The 1989 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 64th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and the 63rd year of greyhound racing in Ireland.

Roll of honour Major Winners Award Name of Winner1989 English Greyhound Derby Lartigue Note 1989 Irish Greyhound Derby Manorville Magic 1989 Scottish Greyhound Derby Airmount Grand Greyhound Trainer of the Year John McGee Sr. Greyhound of the Year Waltham AbbeyIrish Greyhound of the Year Manorville MagicTrainers Championship John McGee Sr.

Summary

The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) released the annual returns, with totalisator turnover at £106,011,494 and attendances recorded at 4,395,973 from 5477 meetings.

John McGee won the Greyhound Trainer of the Year for the second successive year. Waltham Abbey now trained by Ernie Gaskin (formerly Adam Jackson) was voted Greyhound of the Year after winning the Grand Prix at Walthamstow Stadium. The award failed to go the winners of a Derby due to the fact that all three were won by the Irish; they were the 1989 English Greyhound Derby (Lartigue Note), the 1989 Scottish Greyhound Derby (Airmount Grand) and the 1989 Irish Greyhound Derby (Manorville Magic), the latter was voted Irish Greyhound of the Year.

Tracks The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA} invested £1 million into Hall Green, mainly extending the restaurant. The Peterborough management also unveiled their new raceview restaurant costing £500,000. Terry Corden sold the Sheffield lease; he was forced to do so after the council closed the stadium due to new safety measures. This was as a direct result of the Hillsborough disaster.

Hull (New Craven Park) and Hawick both opened for racing.

Competitions The Scottish Derby returned to Glasgow (as a consequence of GRA having no stadia in Scotland), the event received a boost when Ladbrokes stepped in and sponsored the competition. Racing Manager Robert Lithgow was forced to increase the entries from 24 to 36 due to its popularity. The event resulted in what many regarded the best ever when Airmount Grand caught Galtymore Lad on the finish line after both vied for the lead throughout.

Trainer Phil Rees Jr. won the Grand National at Hall Green with Lemon Chip, this was the kennels first Grand National success despite previously winning six Springbok titles. Fearless Ace made a remarkable comeback when winning the Pall Mall Stakes for a second successive year; the fawn dog had won the 1988 final for Geoff De Mulder before being retired to stud. He returned a year later to defend his title under the training of Theo Mentzis after coming out of retirement and not only stormed to a surprise victory but broke the Oxford track record in the final.

News Brent Walker owners of Hackney took over William Hill and Mecca Bookmakers from Grand Metropolitan for £685 million. Canterbury obtained a Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS) contract and Wisbech began the year under NGRC rules.

Veteran trainer Hugo Spencer retired and John Coleman moved to Walthamstow. Walthamstow also produced one race meeting tote turnover of £173,000 on the night of the Pepsi Cola Marathon final.

Trainer Linda Jones and her husband Doug moved to Lakenheath and formed the Imperial Kennels. They started with four racing greyhounds and a couple of litters of pups set in the Suffolk countryside. The kennel would quickly establish themselves on the local tracks of Swaffham, Mildenhall and Yarmouth.

Owner John Dooley visited a stud kennel in County Cork to find it abandoned and his Blue Riband champion Lulus Hero missing, the brindle dog is never found.

Champion trainer John McGee and owner Fred Smith had an argument that resulted in Derby champion Hit The Lid leaving the kennels.

Principal UK races

Daily Mirror Grand National, Hall Green (April 1, 474m h, £3,000) PosName of GreyhoundTrainerSP TimeTrap 1st Lemon Chip Philip Rees Jr. 1-1f 29.84 52nd Blazing Home Philip Rees Jr. 3-1 29.85 13rd Gizmo Pasha Linda Mullins 9-1 29.91 64th Columbkille Jet Paddy Hancox 6-1 29.97 25th Indianna Scarlet Terry O'Sullivan 14-1 30.00 36th Belmore Captain Tom Foster 14-1 30.34 4

BBC TV Trophy, Catford (April 11, 850m, £8,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Proud To Run Harry White 4-5f55.25+ 42nd Catunda Flame Russ Kinsey 6-1 55.95 23rd Jet Streamer 10-156.15 54th Clydes Dolores 8-156.43 35th Manx Sky Ernie Gaskin Sr. 16-1 56.71 66th Dunait 7-156.81 1 +Track Record

Ladbrokes Scottish Derby, Shawfield (May 13, 500m, £10,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Airmount Grand Gerald Kiely 1-1f 30.03 62nd Galtymore Lad Geoff De Mulder 6-4 30.07 43rd Atlantic Jet Harry Crapper 7-1 30.25 14th Alley Bally Terry Dartnall 8-1 30.33 25th Arrow House Bryce Wilson 12-1 30.53 3N/R Decoy Regan Lass Kevin Cobbold

