The 1952 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 27th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and the 26th year of greyhound racing in Ireland.
Roll of honour Major Winners Award Name of Winner1952 English Greyhound Derby Endless Gossip1952 Irish Greyhound Derby Rough Waters 1952 Scottish Greyhound Derby Not held 1952 Welsh Greyhound Derby Endless GossipGreyhound of the Year Endless Gossip
Summary The annual totalisator was £64,263,725, which indicated that the industry had stabilised following a few turbulent years.
The year focused on the performances of two greyhounds, Endless Gossip and Magourna Reject. Despite the fact that Magourna Reject had failed to land a classic competition during the year, he drew the crowds everywhere he went and Endless Gossip was denied the chance to win the Triple Crown because the Scottish Greyhound Derby had been cancelled.
Competitions Match racing was still popular even twenty years after the Mick the Miller era. One such match was between XPDNC (the Grand National champion against this year's favourite Lambourn Blackflash. Lambourn Blackflash won by five lengths and both competed in the Grand National at White City during May. The two rivals qualified for the final, but it was a 20-1 shot (Whistling Laddie) who upset the odds beating Lambourn Blackflash by one and a quarter lengths, XPDNC finished fifth in the first Grand National to contain six dogs.
The National Intertrack Championship sponsored by the News of the World was won by Eastville after the Bristol track defeated Bradford 19–11. Endless Gossip travelled to Cardiff Arms Park after winning the 1952 English Greyhound Derby and added the Welsh Greyhound Derby final defeating a field including Magourna Reject, Ballylanigan Tanist and Drumman Rambler.
Monachdy Girlie trained by Jimmy Jowett, won the Scurry Gold Cup and Endless Gossip then won the Laurels at Wimbledon Stadium which now offered £1,000 to the winner. Magourna Reject was switched to the longer distances but failed to win both the Cesarewitch and St Leger and looked destined to never win a classic race. Monachdy Girlie won a second classic after a dead heat in the Oaks The Grand Prix competition was not run due to insufficient entries.
Tracks The Abbey Stadium in Swindon opened on 1 November. The stadium was opened by the Bristol Greyhound Racing Association, soon to change their name to Bristol Stadium Ltd and they also took control of affairs at Oxford Stadium, following the death of Managing Director Leslie Calcutt.
News Trainer Stan Biss died after suffering a stroke and failing to recover and the well-respected Managing Director of Catford Stadium, Frank Sutton also died. Sutton had introduced the British Breeders Produce Stakes. Laughing Lieutenant was the first stud dog to fly to Ireland for breeding purposes and trainer Jack Tallantire joined the New Cross Stadium training ranks.
The National Greyhound Racing Club made the weighing of greyhounds before a race compulsory.
Ireland Racing in Ireland was experiencing a boom as attendances flocked to see the racing. A greyhound called Rough Waters had spent 1951 flapping (racing on independent tracks), in Scotland before being aimed towards Shelbourne Park and the Irish Greyhound Derby. Owned by one of Ireland's leading bookmakers Jimmy Lalor and trained by his brother Henry, the brindle went on to win the Derby final.
Principal UK races
Grand National, White City (May 9 525y h, £300) PosName of GreyhoundTrainerSP TimeTrap 1st Whistling Laddie Stan Martin 20-1 30.13 22nd Lambourn BlackflashO Papps 7-4f 30.23 13rd Funny Prince Les Parry 100-6 30.25 64th Drumman Rambler Olly Chetland 3-1 30.29 45th XPDNC Les Parry 20-1 30.39 56th Cooleen Flyer Tom Reilly 2-1 30.57 3
Gold Collar, Catford (May 31, 440y, £600)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Hectic Birthday Ronnie Melville 10-1 25.41+ 42nd Fitzsman Leslie Reynolds 8-1 25.65 63rd Fawn Wind Jonathan Hopkins 7-4f 25.7154th Denver Colonist Pam Heasman 3-1 25.93 35th Yew Berry Stan Martin 9-2 26.03 26th Carlane Briskie Reg Holland 4-1 26.17 1 +Track Record
Welsh Derby, Arms Park (Jul 5, 525y £500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Endless Gossip Leslie Reynolds 7-4 29.41 12nd Magourna Reject Noreen Collin 4-5f 30.01 33rd Ballylanigan Tanist Leslie Reynolds 7-2 30.11 64th Drumman Rambler Olly Chetland 20-1 30.29 55th Outcast Bally 66-1 30.51 4N/R Kind Comrade Noreen Collin
