) was a male fawn and brindle greyhound. He is celebrated as one of Ireland's greatest racing greyhounds. Early life Spanish Battleship was whelped in August 1951 as part of a litter of seven. His owner Tim 'Chubb' O'Connor had leased a bitch called Ballyseedy Memory from breeder Tadgh Drummond so that he could mate her with Spanish Chestnut (the half brother of 1949 Irish Greyhound Derby champion Spanish Lad). After the litter was born he was reared by Sheila O’Connor, sister of Chubb O'Connor. The greyhound avoided being sold to the UK after being bitten by a pig and therefore stayed in Ireland to recover. Racing career 1953 He was entered for the 1953 St Leger at Limerick but after winning a heat he failed to progress from the second round. O'Connor felt that he had gone well enough and phoned trainer Tom Lynch in Dublin and asked him to train the dog for forthcoming 1953 Irish Greyhound Derby. The Derby was due to be held at Har ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |