The 1986 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 61st year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and the 60th year of greyhound racing in Ireland.

Roll of honour Major Winners Award Name of Winner1986 English Greyhound Derby Tico 1986 Irish Greyhound Derby Kyle Jack 1986 Scottish Greyhound Derby Not held Greyhound Trainer of the Year George CurtisGreyhound of the Year Ballyregan BobIrish Greyhound of the Year Storm VillaTrainers Championship Kenny Linzell

Summary The year was dominated by the two superstar greyhounds Ballyregan Bob and Scurlogue Champ. Ballyregan Bob broke the world record by winning 32 consecutive races. The George Curtis trained greyhound was voted Greyhound of the Year for the second time. He had begun the year by winning seven more consecutive races, three of which were in track record times but a re-occurrence of his wrist injury had left him on 28 wins. This was just three short of the world record held by American greyhound Joe Dump trained by J C Stanley, which was set in 1979. The long-awaited winning re-appearance was on 13 November at Hove followed by wins 30 and 31 at Harringay, breaking yet another track record in the 31st victory that also equalled the world record. On 9 December Ballyregan Bob lined up for the Racing Post Challenge over 695 metres at his home track Hove. He won easily by 9¼ lengths and duly recorded 32 consecutive wins. Curtis and owners Cliff and Jess Kevern retired the champion to stud.

Scurlogue Champ achieved equal stardom by winning a second BBC Television Trophy and continued to amuse crowds with his remarkable running style, that off letting the field gain a significant lead before winning from a seemingly lost position. His career came to an end on 14 August when he finished lame at Nottingham in a 754-metre event and was retired. Ken Peckham's black dog ended with a record of 51 wins from 63 races and 20 track records.

The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) released the annual returns, with totalisator turnover at £66,192,736 and attendances recorded at 3,792,738 from 5247 meetings. Track tote remained at 17.5% and government tote tax at 4%.

Tracks Northern Sports invested a £1½ million into Oxford Stadium, they had recently profited from a similar venture at sister track Ramsgate. Oxford's investment included a state of the art 250 seated, two-tiered restaurant and a leisure centre. Oxford then brought in two of the leading kennels in the country at the time. Geoff De Mulder returned to the track and Gary Baggs arrived from new sister track Ramsgate. Baggs based at Rosewood kennels was trialling greyhounds ready for Oxford when he received an offer from Walthamstow Racing Manager Tony Smith, an offer he could not refuse. The De Mulder appointment helped Oxford cover the loss of the soon to be English Greyhound Derby winning trainer Arthur Hitch to Slough.

Powderhall in Edinburgh was another to invest and marked their 60th anniversary with a new £400,000 grandstand but rival track Shawfield in Glasgow was closed by the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA). After negotiations it was sold to Shawfield Greyhound Racing and Leisure Company Ltd and they, in turn, would re-open the track the following year. The Brandon Stadium in Coventry closed for greyhound racing after only eight years trading although the track layout would remain in place and the Eclipse Stakes moved to Nottingham. The Ladbrokes £2½ million grand re-opening of Crayford Stadium took place on 1 September with the emphasis on providing the betting shops with the Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS).

News There were thirty fully licensed tracks, eight permit tracks and 58 independent tracks. Whitwood in Castleford raced for the first time under NGRC rules after switching from independent status. Independent track Halcrow in Gretna was opened by James Norman and sons in June but Cleethorpes closed.

Competitions Tico completed in the Pall Mall Stakes over 475m at Harringay and mastered his great rival Hot Sauce Yankee when beating him by just under three lengths in 28.45 seconds and later he returned for a Daily Mirror Derby Trial Stakes, which he won by nearly five lengths in 28.44 sec. Tico won the 1986 English Greyhound Derby and then reached the final of the 1986 Irish Greyhound Derby. His significant achievements were slightly overshadowed by the exploits of the two superstars.

A white and blue dog called Mollifrend Lucky won the Scurry Gold Cup when defeating Master Hardy in July and the Laurels at Wimbledon Stadium.

Savva camp continued their winning ways and produced a brilliant litter, which included Westmead Move, Olivers Wish and Westmead Call. While still a puppy Westmead Move won the Gold Collar at Catford Stadium and then proved to be a bitch of outstanding ability when going on to win the Grand Prix at Walthamstow, where she became the first greyhound to lower a track record set by Ballyregan Bob. Westmead Move went on to win the Midland Oaks at Hall Green as well as the Brighton Belle at Hove.

