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2019 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

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2019 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
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The 2019 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year is the 94th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The year marked an end of an era when the 94-year-old company the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) or more recently the GRA Acquisition came to an end.[1][2]

Roll of honour

[edit]
Major Winners
Award Name of Winner
2019 English Greyhound Derby Priceless Blake (Paul Hennessy)
2019 Irish Greyhound Derby Lenson Bocko (Graham Holland}
Greyhound Trainer of the Year Mark Wallis
UK Greyhound of the Year Ice On Fire (James Fenwick)
Irish Greyhound of the Year Killmacdonagh (Kieran Lynch)

Summary

[edit]

All news was overshadowed by the demise of the once-great Greyhound Racing Association, more recently known as the GRA and then Clive Feltham's GRA Acquisition. The company had been declining since 2005, following the sale from Wembley plc to Risk Capital Partners and Galliard Homes and the inevitable resulted when the final two leases held at Belle Vue Stadium and Perry Barr Stadium were sold to the Arena Racing Company (ARC) in October.[1][2] The company had brought racing to the United Kingdom in 1925 and had been the primary promoter for 70 years.

Positive news was announced in January when major bookmakers agreed to pay a voluntary payment into the British Greyhound Racing Fund from their internet businesses. The agreement was signed by Ladbrokes Coral, William Hill, Betfred, bet365, Paddy Power Betfair and Sky Betting & Gaming and was expected to generate an extra £3 million for the fund, which goes directly towards greyhound welfare connected to Greyhound Board of Great Britain tracks in the UK. The move was welcomed by the industry who had been asking the bookmakers for assistance towards welfare funding for some time.[4][5]

The year ended badly with the news that housing planning permission for Belle Vue had been passed on 19 December.[6]

News

[edit]

The media rights war raged on between SIS and ARC. Contracts had been signed by the tracks but some trainers were moving to tracks with SIS contracts that offered a better deal. The industry continued to wait to see long term consequences of the media rights battle.[7]

The media rights battle had already affected the open race schedule, the ARC owned Sunderland scrapped the William Hill Grand Prix and vastly reduced the prize money for the Classic. Another consequence of the media rights battle was the change to the racing schedule at tracks, which now generally consisted of daytime racing and a Saturday night fixture.

There was a double retirement during June with both the 2017 Greyhound of the Year King Elvis and 2017 Scottish Derby champion Dorotas Woo Hoo finishing their careers.[8] 2018 English Greyhound Derby champion Dorotas Wildcat was also retired after a gallant attempt to defend his title in the summer.

Ireland

[edit]

The new English Derby champion Priceless Blake returned to action against a high class field in the Dundalk International and finished runner-up to Irish Oaks champion Killmacdonagh in the €20,000 one-off race, the latter had recently broke two track records.[9]

Drumbo Park re-opened on 13 July under the management of 'Run With Passion Ltd'.[10] The track opened on the back of a news program by Raidió Teilifís Éireann billed as an exposé on excess breeding within Irish racing. The program drew criticism of breeder practices in Ireland but the industry also criticised RTE and its failure to include coursing, international sales, independent tracks etc. in the report.[11] The Irish Greyhound Board condemned the breeder practices shown in the program and vowed to take action under the new Greyhound Racing Ireland Act 2019.[12] Additionally the Bord na gCon was renamed the Rásaíocht Con Éireann (Greyhound Racing Ireland).[13] During October 2019 the IGB released the latest statistics appertaining to welfare under the Strategic Plan 2018–2022.[14]

Leading journalist and broadcaster Michael Fortune died.[15]

The Patrick Guilfoyle trained Skywalker Logan won the Cesarewitch and the Corn Cuchulainn; the white and black dog also had a great English Derby campaign and was making a great case for being voted Irish Greyhound of the Year. The other contenders would be Killmacdonagh and the two Derby champions Lenson Bocko and Priceless Blake. The winner was Killmacdonagh, Lenson Bocko was dog of the year and Skywalker Logan was surprisingly not event named stayer of the year losing out to Redzer Ardfert.[16]

Competitions

[edit]

Angela Harrison won her first Trainers Championship defeating the in form Patrick Janssens and former champions Kevin Hutton and Mark Wallis. Harrison only took over the kennels from partner Jimmy Wright in 2017. Wright was integral in helping Harrison win the title, as were her two powerhouses Droopys Expert and Droopys Verve who both produced strong wins.[3] The pair then immediately headed for the Scottish Derby where Verve recorded the fastest heat win and Expert progressed to the semi-finals behind Boylesports Xtra. The prolific King Turbo also won a heat[17] but of the four only Droopys Verve qualified for the final by producing the fastest 29.02 win in the semi-finals. However the final went to Irish entry Braveheart Bobby from Cooneen Jack with Droopys Verve failing to recover from a poor start taking third.[18]

