The 1990 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 65th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and the 64th year of greyhound racing in Ireland.

Roll of honour Major Winners Award Name of Winner1990 English Greyhound Derby Slippy Blue 1990 Irish Greyhound Derby The Other Toss 1990 Scottish Greyhound Derby Westmead Harry Greyhound Trainer of the Year John McGee Sr. Greyhound of the Year Westmead HarryIrish Greyhound of the Year Adraville Bridge

Trainers Championship, Hove (April 16) Pos Name of Trainer Points1st Bill Masters 422nd John McGee Sr. 413rd Kenny Linzell 394th Ernie Gaskin Sr. 335th Linda Mullins 266th Phil Rees Jr. 21

Summary The greyhound betting levy bill was heard for a second time before parliament. The first had been read in 1989. Extracts from the reading were described by Alan Meale (MP for Mansfield) - "The purpose of the Bill is straightforward; it is to amend the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963 to enable payment of a levy to the greyhound industry from moneys already deducted from punters for that purpose by the bookmakers in off-course betting establishments. There is a great need for this legislation. Greyhound racing is the second most supported spectator sport in Britain. As census figures show, more than 5 million people support the sport by going along to tracks every week. They attend 83 tracks, 48 of which are independent and 35 of which are registered with the National Greyhound Racing Club. The membership of that club and of the independents now amounts to more than 15,000 greyhound owners. More than 20,000 greyhounds are registered and in training. At least 10,000 race meetings are held every year, accommodating over 120,000 greyhound races. Unlike the horse racing industry, the greyhound industry receives no levy money whatever; although moneys are deducted at source in betting shops off-course, throughout Britain. That is a scandal of huge proportions because 10 per cent.—10p in every pound—is deducted from bets, under the legislation to which I have referred, with the purpose of 2% of that 10% coming back into the sport. Most punters are having that money deducted fraudulently because at present the only money that goes back into the greyhound industry returns via the Legislation is in place to ensure that a similar deduction benefits horse racing. Twenty-seven percent of all off-course betting is on greyhound racing, yet not one penny of that money goes back into the industry. Instead, it all goes into the pockets of bookmakers, who do nothing for that magnificent sport". It being half-past Two o'clock, the debate stood adjourned.

In addition to this, new laws now required all sporting stadia to make safety improvements following the problems related to football. The industry felt that it was being persecuted by the government.

In Ireland the racing industry received €3.5 million in the budget but the Bord na gCon was unhappy that they would only receive €500,000.

The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) released the annual returns, with totalisator turnover at £104,779,742 and attendances recorded at 4,220,906 from 5803 meetings. Track tote deduction remained at 17.5%.

Westmead Harry trained by Natalie Savva was voted Greyhound of the Year after winning the Scottish Greyhound Derby at Shawfield Stadium in a track record time, the Select Stakes, Blue Riband and Eclipse. Adraville Bridge was voted Irish Greyhound of the Year after winning the Laurels, National Produce and Dundalk International. John McGee won the Greyhound Trainer of the Year for the third successive year.

Tracks Playbell Ltd (owners of Poole) removed the greyhound track to accommodate a larger football pitch but a new Perry Barr Stadium opened, promoted by Maurice Buckland at the former athletics stadium, this was six years after the closure of the old stadium at Walsall Road.

At the end of 1988 businessmen and race horse owner Terry Robson and Harry Williams had got together and decided to take on the Sunderland stadium. Williams a respected former trainer at Brough Park helped design the new track and over £1 million was spent rebuilding the facilities. There was a new restaurant, private boxes and an application to the NGRC.

News Champion trainer John McGee joined Hackney in place of Doreen Boyce. Chris Page took over as Walthamstow Racing Manager from departing Tony Smith.

Competitions

A brindle greyhound called Ravage Again dominated the sprint events, the greyhound trained by Willie Frew in Scotland by Tico out of Drominidy Rose had been bought for £5,500 by Frew, for owners David Fleming and Ian Rutherford. He won heat and final of a Clonmel sprint during the festival week and then after returning to Scotland, he continued to add to his winning sequence on the northern circuit. At 16 successive wins (in June) Ladbrokes offered 300-1 that he would better Ballyregan Bob's world record of 32 successive wins. Controversy over the wager surfaced when it was revealed that Ravage Again's two wins in Ireland would not been counted.

Willie Frew sent to the greyhound to be trained in the south by Terry Dartnall, partly because he wanted to prove that he could beat the southern opposition as well. after 22 wins Ravage Again went unbeaten through the Etherington Golden Sprint at Hove, breaking the 285 metre track record in the heats and final. A close call at Hall Green ended with a short head victory before another win at Swindon. He returned north to Frew and won race 28 at Shawfield on 22 December, ending the year on course for a new world record.

Dempseys Whisper scored a classic double, the fawn dog won both the Gold Collar at Catford Stadium and Grand Prix at Walthamstow Stadium. He completed a great year getting to the St Leger and Oaks final as well and was unlucky not to win the title of greyhound of the year.