Principal UK races

Grand National, Hall Green (April 5, 474m h, £3,000) PosName of GreyhoundTrainerSP TimeTrap 1st Castlelyons Cash Dinky Luckhurst 5-4f 29.51 42nd Distant Echo Bob Young 4-1 29.69 53rd Musical Magpie Fred Wiseman 11-2 29.72 34th Ballyseedy Man Paddy Milligan 6-1 29.92 15th City Duke Eric Pateman 12-1 30.02 26th Rivers Run Free Gordon Hodson 5-1 30.03 6

BBC TV Trophy, Brough Park (April 30, 825m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Scurlogue Champ Ken Peckham 2-5f 52.65 32nd Sneaky Liberty 12-1 52.89 43rd Bad Decision 8-1 52.95 64th Yankees Shadow George Curtis 7-1 53.15 55th My Tootsie Stewart Loan 16-1 53.37 16th Rosewood Girl Kenny Linzell 14-1 53.69 2

Scurry Gold Cup, Slough (Jul 19, 442m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Mollifrend Lucky Colin Packham 5-4f 26.62 12nd Master Hardy Arthur Hitch 11-8 26.72 23rd Chiltern Sam Peggy Cope 10-1 27.12 44th Chiltern Charlie Peggy Cope 25-1 27.13 35th Top Prince Colin Packham 25-1 27.33 56th Polerone Dancer 10-1 27.97 6

St Leger, Wembley (Aug 29, 655m, £8,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Lone Wolf George Curtis 9-2 39.99 42nd Low Sail Nick Savva 1-2f 40.05 13rd Winsor Ann George Curtis 50-1 40.23 54th Some Enchanter Bertie Gaynor 50-1 40.33 25th Mineola Athena Arthur Hitch 8-1 40.45 66th Ballyhaden Queen Stan Gudgin 7-1 40.55 3

Gold Collar, Catford (Sep 20, 555m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Westmead Move Nick Savva 11-4 34.80 62nd Rosehip Trish Ernie Wiley 4-1 34.98 33rd Cannon Express Derek Knight 12-1 35.06 24th Racewell Flyer Gary Baggs 9-2 35.4055th Lilian Swan 20-1 35.52 46th Lively Sailor John Gibbons 11-8f 35.82 1

Cesarewitch, Belle Vue (Sep 27, 853m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Yankees Shadow George Curtis 4-7f 54.90 32nd Easy Rodger John Honeysett 6-1 55.04 23rd Change Guard Trevor Draper 9-4 55.36 14th Raywee Delight Kenny Linzell 20-1 55.39 65th Mill Race Rose 100-1 55.81 56th Father Ralph 66-1 56.33 4

The Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Oct 11, 640m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Westmead Move Nick Savva 10-11f 39.35+ 52nd Racewell Flyer Gary Baggs 5-2 39.77 13rd Easy Rodger John Honeysett 6-1 39.83 34th Mines Kango 33-1 39.87 45th The Pinnacle 16-1 40.03 26th Allscot John Gary Baggs 5-1 40.07 6 +Track record

Oaks, Harringay (Oct 24, 475m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Sullane Princess Peter Payne 20-1 28.79 42nd Culzean Echo Kenny Linzell 7-2 29.05 13rd Sparta Girl Hazel Walden 14-1 29.13 24th Mrs Cherry Derek Knight 12-1 29.43 35th Lucky Pine Bob Young 12-1 29.44 66th Fifty Pence Sean Bourke 2-5f 29.72 5

Laurels, Wimbledon (Dec 27, 460m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Mollifrend Lucky Colin Packham 4-6f 27.48 62nd Chalkies Pride Norah McEllistrim 10-1 27.62 23rd Fifty Pence Gary Baggs 4-1 27.63 54th Pagan Chimes 50-1 27.79 35th Spiral Darkie Gary Baggs 13-2 27.91 16th Fiddlers Run Gary Baggs 14-1 27.99 4

Totalisator returns

The totalisator returns declared to the National Greyhound Racing Club for the year 1986 are listed below.

StadiumTurnover £London (Walthamstow) 10,675,833London (Wimbledon) 7,909,443Romford 4,527,882Brighton & Hove 4,276,914London (Wembley) 3,857,199London (Catford) 3,710,328Slough 3,367,523London (Harringay) 3,352,021Birmingham (Hall Green) 2,633,754Manchester (Belle Vue)2,449,938Edinburgh (Powderhall) 1,681,661Newcastle (Brough Park) 1,475,357Sheffield (Owlerton) 1,410,343

StadiumTurnover £Ramsgate 1,127,105Wolverhampton (Monmore)1,106,336Maidstone 1,064,394Yarmouth 959,024Glasgow (Shawfield) 948,922Portsmouth 948,796Oxford842,823London (Hackney) 796,894Milton Keynes694,805Crayford & Bexleyheath 658,103Bristol 604,009Reading 551,877Derby530,138

StadiumTurnover £Hull (Old Craven Park) 432,228Henlow (Bedfordshire) 409,753Rye House 403,660Poole393,807Swindon 350,750Cradley Heath 346,304Nottingham 318,606Peterborough 305,910Norton Canes 282,388Middlesbrough 268,862Ipswich 238,671Coventry 209,327Castleford 71,048

References