The 1985 Daily Mirror Greyhound Derby took place during May and June with the final being held on 22 June 1985 at

Wimbledon Stadium Wimbledon Stadium, also known as Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium, was a greyhound racing track located in Wimbledon in southwest London, England. It also hosted stock car and other small circuit motor racing events, and until 2005 hosted motorc ...

. It was the first time that Wimbledon hosted the event following the closure of the

White City Stadium White City Stadium was a stadium located in White City, London, England. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, it hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car ...

. The winner was Pagan Swallow and the winning owner David Hawthorn received £25,000. The competition was sponsored by the

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

Final result

At Wimbledon (over 480 metres):

Distances

½, head, 2, ½, ½ (lengths)
The distances between the greyhounds are in finishing order and shown in lengths. One length is equal to 0.08 of one second.

Competition Report

Fearless Champ started as the 10-1 ante post favourite followed by

Pall Mall Stakes The Pall Mall Stakes was a prestigious greyhound racing competition held at Oxford Stadium until it closed in 2012. It was run at Harringay Stadium from 1935 until 1987, before moving to Oxford Stadium in 1988. The race never received the stat ...

champion Hong Kong Mike (12-1) and Daleys Gold (14-1).

Ballyregan Bob Ballyregan Bob (12 May 1983 to 3 April 1994) was a racing greyhound who, along with Mick the Miller and Scurlogue Champ, is one of the most revered racing hounds in British greyhound racing. Ballyregan Bob was a brindle dog and was whelped i ...

bypassed the event due to the fact that the distance of the race was considered too short. Wimbledon's standard distance was 460 metres so a new distance of 480 metres was created for the 1985 Derby. This meant that track records would be set and beaten and the first to break the record went to Bertie Gaynor's Lloydsboro Flash in 28.71. Three races later Fearless Champ from the De Mulder kennels recorded 28.66. On the final night of qualifying Morans Beef recorded 28.60. In round one Hong Kong Mike and Rugged Mick won well but the following night weather conditions played a big part in the elimination of Fearless Champ when heavy rain contributed to his exit. Morans Beef, Daleys Gold, Ballintubber One and Smokey Pete all progressed from wet heats. Morans Beef won his second round heat to remain unbeaten but chipped a bone in his foot and was eventually withdrawn and retired to stud. Smokey Pete caught leader Daleys Gold to win his heat and Keeper Tom won a race that ended with

Laurels ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, Glossary of botanical terms#glabrous, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as ...

champion Amenhotep sustaining severe cuts. Hong Kong Mike, Ballintubber One and Rugged Mick all went out. Daleys Gold won his quarter-final by ten lengths missing a melee that saw Keeper Tom finish third but go lame and add his name to the list of casualties. The other quarter-final heat winners were Minestrone, Clod Hopper and Smokey Pete. Daleys Gold and One to Note vied for the lead in the first semi-final before bumping caused them to lose ground meaning Walstone, House Hunter and Jack the Hiker all qualified. The remaining semi-final saw Smokey Pete outstay Pagan Swallow and Carrigeen Chimes. Smokey Pete lined up for the final at odds of 8-11 favourite. Jack the Hiker and Carrigeen Chimes challenged for the lead throughout until Pagan Swallow came with a late run to take the victory. Smokey Pete had found crowding and finished a disappointing fifth. A Wimbledon greyhound had won the first Derby that they had hosted with the Rees family becoming the second father and son to each win the Derby. On the supporting card both Ballyregan Bob and

Scurlogue Champ Scurlogue Champ is a famous racing greyhound from the 1980s. Along with Mick the Miller and Ballyregan Bob he is arguably one of the greatest three hounds that ever raced in Britain. Early life Scurlogue Champ was a black dog whelped in July 198 ...

eased to twelve and ten length victories respectively.

References

{{English Greyhound Derby Greyhound Derby

English Greyhound Derby The English Greyhound Derby is the most prestigious race on the British Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing calendar, with a history stretching back to 1927. It was first held at White City Stadium, but moved to Wimbledon ...

English Greyhound Derby

Final result

Distances

Competition Report

See also

References