Trafalgar Cup champion King Sheeran deservedly won the 73rd British Bred Two-Year-Old Produce Stakes and led home his two brothers King Cash and King Dylan for a litter 1-2-3; Liz McNair trained the first four home because the trio's half sister Queen Cher finished fourth. The racing year belonged to Ireland meaning that the selection of a UK Greyhound of the Year would not be straight forward but Ice on Fire stood out after gaining four major wins in the Puppy Classic, All England Cup and the Eclipse and the Laurels. He was duly awarded the title during the following January awards.[19]

Mark Wallis ended the year with 1120 open race points and therefore retaining his Greyhound Trainer of the Year title and extending his record to eleven titles.[20]

Principal UK finals

[edit]

Principal Irish finals

[edit]
Friends of Limerick Irish St Leger, Limerick (23 Nov, 550y, €30,000)
Pos Name of Greyhound Trap SP Time Trainer
1st Ballymac Anton [32] 3 4-1 29.53 Liam Dowling
2nd Lenson Austin 5 5-1 29.74 Graham Holland
3rd Wolfe 2 1-1f 29.88 Graham Holland
4th Cash Is King 6 8-1 29.98 Brendan Maunsell
5th Murts Boher 1 9-2 30.19 Graham Holland
6th Totos Park 4 16-1 30.37 Graham Holland

UK Category 1 & 2 competitions

[edit]
Competition Date Venue Winning Greyhound Winning Trainer Time SP Notes
Coral Coronation Cup 18 Jan Romford Desperado Dan Patrick Janssens (Central Park) 35.27 2-1 [33]
Racing Post Juvenile 2 Mar Sheffield Seaglass Phantom Patrick Janssens (Central Park) 28.60 5-2 [34]
Cearnsport Springbok 3 Mar Central Park Burgess Brandy Ricky Holloway (Central Park) 28.67 9-4 [35]
Coral Winter Derby 7 Mar Hove King Turbo Liz McNair (Private) 28.46 7-4f [36]
Coral Golden Sprint 15 Mar Romford Union Jack Jean Liles (Central Park) 24.04 4-1 [37]
Ladbrokes Puppy Derby 16 Mar Monmore Troy Zico David Mullins (Romford) 28.94 6-1 [38]
RPGTV Steel City Cup 23 Mar Sheffield Roxholme Nidge Hayley Keightley (Doncaster) 28.53 11-4 [39]
Ladbrokes Crayford Rosebowl 30 Mar Crayford Sleepy Genie David Puddy (Harlow) 23.29 4-9f [40]
Kent Silver Salver 31 Mar Central Park Magical Houdini Patrick Janssens (Central Park) 16.18 13-8 [41]
RPGTV Golden Crest 14 Apr Poole King Elvis Liz McNair (Private) 26.70 4-6f [42]
Coral Regency 25 Apr Hove Aayamza Breeze Mark Wallis (Henlow) 41.42 8-1 [43]
Bresmed Northern Sprint 30 Apr Sheffield Coolavanny Dylan Kirsty Grayson (Sheffield) 16.38 7-2 [44]
Henlow Maiden Derby 5 May Henlow Dalcash Behold Kevin Hutton (Monmore) 28.11 6-1 [45]
George Ing St Leger 18 May Yarmouth Roxholme Poppy Hayley Keightley (Doncaster) 40.07 5-4f Track record [46]
Ladbrokes Crayford Vase 18 May Crayford Crossfield Vince Julie Luckhurst (Crayford) 33.81 3-1 [47]
British Bred St Leger 9 Jun Central Park Affleck Bolt Patrick Janssens (Central Park) 39.81 4-5f [48]
Ladbrokes Crayford Cesarewitch 15 Jun Crayford Burgess Honey Anthony Gifkins (Henlow) 56.83 10-1 [49]
Ladbrokes Guys and Dolls 20 Jul Crayford Skip Mayo Gemma Davidson (Central Park) 23.11 20-1 [50]
The Puppy Derby 21 Jul Henlow Bockos Doomie Patrick Janssens (Central Park) 27.24 11-10f [51]
RPGTV Champion Hurdle 21 Jul Central Park Turnhouse Jet Ricky Holloway (Central Park) 29.59 4-1 [52]
Gain Nutrition 3 Steps to Victory 23 Jul Sheffield Bull Run Button Barrie Draper (Sheffield) 39.09 11-8f [53]
Ted Lloyd Classic 24 Jul Sunderland Velvet Juliet Angela Harrison (Newcastle) 26.70 7-4jf [54]
British Bred Produce Stakes 27 Jul Swindon King Sheeran Liz McNair (Private) 28.41 4-6f [55]
RPGTV Select Stakes 29 Jul Nottingham Trickys Dumbo Robert Holt (Sheffield) 29.39 3-1 [56]
Coral Sussex Cup 1 Aug Hove Droopys Gold Seamus Cahill (Hove) 29.65 1-1f [57]
Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic 17 Aug Monmore Sheldan Kevin Boon (Yarmouth) 37.45 9-2 [58]
Ladbrokes Gold Cup 17 Aug Monmore Seaglass Tiger Patrick Janssens (Central Park) 28.28 4-1 [58]
Puppy Classic 26 Aug Nottingham Ice on Fire James Fenwick (Newcastle) 29.39 4-5f [59]
Coral Champion Stakes 6 Sep Romford Aayamza Express Mark Wallis (Henlow) 34.90 6-4f [60]
Northern Plate 26 Sep Newcastle Witton Derecho Jill Sutherst (Sunderland) 28.30 5-1 [61]
Coral Romford Puppy Cup 27 Sep Romford Young Princess Paul Young (Romford) 24.09 12-1 [62]
Jay & Kay Coach Tours Kent St Leger 5 Oct Crayford Antigua Fire Mark Wallis (Henlow) 23.11 5-2 [63] [64]
Ladbrokes Kent Derby 6 Oct Central Park Forest Alan Seamus Cahill (Hove) 29.00 4-1 [65] [66]
BAPP Group Scurry Cup 19 Oct Belle Vue Droopys Reel Angela Harrison (Newcastle) 15.03 11-4 [67]
British Breeders Stakes 21 Oct Nottingham Romeo Rumble John Mullins (Yarmouth) 29.77 12-1 [68]
S.I.S Yorkshire St Leger 23 Oct Doncaster Droopys Live Angela Harrison (Newcastle) 41.65 7-2 [69]
Alconex All England Cup 24 Oct Newcastle Ice on Fire James Fenwick (Newcastle) 28.16 4-5f [70]
Ladbrokes Gold Collar 2 Nov Crayford Saving Sonic John Mullins (Yarmouth) 33.95 7-2 [71]
Coral Brighton Belle 7 Nov Hove Galloping Moon Kevin Hutton (Monmore) 30.22 6-4f [72]
Carling Eclipse 18 Nov Nottingham Ice on Fire James Fenwick (Newcastle) 29.25 4-9f [73]
Trafalgar Cup 30 Nov Monmore Droopys Addition Ernest Gaskin Jr. (Private) 28.05 5-2 [74]
Coral Essex Vase 6 Dec Romford Droopys Aoife Ernest Gaskin Jr. (Private) 35.08 9-2 [75]
BGBF British Bred Derby 10 Dec Sheffield King Sheeran Liz McNair (Private) 29.11 7-4f [76]
Alconex Northern Puppy Derby 19 Dec Newcastle Levante Beach Angela Harrison (Newcastle) 28.89 4-5f [77]
O'Toole's Gym Byker Laurels 19 Dec Newcastle Ice on Fire James Fenwick (Newcastle) 28.57 1-4f [78]
Local Parking Security National Sprint 23 Dec Nottingham Troy Bella David Mullins (Romford) 17.79 2-1 [79]
Coral Olympic 28 Dec Hove King Sheeran Liz McNair (Private) 29.93 2-1jf [80]

