Thomas Edward Wright (1861–1956) is an
English greyhound trainer. His family was known for its success during the late 19th century. He is the youngest son of
Joseph & Anne Wright of Avenue Farm in
Waverton,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
. One of seven children, he followed his brothers
Jack Wright and
Joe Wright into greyhound training.
Initially he trained at Hey House in
Saughall,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
for the Fawcett brothers, whom his father had bred and trained for, before moving his training to the Caeau, near
Hope, Flintshire
Hope ( cy, Yr Hôb) is a small village and community in Flintshire, north-east Wales. The village is located approximately 3 miles / 4.5 km from the Wales-England border, on the course of the River Alyn, and less than 5 miles from Wrexham. ...
. In his later years he lived at
Saighton
Saighton (; ) is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aldford and Saighton, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, a few miles south of Chester. The 2011 Census ...
,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
. Training greyhounds for coursing Tom Wright employed many different methods to ensure his dogs successes; hanging pig carcasses from a tree encouraging the dogs to jump to strengthen their hind legs and teaching them to jump drainage ditches that they may encounter during the
coursing.
1895 saw the dominance of the Wright family in the
Waterloo Cup
The Waterloo Cup was a coursing event organised by the National Coursing Club. The three-day event was run annually at Great Altcar in Lancashire, England from 1836 to 2005 and it used to attract tens of thousands of spectators to watch and gamble ...
competition, Joe trained the winner Thoughtless Beauty, Tom trained the runner up Fortuna Favente and another brother
Robert Kelsell Wright
Robert Kelsell Wright (1858–1908) was the third eldest son of Joseph & Ann Wright of Avenue Farm, Waverton, Cheshire, United Kingdoma.
Robert obtained his middle name from his paternal grandmother Elizabeth Kelsell and did not follow his brother ...
slipped the dogs in the final.
In the White Lion public house in
Brampton, Cumberland
Brampton is a market town, Civil parishes in England, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England, about east of Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle and ...
he purchased the greyhound bitch Fair Future for £5 from the landlord. The bitches litters yielded amongst the first
Waterloo Cup
The Waterloo Cup was a coursing event organised by the National Coursing Club. The three-day event was run annually at Great Altcar in Lancashire, England from 1836 to 2005 and it used to attract tens of thousands of spectators to watch and gamble ...
winning greyhound for the Fawcett brothers and Tom Wright.
The following is a list of the
Waterloo Cup
The Waterloo Cup was a coursing event organised by the National Coursing Club. The three-day event was run annually at Great Altcar in Lancashire, England from 1836 to 2005 and it used to attract tens of thousands of spectators to watch and gamble ...
winning greyhounds that he trained:
*1896 Fabulous Fortune
*1900 Fearless Footsteps
*1901 Fearless Footsteps
*1902 Farndon Ferry
*1903 Father Flint
Acknowledged by Charles Blanning and Sir Mark Prescott as one of the great trainers of all time,
[Blanning, Charles & Prescott Sir Mark (1987) Waterloo Cup: The First 150 Years] he died at his daughter's house in Whitford, Flintshire, in 1956.
His son Ralph was the manager at
Hove greyhound stadium, and his son
John also trained greyhounds, winning the Waterloo Cup 4 times.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Tom
1861 births
1956 deaths
People from Waverton