The 1979 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 54th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and the 53rd year of greyhound racing in Ireland.

Roll of honour Major Winners Award Name of Winner1979 English Greyhound Derby Sarahs Bunny 1979 Irish Greyhound Derby Penny County 1979 Scottish Greyhound Derby Greenville Boy Greyhound Trainer of the Year Geoff De Mulder Greyhound of the Year Desert Pilot & Kilmagoura MistIrish Greyhound of the Year Nameless PixieTrainers Championship John Honeysett

Trainers Championship, Crayford & Bexleyheath Stadium (24 March) Pos Name of Trainer Points1st John Honeysett 422nd John Coleman 403rd Ted Dickson 364th Pat Mullins 345th Geoff De Mulder 326th Natalie Savva 24

Summary The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) released the annual returns, with totalisator turnover down, at £70,685,971 and attendances up, recorded at 6,585,491 from 5712 meetings. White City remains the top earner with an average meeting tote turnover of £55,677, some £5,000 more than closest rival Walthamstow Stadium.

Desert Pilot, a white and brindle dog and Kilmagoura Mist, a brindle bitch, were voted joint Greyhound of the Year. Desert Pilot won the Select Stakes and Wembley Summer Cup, Kilmagoura Mist won the St Leger. Sarahs Bunny, a kennelmate of Desert Pilot won the 1979 English Greyhound Derby.

Tracks Three tracks closed, Rochester (4 October), Halifax and the Horton Road Stadium in Gloucester (6 July).

News The BGRF (British Greyhound Racing Federation) went into voluntary liquidation, the organisation body that had only been formed in 1977 between the NGRC and track promoters had been a disaster. Bizarrely despite the financial losses of the body a new replacement called the British Greyhound Racing Board was set up within months, with the aim to promote and elevate the greyhound racing industry, to improve the welfare and rules of racing.

Leeds closed their track kennels and lost three top trainers in the process, Joe Kelly, Tommy Brown and Jim Brennan (better known for his spell at Sheffield). Kelly was recruited by Racing Manager Terry Meynell and moved into the kennels of the late Harry Bamford, who had died aged just 40 while Brown and Brennan retired. Contracted trainers replacing them at Leeds were Pete Beaumont, Jim Brown and Ray Andrews. New Southend trainer Tom Lanceman also supplied runners for Ipswich, he was one of the first ever trainers to take up a dual attachment. Lanceman also trained the Grand National winner Topofthetide to a second successive win, the greyhound had won in 1978 for Tim Forster at odds on.

Lacca Champion was retired after the Derby and Joe De Mulder, former trainer and father of Geoff De Mulder died.

Competitions A newcomer called Sports Promoter reared by Pat and Linda Mullins broke the track record over 400 metres at Cambridge in his first race and went on to win the Romford Puppy Cup and Sporting Life Juvenile. The Olympic returned after an eight-year absence, the event was resurrected by Brighton.

John Honeysett won a closely fought Trainers Championship at Crayford with 41 points, defeating John Coleman by just two points. Both had three winners on the night, Honeysett (Sandpiper Folly, Langford Dan, Triple Aspect), Coleman (Noble Brigg, Head Prefect, Our Rufus).

Ireland The Bord na gCon announced a massive 60% hike in prize money. The grand re-opening of Galway was on 25 May, with the modernisation costing over £500,000.

Principal UK races

Grand National, White City (April 7 500m h, £2,000) PosName of GreyhoundTrainerSP TimeTrap 1st Topothetide Tom Lanceman 6-4f 31.60 12nd Killallen Jack Phil Rees Jr. 16-1 32.24 33rd Tax Band Joe Pickering 9-4 32.25 54th Cherryhill King 10-1 32.65 25th Oscar B Norah McEllistrim 5-1 32.69 66th Elton Smasher Richard Griffin 8-1 32.87 4

BBC TV Trophy, Hall Green (Apr 11, 815m, £1,750) PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Westown Blaze Reg Young 53.16 5-1 62nd Aglish Boss Joe Cobbold 53.40 20-1 23rd Welsh Cobbler John Honeysett 53.44 11-4 44th Westown Adam Natalie Savva 53.58 15-8f 35th Olvera 53.74 5-1 16th Ellas Melody Bertie Gaynor 53.75 6-1 5

Laurels, Wimbledon (May 18, 460m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Another Spatter Joe Pickering 7-2 27.75 32nd Pigeon Flyer Tom Reilly 7-1 27.93 13rd Across the Miles R Young 10-1 28.09 64th Sampsons Pal Pat Mullins 9-4f 28.33 25th Young Toby Eric Pateman 4-1 28.41 46th Its Stylish 4-1 28.42 5

