2004 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

2004 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
2004 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
	Solid Money (trap 3) and Black Pear (trap 4) during the Cesarewitch heats
	← 2003 2005 →

The 2004 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 79th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Summary edit

Irish racing was experiencing promising growth with increased prize money for competitions including the richest ever prize for a marathon event when the Corn Cuchulainn offered €50,000 for the winner at Harold's Cross.^[1]

The situation in Britain was not as simple after Richard Caborn, the Minister for Sport announced that it had been agreed that the bookmakers levy fund would increase to 0.5% in 2004, 0.55% in 2005 and 0.6% in 2006 and therefore doubling the sports income to £16 million within the three years.^[2] However the statement was incorrect because a 0.1% increase after three years would mean only a one sixth increase (16.6%).^[2] The promise turned out to be false because the levy fund actually decreased significantly over the next five years.^[3]

Droopys Scholes won the 2004 English Greyhound Derby^[4] and Like A Shot won the 2004 Irish Greyhound Derby.^[5] Charlie Lister won the Greyhound Trainer of the Year and Derby finalist, Arc, East Anglian Derby and Oxfordshire Gold Cup winner Fire Height Dan won the Greyhound of the Year.^[2]

Tracks edit

Coventry opened under new management after an 18-year absence.^[2]

Competitions edit

English Derby champion Farloe Verdict won the Scottish Greyhound Derby setting a new track record in the final. Brian Clemenson claimed his third successive Trainers Championship at Coventry. A brindle bitch called Roxholme Girl won the St Leger and the Gold Collar, the latter in a new track record time at the competition's new home of Belle Vue Stadium.^[2]

News edit

Trainer Tommy Foster retired from Wimbledon Stadium to concentrate on a small open race kennel and his son Jason joined Oxford Stadium.^[2]

Roll of honour edit

Major Winners
Award	Name of Winner
2004 English Greyhound Derby	Droopys Scholes
2004 Irish Greyhound Derby	Like A Shot
Greyhound Trainer of the Year	Charlie Lister
Greyhound of the Year	Fire Height Dan
Irish Dog and Bitch of the Year	Premier Fantasy / Legal Moment

Betfair Trainers Championship, Coventry (Jun 27)
Pos	Name of Trainer	Points
1st	Brian Clemenson	48
2nd	John Mullins	41
3rd	Charlie Lister	37
4th	Linda Jones	36
5th	Ernie Gaskin Sr.	26
6th	Paul Young	19

Principal UK finals edit

William Hill TV Trophy, Wimbledon (Mar 16, 872m, £6,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Double Take	Andy Heyes	55.22	11-10f	5
2nd	Latin Beauty	Cheryl Miller	55.30	12-1	1
3rd	Hesley Gale	Chris Lund	55.32	5-1	3
4th	Ericas Equity	Paul Young	55.33	7-4	2
5th	Getaway Harp	Albert Dale	55.37	25-1	6
6th	Aughacasla Erin	Ken Tester	55.38	20-1	4

Totesport Scottish Derby, Shawfield (Apr 3, 480m, £25,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Farloe Verdict	Charlie Lister	11-4	28.79+	2
2nd	Legal Moment	Pat Buckley	4-1	29.21	3
3rd	Farloe Marathon	Charlie Lister	7-1	29.23	5
4th	Cathals Idol	Pat Buckley	14-1	29.51	6
5th	Holdyoursilence	Liz McNair	33-1	30.07	4
6th	World Class	Pat Buckley	11-10f	30.31	1

+ Track record

Reading Masters, Reading (Jul 18, 465m, £20,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Droopys Chester	Carly Philpott	7-1	27.92	6
2nd	Manera Spark	John Mullins	9-2	27.94	1
3rd	Droopys Corleone	Daniel Riordan	6-4f	28.16	3
4th	Three Way Ebony	Jackie Taylor	4-1	28.26	2
5th	Terry Henry	Jackie Taylor	5-1	28.48	5
6th	Pennys Worth	Richard Baker	7-1	28.66	4

William Hill Cesarewitch, Oxford (Aug 17, 645m, £5,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Solid Money	Derek Knight	9-4	39.56	3
2nd	Black Pear	Wayne Wrighting	4-5f	39.68	5
3rd	Archers Enero	Paul Young	20-1	39.92	6
4th	Mustang Hero	Brian Clemenson	16-1	40.10	1
5th	Seabiscuit	Russell Warren	6-1	40.13	2
6th	Frisby Figo	Harry Crapper	10-1	40.23	4

