The 1959 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at
Harold's Cross Stadium
Harold's Cross Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium in Harold's Cross, Dublin, owned and operated by the Irish Greyhound Board.
Facilities included a grandstand restaurant, carvery, a number of bars, totalisator betting and seating.
Racin ...
in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
on 7 August 1959.
The winner Sir Frederick won £500 and was trained by Tom Harty, owned by Mrs Hannah Cronin and bred by Jimmy Walsh.
Final result
At Harold's Cross, 7 August (over 525 yards):
Distances
4, 3½ (lengths)
Competition Report
Sir Frederick had been knocked over in the second round of the
1959 English Greyhound Derby and when he returned home his trainer Tom Harty aimed at the Irish Derby. He was the fastest round one winner in 29.32. One of the leading favourites and track record holder Fauna also impressed by winning in a time of 29.34 and Derrylava Mover recorded 29.45.
In the second round Fauna was eliminated, finishing fourth behind Gallant Winner in 29.41. Other winners were Sir Frederick (29.60), Winged Heels (29.80) and Recorded Course 30.02. The two undefeated greyhounds Sir Frederick and Gallant Winner (both from
Kanturk
Kanturk () is a town in the north west of County Cork, Ireland. It is situated at the confluence of the Allua (Allow) and Dallow (Dalua) rivers, which stream further on as tributaries to the River Blackwater. It is about from Cork, Blarney and ...
) were drawn together in the semi-finals and both qualified for the final when Gallant Winner beat Sir Frederick in a fast 29.40; recorded Course took third place and the a slot in the final. The second semi-final resulted in victory for Skipit Laddie from Prairie Chieftain and Snowland Battleship in 29.98.
Many residents of the town of Kanturk attended the final on the evening of 7 August to watch the two greyhounds in the final. The brindle dog Sir Frederick beat Gallant Winner by four lengths in the final after a devastating run along the back straight to catch and overtake Gallant Winner and Snowland Battleship. The time of 29.30 was just outside the track record of 29.31 set by Fauna in the recent
Callanan Cup. Winning trainer Tom Harty had trained a previous Irish Derby winner in 1935 (24 years previously).
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See also
* 1959 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
References
{{Irish Greyhound Derby
Greyhound Derby
Irish Greyhound Derby
The Irish Greyhound Derby held at Shelbourne Park, is the premier greyhound racing competition in Ireland.
First held at Harold's Cross in 1928, the event was unofficial until 1932 and called the National Derby. The first winner in 1928 was Tip ...