Scurry Gold Cup, Slough (Jul 21, 442m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Northway Point George Morrow 20-1 27.20 62nd The Grand Devil Phil Rees Jr. 9-4 27.46 13rd Knockrour Brandy Freda Greenacre 7-2 27.49 44th Teddy Boy 33-1 27.61 55th Johns Luck John Coleman 4-1 27.69 26th Saucy Buck Ted Dickson 1-1f 27.77 3

Scottish Greyhound Derby, Shawfield (Aug 11, 500m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Greenville Boy Pat Mullins 6-4f 30.49 12nd Dually Lad G Barnett 3-1 30.59 33rd Blissful Hero Bertie Gaynor 4-1 30.6554th Black Haven 7-1 30.85 25th Backdeed Man 4-1 30.93 66th Miss OliviaGraham Mann 8-1 31.05 4

St Leger, Wembley (Sep 3, 655m, £10,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Kilmagoura Mist Tom Johnston Jr. 9-2 40.04 12nd Black EarlTed Dickson 2-1f 40.05 43rd Owners Guide Tony Jowett 25-1 40.31 64th Columns Corner John Gibbons 7-2 40.67 55th Frame That Ted Dickson 14-1 40.85 36th Dangerous Lad Joe Pickering 9-4 00.00 2

Gold Collar, Catford (Sep 22, 555m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Gayflash Paddy Milligan 7-2 35.08 52nd Corduroy John Honeysett 4-1 35.54 13rd Quest for Gold 12-1 35.60 24th Im A Smasher Norah McEllistrim 10-1 35.86 45th Taranaki Peter Rich 7-2 36.16 66th Dangerous Lad Joe Pickering 7-4f 00.00 3

The Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Sep 29, 640m, £5,500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Frame That Ted Dickson 11-2 39.57 12nd Roystons SupremeAdam Jackson 11-2 39.69 53rd Brainy Prince Geoff De Mulder 2-1 39.71 24th Black Earl Ray Iremonger 15-8f 39.79 45th Strange DamePhil Rees Jr. 8-1 39.85 66th Seagulls Gunner Smith 16-1 39.99 3

Cesarewitch, Belle Vue (Oct 6, 815m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Roystons Supreme Adam Jackson 7-4 51.47 22nd Cloutie Comment George Curtis 7-1 51.53 43rd Karnos Lady 11-8f 51.77 14th Portland Dusty Frank Melville 20-1 51.89 55th Lynns Pride 7-1 51.99 66th Corelish Ron Brian Jay 16-1 52.00 3

Oaks, Harringay (Nov 2, 475m, £1,750)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Sunny Interval Phil Rees Jr. 12-1 28.77 42nd Kilmagoura Mist Tom Johnston Jr. 11-4 28.80 33rd Kings Lace 10-1 28.86 24th Masslock Lady George Curtis 10-1 28.89 55th Certain Style Terry Keith 2-1f 29.01 66th Trinas Baby Edna Wearing 11-4 29.07 1

Totalisator returns

The totalisator returns declared to the licensing authorities for the year 1979 are listed below.

StadiumTurnover £London (White City) 7,905,509London (Walthamstow) 7,630,996London (Wimbledon) 5,848,415London (Harringay) 4,120,864Romford 3,722,154London (Catford) 3,411,092London (Wembley) 3,323,693Brighton & Hove 3,116,599Slough 2,891,961Manchester (Belle Vue) 2,838,682Birmingham (Hall Green) 2,453,519Edinburgh (Powderhall) 2,143,634Crayford & Bexleyheath 2,083,446Birmingham (Perry Barr, old)1,798,197Southend-on-Sea 1,735,488Newcastle (Brough Park) 1,693,168

StadiumTurnover £Glasgow (Shawfield) 1,587,686Sheffield (Owlerton) 1,536,270Leeds (Elland Road) 1,468,622Wolverhampton (Monmore)1,169,108Bristol (Eastville) 981,641London (Hackney) 959,881Gloucester & Cheltenham 932,580Derby908,209Yarmouth 874,426Ramsgate 752,516Portsmouth 731,711Newcastle (Gosforth)709,980Rochester & Chatham 673,251Oxford533,299Poole522,825Reading 508,507

StadiumTurnover £Coventry 499,405Willenhall 497,531Middlesbrough 476,980Milton Keynes472,971Ipswich 420,570Hull (Old Craven Park) 396,472Manchester (White City) 369,691Leicester 344,470Cradley Heath 304,187Swindon 288,765Rye House 269,309Henlow (Bedfordshire) 253,537Cambridge 131,990Norton Canes 100,000Long Eaton 91,115

References