Victor Chandler Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Oct 2, 640m, £10,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Ronnies Flight	Linda Jones	11-8f	40.03	2
2nd	Marmions	Paul Young	6-1	40.33	5
3rd	Jack Spark	John Mullins	9-2	40.39	1
4th	Big Freeze	Brian Clemenson	14-1	40.47	3
5th	Baltimore Althea	Ernie Gaskin Sr.	7-2	40.48	6
6th	Droopys Napoli	Paul Young	8-1	40.62	4

William Hill Grand National, Wimbledon (Oct 5, 460mH, £7,500)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Four Handed	Jim Reynolds	6-4f	28.46	4
2nd	Selby Ben	Tom Foster	5-2	28.48	2
3rd	Ballyeacle	Norah McEllistrim	7-1	28.62	1
4th	Canon Tom	Seamus Cahill	5-1	28.70	6
5th	Ivors Surprise	Phil Rees Jr.	8-1	28.99	3
6th	Nacap Junior	Norah McEllistrim	16-1	29.06	5

William Hill Laurels, Belle Vue (Oct 26, 465m, £10,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Ningbo Jack	Charlie Lister	4-1	27.60	5
2nd	Laser Beam	Harry Williams	16-1	27.86	3
3rd	Under the Kosh	Liz McNair	9-2	27.99	1
4th	Redbank Classic	Joy Andrews	33-1	28.37	2
5th	Bally Kee	Charlie Lister	7-4f	28.40	4
6th	Farloe Exit	Charlie Lister	9-4	00.00	6

William Hill St Leger, Wimbledon (Nov 9, 668m, £13,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Roxholme Girl	Hayley Keightly	3-1	41.32	3
2nd	Shelbourne Star	Brian Clemenson	5-2	41.79	4
3rd	Droopys Shearer	Ted Soppitt	9-4f	41.86	6
4th	Ballymac Kewell	Carly Philpott	7-1	42.04	2
5th	Creamery Tex	Paul Garland	33-1	42.11	1
6th	Farloe Divide	Charlie Lister	5-1	42.19	5

Totesport Gold Collar, Belle Vue (Nov 25, 470m, £10,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Roxholme Girl	Hayley Keightley	4-6f	39.01+	1
2nd	Clear Run	Charlie Lister	14-1	39.99	3
3rd	Lissycasey Duke	Michael Donlon	4-1	40.09	6
4th	Hayleys Boy	June McCombe	7-1	40.24	4
5th	Machan Tiger	Phil McComish	10-1	40.71	2
6th	Bonny Betty	Gary Carmichael	7-1	40.77	5

+ Track record

William Hill Oaks, Wimbledon (Nov 30, 480m, £6,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	Trainer	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Tidyplayroom	Derek Knight	5-1	29.27	1
2nd	One Yard	Andy Johnson	5-2f	29.40	6
3rd	Shebas Magic	Brian Clemenson	9-2	29.44	4
4th	Fernglade Abby	Otto Kueres	9-2	29.56	3
5th	Annes Honcho	Gary Baggs	6-1	29.57	2
6th	Miss Siren	Ernie Gaskin Sr.	4-1	29.91	5

Principal Irish finals edit

Donal Reilly Easter Cup Shelbourne (Apr 10, 525y, €50,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Premier Fantasy ^[6]	4-9f	28.08	2
2nd	Awesome Impact	20-1	28.36	4
3rd	Indian Ruler	4-1	28.50	6
4th	Phoenix Ice	20-1	28.67	1
5th	First Charter	16-1	28.81	3
6th	Shantobar	16-1	29.16	5

Red Mills Produce Clonmel (Apr 4, 525y, €30,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Geldrops Touch^[7]	6-4jf	28.56	4
2nd	Geordie Legend	7-1	28.63	1
3rd	Walk With Fire	7-1	28.77	5
4th	Velvet Cash	6-4jf	28.91	6
5th	Dunsany	16-1	28.98	2
6th	Zigzag Mansell	33-1	29.01	3