Scurry Gold Cup, Clapton (Jul 26, 400y £500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Monachdy Girlie Jimmy Jowett 4-1 23.08 52nd Tams Taigle Ronnie Melville 9-2 23.36 63rd Carlane Briskie Reg Holland 9-2 23.52 14th Kilcool Griston 33-1 23.60 35th Minorcas Hope Frank Conlon 11-8f 23.90 26th Marazion Michael Paddy Fortune 7-1 24.14 4
Laurels, Wimbledon (Aug 22, 500y, £1,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Endless Gossip Leslie Reynolds 2-11f 27.96 12nd Ballylanigan Tanist Leslie Reynolds 6-1 28.10 43rd Midnight Charlotte Stan Martin 33-1 28.20 24th Denver Colonist Pam Heasman 20-1 28.38 65th Happy Luck 33-1 28.54 3N/R Magic Blackbird
St Leger, Wembley (Sep 8, 700y, £1,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Funny Worker Bob Burls 6-1 40.50 62nd Malanna Mace Henry Parsons 7-1 40.66 43rd Shaggy Swank Tom Lightfoot 50-1 40.88 54th Magourna Reject Noreen Collin 8-11f 40.90 35th Mad Miller Leslie Reynolds 7-2 40.91 16th Mansion Bell J.W.Bell 25-1 41.17 2
Oaks, White City (Sep 27, 525y, £500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Flos Pet* Paddy Fortune 8-1 29.60 11st Monachdy Girlie* Jimmy Jowett 10-1 29.60 43rd Lovely Birthday Jack Harvey 11-4 29.62 24th Shaggy Shale 100-8 29.68 35th Ballinasloe Mona Jack Harvey 10-11f 29.69 56th Queen of the Roses II 100-1 29.79 6 Dead-heat
Cesarewitch, West Ham (Oct 17, 600y, £600)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Shaggy Swank Tom Lightfoot 5-1 34.03 22nd Magourna Reject Noreen Collin 8-11f 34.23 63rd Mansion Bell J.W.Bell 11-2 34.43 54th Outcast Surprise 20-1 34.69 35th Mellow Mystery Bert Heyes 11-2 34.81 46th Smart Prince 10-1 35.35 1
Totalisator returns
The totalisator returns declared to the licensing authorities for the year 1952 are listed below. Tracks that did not have a totalisator in operation are not listed.
StadiumTurnover £London (White City) 4,955,981London (Harringay) 3,352,649London (Wembley) 2,918,149London (Wimbledon) 2,752,199London (Walthamstow) 2,543,822London (Wandsworth) 1,836,266London (Stamford Bridge) 1,750,349London (Clapton) 1,741,183London (Park Royal) 1,717,716Manchester (Belle Vue) 1,717,283London (West Ham) 1,675,649London (Catford) 1,603,783London (Hackney) 1,280,383London (New Cross) 1,259,516London (Hendon) 1,073,466Manchester (White City) 973,583Brighton & Hove 908,716London (Charlton) 870,316Glasgow (Shawfield) 861,266Romford 857,950Edinburgh (Powderhall) 811,050Newcastle (Brough Park) 790,050Birmingham (Perry Barr, old) 753,116Birmingham (Hall Green) 752,100Crayford & Bexleyheath 722,900Manchester (Salford) 720,283London (Dagenham) 703,200Cardiff (Arms Park) 659,033Newcastle (Gosforth)633,350Sheffield (Owlerton) 629,333Glasgow (White City) 615,366Wolverhampton (Monmore)602,633Bristol (Eastville) 563,466Gateshead 548,183Coventry (Lythalls Lane) 530,016Southend-on-Sea 529,033Bradford (Greenfield) 528,000
StadiumTurnover £Southampton 522,383Liverpool (Seaforth) 492,766Glasgow (Albion) 476,300Leeds (Elland Road) 475,433Glasgow (Carntyne) 467,565Slough 465,800Sheffield (Darnall) 442,166Willenhall 434,366Ramsgate (Dumpton Park) 412,967Blackpool (St Anne's) 397,733Liverpool (White City)397,417Birmingham (Kings Heath) 386,650Bolton 372,733South Shields 362,667Middlesbrough 362,067Leicester (Blackbird Rd) 357,483Reading (Oxford Road)353,983Liverpool (Stanley) 346,283Ashington (Co Durham)330,967Chester 320,033Rochester & Chatham 319,850Bradford (City) 298,483Gloucester & Cheltenham 294,533Derby291,783Hull (Old Craven Park) 289,467Plymouth 283,600Portsmouth 269,683Preston 256,900Aberdeen 248,000Nottingham (White City)247,733Blackburn 245,483West Hartlepool 229,717Sheffield (Hyde Park)228,317Newport 223,650Exeter (County Ground)218,783Stanley (Co Durham) 214,217Glasgow (Firhill) 213,267
StadiumTurnover £Warrington 204,950Oxford194,783Stoke-on-Trent (Cobridge) 183,583Keighley181,300Sunderland 179,717Yarmouth 179,233Stoke-on-Trent (Hanley) 176,000Norwich (City) 168,067Norwich (Boundary Park) 165,683Bristol (Knowle) 165,433Luton 161,600Cradley Heath 149,150Houghton-le-Spring 148,467Rochdale 126,300London (Southall) 126,117St Helens 125,217Ipswich 122,167Wallyford (East Lothian)110,617Peterborough 109,283London (Harlington Corner) 100,217Stockport (Hazel Grove) 95,200Stockton-on-Tees (Belle Vue) 93,033Rayleigh (Essex) 89,867Easington (Co Durham) 85,333Wigan (Poolstock) 71,350Long Eaton69,167Wakefield 60,600Wigan (Woodhouse) 60,050Spennymoor (Co Durham) 57,683Doncaster (Spotbrough) 55,517Durham City 48,233Northampton 41,117Workington 38,883Aycliffe (Co Durham) 10,833Irvine (Townhead)6,650
References