Principal UK races

Daily Mirror/Sporting Life Grand National, Hall Green (Mar 30, 474m h, £5,000) PosName of GreyhoundTrainerSP TimeTrap 1st Gizmo Pasha Linda Mullins 4-6f 29.62 62nd Columbkille Jet Paddy Hancox 16-1 29.74 13rd Temple Garden W White 10-1 30.02 24th Ballysway Peter Payne 10-1 30.06 45th Greenfield Fling Paddy Coughlan 5-2 30.14 36th Deputy Tim Terry O'Sullivan 12-1 30.36 5

BBC TV Trophy, Walthamstow (April 4, 820m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Shropshire LassRichard Hubble 11-4 52.4832nd Sail On Valerie Ernie Gaskin Sr. 11-10f 52.8463rd Trans Mercedes Maldwyn Thomas 3-1 52.8624th Clonbrin Basket Graham Sharp 25-153.12 55th Home Hero Patsy Byrne 12-153.32 46th Grabel Paddy Hancox 25-153.40 1

Ladbrokes Scottish Derby, Shawfield (May 19, 500m, £10,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Westmead Harry Natalie Savva 5-4f 29.62+ 32nd Courtlough Lodge Trevor Cobbold 10-1 30.24 23rd Labana Mathew Geoff De Mulder 7-4 30.30 54th Leaders Best Matt O'Sullivan 10-1 30.36 15th Meadowbank Lad John Flaherty 6-1 30.39 66th Kilcurley Coal John McGee Sr. 20-1 30.51 4 +Track Record

David Richardson Scurry Cup, Catford (Jul 14, 385m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Ready Rubbed John McGee Sr. 5-1 23.76 12nd Always Drawing Norah McEllistrim 5-1 23.96 63rd Wonderbar Gordon Thwaite 14-1 24.04 54th Mandies Supreme Derek Tidswell 1-1f 24.14 45th Bettys Opinion Alf Ellis33-1 24.17 36th Maggies Magic Natalie Savva 9-2 00.00 2

John Humphreys Gold Collar, Catford (Sep 23, 555m, £7,500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Dempseys Whisper Patsy Byrne 9-4f 34.84 52nd Curryhills Black Ernie Gaskin Sr. 5-2 34.98 43rd Herbie Lambug Mick Puzey 7-2 35.16 14th Chicita Banana John McGee Sr. 40-1 35.22 65th Shanavulin Bingo Ernie Gaskin Sr. 6-1 35.26 36th Catsrock Dan George Lynds 5-1 35.29 2

Websters Yorkshire Bitter Cesarewitch, Belle Vue (Sep 29, 853m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Carlsberg Champ Barry Silkman 5-4f 55.50 12nd Clonbrin Basket Graham Sharp 3-1 55.80 63rd Culzean Blizzard Nigel Saunders 7-1 56.04 54th Always Dangerous Ray Andrews 50-1 56.24 45th Shropshire LassRichard Hubble 4-1 56.27 26th Hot Fluff Arthur Hitch 7-1 56.30 3

Laurent-Perrier Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Oct 13, 640m, £7,500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Dempseys Whisper Patsy Byrne 4-11f 39.07 42nd Make Magic Ernie Gaskin Sr. 16-1 39.39 23rd Sail Over Sam Sykes 20-1 39.43 34th Curryhills Press Tom Foster 9-2 39.5955th Curryhills Brock Ernie Gaskin Sr. 16-1 39.79 6N/R Hello Blackie Roger York

St Georges Hospital Oaks, Wimbledon (Oct 27, 480m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Liberal Girl Derek Knight 5-1 28.95 52nd Bay Road Jill Frank Aymes 5-1 29.17 43rd Cromarty Vi Maggie Lucas 16-1 29.33 34th Appleby Lisa Harry Dodds 9-4 29.83 25th Nice and Lovely Derek Tidswell 7-4f 29.97 66th Manor Park House Phil Rees Jr. 14-1 30.11 1

Wendy Fair St Leger, Wembley (Nov 16, 655m, £8,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Match Point Terry Kibble 7-1 39.92 32nd Sail Over Sam Sykes 9-2 40.08 23rd Westmead Harry Natalie Savva 11-8f 40.24 14th Between Times Gordon Hodson 25-1 40.36 55th Dempseys Whisper Patsy Byrne 9-4 40.66 66th Funny Old Game Diane Stinchcombe 33-1 40.98 4

Ike Morris Laurels, Wimbledon (Dec 23, 460m, £6,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Concentration Ger McKenna 4-7f 27.75 52nd Slippys Guest Norah McEllistrim 5-2 28.03 23rd Dempseys Whisper Patsy Byrne 10-1 28.21 44th Itsallovernow Ger McKenna 6-1 28.29 65th Miss Jessica Norah McEllistrim 33-1 28.31 3N/R Premier Major Joanne Page

Totalisator returns

The totalisator returns declared to the National Greyhound Racing Club for the year 1990 are listed below.

StadiumTurnover £London (Wimbledon) 16,337,901London (Walthamstow) 15,964,920Romford 9,216,479Brighton & Hove 6,788,728London (Catford) 5,745,804Birmingham (Hall Green) 5,188,344London (Wembley) 4,925,500Manchester (Belle Vue)4,532,605Crayford 3,628,365Glasgow (Shawfield) 3,010,948Oxford2,342,268Edinburgh (Powderhall) 2,293,568Canterbury 1,856,777

StadiumTurnover £Wolverhampton (Monmore)1,840,626Ramsgate 1,838,249Newcastle (Brough Park) 1,733,522Portsmouth 1,680,484Yarmouth 1,591,131Reading 1,513,816Sheffield (Owlerton) 1,372,886Sunderland 1,202,878Milton Keynes1,141,365Peterborough 1,079,569Bristol 998,419Rye House 950,878Swindon 883,760

StadiumTurnover £Henlow (Bedfordshire) 809,970Nottingham 772,635London (Hackney) 674,572Hull (New Craven Park) 585,729Norton Canes 453,140Cradley Heath 448,650Swaffham 410,471Middlesbrough 400,629Birmingham (Perry Barr) 292,448Poole221,708Wisbech 50,000

References