Ladbrokes 600 Shelbourne (May 8, 600y, €35,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Awesome Impact ^[8]	11-4	32.44	2
2nd	Great Lark	20-1	32.45	3
3rd	Valentia Citrate	3-1	32.55	6
4th	Karma Knight	7-4f	32.57	4
5th	Velvet Cash	7-1	32.75	1
6th	The Other Domino	20-1	32.76	5

Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger Limerick (Jul 4, 550y, €35,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Never Give Up ^[9]	7-1	29.88	4
2nd	Blue Panther	14-1	29.90	6
3rd	Farloe Cricketer	5-1	30.04	3
4th	Tomsheaboy (Pa Fitzgerald)	1-1f	30.14	5
5th	Go Ahead Honcho	9-1	30.16	1
6th	Persian Ruler	3-1	30.48	2

Vodafone Corn Cuchulainn Harold's Cross (Jul 9, 750y, €50,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Smiling Man^[1]	7-2	41.62	4
2nd	Air Force Honcho	3-1jf	42.46	5
3rd	Won't You Stay	5-1	42.60	1
4th	Moss Time	7-1	42.70	6
5th	Bins Image	5-1	43.12	3
6th	Special Trick	3-1jf	43.26	2

Sporting Press Oaks Shelbourne (Jul 17, 525y, €35,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Legal Moment (Pat Buckley)^[10]	2-1f	28.59	3
2nd	Page Three Girl (Mick O'Reilly)	33-1	28.94	4
3rd	Graigues Echo (Jim Morrissey)	10-1	28.96	2
4th	Things To Do (Patrick O'Brien)	4-1	29.03	6
5th	Side Saga (Stephen Bourke)	9-4	29.10	1
6th	Greenlough Slip (Owen McKenna)	7-1	29.27	5

Boylesports Champion Stakes Shelbourne (Jul 31, 550y, €40,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Never Give Up ^[11]	4-1	29.90	2
2nd	Smiling Man	6-1	29.93	5
3rd	Disguised	7-2	29.94	4
4th	World Class	5-1	30.05	1
5th	Tomsheaboy	6-4f	30.06	6
N/R	Velvet Commander			3

Droopys Stud & Donal Reilly Puppy Derby Harolds Cross (Oct 15, 525y, €50,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Droopys Brooklyn ^[12]	6-1	29.17	1
2nd	Dairyland Bandit	14-1	29.24	4
3rd	Albino	7-1	29.38	5
4th	He Said So	4-7f	29.52	3
5th	Cals Tonic	5-1	29.53	2
N/R	Mandys Cheeky			6

Cashmans Laurels Cork (Oct 30, 525y, €35,000)
Pos	Name of Greyhound	SP	Time	Trap
1st	Boherduff Light ^[13]	2-1jf	28.44	2
2nd	Farloe Pocket	2-1jf	28.72	5
3rd	Jesceda Lad	6-1	28.74	3
4th	Cavecourt Jon	5-1	28.88	1
5th	Rhincrew Shergar	12-1	29.05	6
6th	Tourna Star	20-1	29.23	4

References edit

^ ^a ^b "Corn Cuchulainn Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Hobbs, Jonathan (2004). Greyhound Annual 2005. Raceform. ISBN 1-904317-58-8.
^ "INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE GREYHOUND INDUSTRY IN GREAT BRITAIN" (PDF). Greyhound Board of Great Britain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
^ "2004 English Derby final". Greyhound Data.
^ "Irish Derby Final". Greyhound Data.
^ "Easter Cup Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ "Produce Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ "600 Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ "St Leger Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ "Oaks Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ "Champion Stakes Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ "Puppy Derby Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
^ "Laurels Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[Corn_Cuchulainn_Final-1] "Corn Cuchulainn Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[GA2005-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Hobbs, Jonathan (2004). Greyhound Annual 2005. Raceform. ISBN 1-904317-58-8.

[3] "INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE GREYHOUND INDUSTRY IN GREAT BRITAIN" (PDF). Greyhound Board of Great Britain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2018-02-13.

[4] "2004 English Derby final". Greyhound Data.

[5] "Irish Derby Final". Greyhound Data.

[6] "Easter Cup Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[7] "Produce Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[8] "600 Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[9] "St Leger Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[10] "Oaks Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[11] "Champion Stakes Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[12] "Puppy Derby Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

[13] "Laurels Final". Irish Greyhound Board.

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2004 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
Solid Money (trap 3) and Black Pear (trap 4) during the Cesarewitch heats
← 2003 2005 →