Rapid Ranger (11 January 1998 – 30 September 2010) was a male

brindle Brindle is a coat coloring pattern in animals, particularly dogs, cattle, guinea pigs, cats, and, rarely, horses. It is sometimes described as "tiger-striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a tiger's coat. Brindle ty ...

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

. He is best known for becoming only the third dog to win the

English Greyhound Derby The English Greyhound Derby is the most prestigious race on the British greyhound racing calendar, with a history stretching back to 1927. It was first held at White City Stadium, but moved to Wimbledon Stadium in 1985, and then Towcester Gre ...

on more than one occasion. He also qualified for the finals of both the Scottish and

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 ...

Racing career

Ranger was defeated in his first two races as a puppy before winning a race whilst on the way to qualifying for the Puppy Classic final at the

Nottingham Greyhound Stadium Nottingham Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track and stadium on the outskirts of Nottingham, England. Races at the course are held on Monday, Friday and Saturday evenings as well as an additional matinée meeting every Tuesday. The ci ...

. Following a series of wins towards the end of 1999 he exchanged hands as Ray White after Ranger won at the

Owlerton Stadium Owlerton Stadium, also known as Sheffield Stadium, is a purpose-built speedway track built in 1929 which also hosts greyhound racing The track is in Owlerton near Hillsborough in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Greyhound racing takes pl ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

. White sent him to

Charlie Lister Charles 'Charlie' Richard Lister OBE (born 1940) is a former English greyhound trainer. He is a four times winner of the Greyhound Trainer of the Year and is regarded as one of the leading trainers of all time. He also holds the record for Englis ...

, who became Ranger's new trainer. His first race 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 motor ...

came in January 2000 when the dog was invited to compete in the Juvenile Championship. He placed second behind Knockanroe Rover. Following a third-place finish in the

Scottish Greyhound Derby The Scottish Greyhound Derby was an original classic greyhound competition held at Shawfield Stadium. Held at Carntyne Stadium from 1928 to 1968, after the closure of Carntyne the race appeared at Shawfield from 1970 until 1985. In 1988 the Gre ...

, he returned to Wimbledon to take part in the

. He was defeated in the second round, but ultimately qualified for the final. He took the title from second-placed Rackethall Jet by three and a half lengths. White turned down the chance for Ranger to retire and go onto a stud career in an attempt to have the dog become the first Greyhound of his generation to win the Derby on more than one occasion. He attempted to complete an English/

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance ...

where he met Rackethall Jet once more. But he was beaten into second place by Judicial Pride in the final. Following the Irish Derby, White decided to rest the dog for seven months. Rapid Ranger's return came at the

Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track located in the Hove Park area of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. The stadium also has a restaurant and a number of bars and is owned by the Gala Coral Group and race meet ...

where he placed second to Droopys Vieri, who went on to knock Ranger out of the 2001 Scottish Derby in the second round. He was re-entered in the English Derby but was beaten in the first round, and again in the quarters but qualified for the final. He found the final round of the Derby easier, as he beat the favorite, Sonic Flight, into second place. He led the race right from the start, with Sonic Flight never getting close. He raced from trap four, with pre-race odds of 7–4. The victory earned £50,000 for his owner, and made Rapid Ranger only the third Greyhound to win the Derby twice along with Mick the Miller and Patricias Hope. Ranger was retired, but after a change of heart by his owner and trainer prior to the 2002 Derby, he was entered once more in an attempt to become the first dog to take the title on three occasions. He won in the first round, but his career ended for the final time when he was knocked out of the competition after two further rounds.

Retirement and later life

A digitally composited artwork featuring Rapid Ranger was created by photographer

Gideon Hart Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abie ...

. The original hangs in the Crown and Sceptre public house in London W12. After retirement, he moved to live with Lorraine Patient in 2007. This enabled White to visit him on a regular basis. He was taken to a breeder's show in Harlow during his later life to take part in a parade of champions, but became over-excited and suffered a minor stroke. After suffering a further stroke on 30 September 2010, he was

euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

. The decision was made after he was initially prescribed medication but was in distress after losing the use of his legs.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist Individual dogs Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom 1998 animal births 2010 animal deaths Racing greyhounds