1975 English Greyhound Derby
The 1975 Spillers Greyhound Derby took place during June with the final being held on 28 June 1975 at White City Stadium.[1] The winner was Tartan Khan and the winning owner Derek Law received £15,000. The competition was sponsored by the Spillers.[2]
| 1975 English Greyhound Derby | |
|---|---|
 Seamus Shane beats Myrtown in a qualifying | |
| Location | White City Stadium |
| Start date | 14 June |
| End date | 28 June |
| Total prize money | £15,000 (winner) |
Competition report
Ante-post favourites for the 1975 running of the Derby included Pineapple Grand and Myrtown. Ireland was well represented by Irish Greyhound Derby champion Lively Band and Shamrock Point.[3]
A new metric distance of 500 metres saw new best times recorded by first round winners Shamrock Point (29.46) and Myrtown (29.43). The second round produced a new track record mark when Sallys Cobbler pipped Foreign Exchange and Shamrock Point in a time of 29.31.[4] Outsider Slippery Slave then went five spots better in a later second round heat when defeating Lively Band. The only market leader to be eliminated was 'That Silver' who had been second in ante-post lists.[3]
Myrtown won the first semi-final in yet another best time of 29.23 from Pineapple Grand and Tartan Khan. The second semi-final ended dramatically when around the last bend Lively Band swerved towards Shamrock Point and forced him near the hare rail. Sallys Cobbler and Foreign Exchange slipped through to take the first two places with Lively Band finishing third before being disqualified for fighting+. The rules (changed since the 1968 incident) meant that Lively Band would not be replaced by Shamrock Point in the final. Instead only a five-runner race would ensue.[5][3]
In the final Sallys Cobbler led Tartan Khan to the first bend before moving off, 25-1 shot Tartan Khan then challenged until taking a decisive third bend lead. Tartan Khans owner Derek Law was a permit trainer Law and had placed his greyhound with trainer Gwen Lynds for the competition because he was not allowed to train for the Derby under permit rules.[3]
+ Deliberate interference with other greyhounds in running.[6]
Final result
At White City (over 500 metres):[7]
| Position | Name of Greyhound | Breeding | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tartan Khan | Spectre II - Chilled Sweet | 2 | 25-1 | 29.57 | Gwen Lynds (Bletchley) |
| 2nd | Sallys Cobbler | Cobbler - Pineapple Jam | 1 | 3-1 | 29.67 | John Bassett (Private) |
| 3rd | Pineapple Grand | The Grand Silver - Pineapple Baby | 6 | 4-1 | 29.75 | Frank Baldwin (Perry Barr) |
| 4th | Myrtown | Myross Again - Longstown Lassie | 3 | 10-11f | 29.89 | Eddie Moore (White City - Manchester) |
| 5th | Foreign Exchange | Silver Record - Coolagorna Again | 5 | 10-1 | 29.89 | Paddy Milligan (Private) |
| N/R | Lively Band | Silver Hope - Kell's Queen | Jack Murphy (Ireland) |
Distances
1¼, 1, 1¾, 1¼ (lengths)
References
- Hobbs, Jonathan (2007). Greyhound Annual 2008, page 91. Raceform. ISBN 978-1-905153-53-4.
- Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing, page 110. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.
- Dack, Barrie (1990). Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years, pages 151/152/153/154. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-36-8.
- "Record falls to Wythall Derby hope". Birmingham Daily Post. 20 June 1975. Retrieved 27 September 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Remember When - June". Greyhound Star.
- "Rule 91" (PDF). Greyhound Board of Great Britain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2016.
- "1975". Greyhound Data.