Irish feature competitions

[edit]
Competition Date Venue Winning Greyhound Winning Trainer Time SP Notes
Best Car Parks Gold Cup 9 Feb Shelbourne Music Toour Ears Patrick Guilfoyle 28.33 7-2 [81]
GMHD Insurances Juvenile Classic 9 Mar Tralee Toolmaker Daddy Robert G Gleeson 28.40 4-1 [82]
Bar One Racing Irish Sprint Cup 29 Mar Dundalk Ardnasool Jet Cathal McGhee 20.97 6-4f [83]
Gain Nutrition Open 600 30 Mar Shelbourne Clonbrien Prince Graham Holland 32.24 9-2 [84]
Frightful Flash Kennels McCalmont Cup 12 Apr Kilkenny Skywalker Rafa Michael J O'Donovan 28.87 4-7f [85]
Gain Greyhound Nutrition Select Stakes 27 Apr Waterford Blue East Graham Holland 28.44 7-2 [86]
Larry Clancy Memorial Irish Cesarewitch 11 May Mullingar Skywalker Logan Patrick Guilfoyle 33.40 5-4f [87]
Navillus Race of Champions 14 Jun Tralee Slippy Cian Graham Holland 29.60 2-1 [88]
Tipperary Cup 3 Aug Thurles Ghost Dancer Owen McKenna 28.81 1-1f [89]
Gain Corn Cuchulainn 9 Aug Shelbourne Skywalker Logan Patrick Guilfoyle 41.32 6-4f [90]
Texacloth Juvenile Derby 13 Sep Newbridge Costa Plenti James Melia 28.52 5-4f [91]
Irish Grand National 21 Dec Cork Lightfoot Kante Pat Kiely 29.01 1-1f [92]

References

[edit]
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