Scurry Gold Cup, Catford (Jul 16, 385m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Nans Brute Bill Masters 16-1 23.59 32nd Angelo Carlotti Terry Munslow 10-1 23.73 23rd Lissadell Tiger Ernie Gaskin Sr. 5-1 23.77 64th Pure Gold Bill Masters 10-1 23.78 55th Pretty Magic David Ingram-Seal 10-1 23.86 46th Hello Blackie Roger York 4-6f 24.06 1

John Humphreys Gold Collar, Catford (Sep 16, 555m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Burgess Ruby Arthur Boyce 7/2 34.72 12nd Fennessys Gold Ray Peacock 7/4f ? Risky Friend Dinky Luckhurst ? Festival Wonder John McGee Sr. ? Peaceful Spring ? Sard John McGee Sr.

John Smith's Bitter Cesarewitch, Belle Vue (Sep 23, 853m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Minnies Siren Kenny Linzell 5-4f 56.03 62nd Saquita Dennis Jewell 4-1 56.06 53rd Catunda Flame Russ Kinsey 9-4 56.12 24th Manx Jet Nigel Saunders 10-1 56.32 45th Spring Flower Linda Mullins 20-1 56.50 36th Benedene Rose Peter Payne 10-1 56.53 1

Laurent-Perrier Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Oct 7, 640m, £7,500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Waltham Abbey Ernie Gaskin Sr. 2-1 39.91 42nd Chicita Banana John McGee Sr. 7-4f 39.99 53rd Hello Blackie Roger York 16-1 40.05 14th Sard John McGee Sr. 9-1 40.47 25th Hot Fluff Arthur Hitch 8-1 40.51 36th Exile Energy Gary Baggs 8-1 40.81 6

St Georges Hospital Oaks, Wimbledon (Oct 28, 480m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Nice And Lovely Derek Tidswell 9-4 29.02 62nd Glengiblin Flash T Batterbee 8-1 29.18 43rd Nans Brute Bill Masters 2-1f 29.19 24th Crohane Lucy Tony Lucas 5-1 29.22 15th Blend of Magic Molly Redpath 8-1 29.38 56th Alley Bally Terry Dartnall 5-1 29.50 3

St Leger, Wembley (Nov 17, 655m, £8,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Manx Marajax Nigel Saunders 33-1 39.87 52nd Chiltern Sarah Peggy Cope 16-1 39.93 43rd Trans Mercedes Mal Thomas 5-2 39.99 14th Crohane Lucy Tony Lucas 11-4 40.09 25th Chicita Banana John McGee Sr. 2-1f 40.29 66th Murlens Panther Geoff De Mulder 6-1 40.47 3

Ike Morris Laurels, Wimbledon (Dec 23, 460m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Parquet Pal Arthur Hitch 9-4 27.68 22nd Daring Duke John Honeysett 7-1 27.84 13rd Westmead Havoc Natalie Savva 14-1 27.88 44th Yes Speedy John McGee Sr. 7-4f 27.89 35th Glenvale Boy Geoff De Mulder 7-1 27.90 56th Slippy Blue Kenny Linzell 5-1 27.94 6

Totalisator returns

The totalisator returns declared to the National Greyhound Racing Club for the year 1989 are listed below.

StadiumTurnover £London (Wimbledon) 17,438,359London (Walthamstow) 16,850,422Romford 8,996,109Brighton & Hove 6,970,118London (Catford) 6,691,913London (Wembley) 6,214,683Birmingham (Hall Green) 4,845,618Manchester (Belle Vue)4,280,189Crayford 3,417,124Glasgow (Shawfield) 2,514,013Oxford2,506,820Edinburgh (Powderhall) 2,371,036

StadiumTurnover £Newcastle (Brough Park) 1,838,238Wolverhampton (Monmore)1,838,238Ramsgate 1,794,750Portsmouth 1,651,827Sheffield (Owlerton) 1,7585,835Yarmouth 1,559,435Reading 1,505,614Canterbury 1,454,069Milton Keynes1,202,379Swindon 1,971,192Bristol 957,478Peterborough 946,531

StadiumTurnover £Rye House 938,460Henlow (Bedfordshire) 727,060London (Hackney) 664,180Poole613,961Middlesbrough 431,466Cradley Heath 414,914Swaffham 411,000Norton Canes371,877Nottingham 371,877Hull (Old Craven Park) 267,303Wisbech46,237

References