1982 English Greyhound Derby
| 1982 English Greyhound Derby | |
|---|---|
| Location | White City Stadium |
The 1982 Spillers Greyhound Derby Final took place on 26 June 1982 at White City Stadium. [1] The winner Lauries Panther received £25,000 and the competition was sponsored by the Spillers.[2]
Final result
At White City (over 500 metres):
| Position | Greyhound | Breeding | Trap | SP | Finish Time | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lauries Panther | 1 | 6-4f | 29.60 | Terry Duggan (Romford) | |
| 2nd | Special Account | 4 | 7-2 | 29.64 | Natalie Savva (Milton Keynes) | |
| 3rd | Duke of Hazard | 5 | 9-2 | 29.66 | John Coleman (Wembley) | |
| 4th | Supreme Tiger | 3 | 3-1 | 29.74 | Matt O'Donnell (Ireland) | |
| 5th | Pineapple Barrow | 6 | 16-1 | 29.78 | Michael Compton (Cradley Heath) | |
| 6th | Killimy Ivy | 2 | 14-1 | 00.00 | Matt O'Donnell (Ireland) |
Distances
½, Hd, 1, ½, dis
Competition Report
[3] The Derby would be sponsored by Spillers for the last time and the Irish were travelling over in an attempt to win a third successive title. Parkdown Jet would defend his title and form part of the usual strong Ger McKenna team. In addition Matt O’Donnell and Matt Travers also held strong hands for a tilt at the event.
The British challenge was led by a £50,000 purchase called Long Spell; the brindle dog was bought by turkey farmers Ray and Eddie Turner from Irish Breeder Pat Dalton for a figure that smashed the previous record paid for a greyhound. Many were amazed by the cost bearing in mind that you had to win the Derby to get half the money back and then rely on stud fees for the rest. Ante-post favourite Brief Candle from the Midlands kennels of Paddy Hancox and Laurels champion Lauries Panther and were two other highly fancied runners.
In a qualifying heat Lauries Panther defeated Night Miller and set a new track record with 27.72sec. The first round started sensationally as Long Spell and Brief Candle both crashed. Supreme Tiger and Fearless Mover went fastest in the first round held on two separate nights.
Geoff De Mulder's Fearless Mover went fastest again in the second round and Parkdown Jet and Lauries Panther both remained unbeaten. During the quarter finals Parkdown Jet qualified by just missing a first bend pile up. Lauries Panther won another messy race that resulted in Fearless Mover and 1981 English Greyhound Derby finalist Clohast Flame both being eliminated.
The second semi-final went to Puppy Derby champion Special Account from Supreme Tiger and Killimy Ivy in a race that saw Parkdown Jet finish lame. Previously the first semi-final had brought a little piece of history to the Derby. It produced a dead-heat for third place, and it was left to a toss of a coin to determine who made the final. Luck was with Pineapple Barrow and not Jims Memory (trained by Louis Solomon) who had to be content with standing as reserve. The race had been won by Lauries Panther who still remained unbeaten from Duke of Hazard.
Two Irish hounds lined up for the final but it looked as though they would be hard pressed to beat Lauries Panther. Laurie James his Romford owner allegedly turned down an offer of £70,000 on the day of the final. James had named the dog after his Panther sports car. Supreme Tiger made the best start but was pursued by Lauries Panther at the first bend who then bumped and knocked over Killimy Ivy with Special Account hampered in the process. Supreme Tiger led until the third bend when Lauries Panther then took the lead and held off a very spirited finish from Special Account and Duke of Hazard.
See also
References
- ^ Hobbs, Jonathan (2007). Greyhound Annual 2008. Raceform. ISBN 978-1-905153-53-4.
- ^ "The Greyhound Derby". Greyhound Racing History.
- ^ Dick, Barrie (1990). Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-36-8.