The 1980 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 55th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and the 54th year of greyhound racing in Ireland.

Roll of honour Major Winners Award Name of Winner1980 English Greyhound Derby Indian Joe 1980 Irish Greyhound Derby Suir Miller 1980 Scottish Greyhound Derby Decoy Sovereign Greyhound Trainer of the Year Pat MullinsGreyhound of the Year Sport PromoterIrish Greyhound of the Year Indian JoeTrainers Championship Ted Dickson

Summary The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) released the annual returns, with totalisator turnover up 10%, at £81,290,642 but attendances down 15%, recorded at 5,484,781 from 5504 meetings. The increase in tote turnover indicated a significant increase in spend per head because attendances had decreased significantly. The decrease could partly be blamed on 200 less meetings but the fact that tracks charged a 17% tote retention would have been another factor. Regardless of blame it was the lowest attendance return on record, even less than the first full year of racing in 1927.

Sport Promoter, a brindle dog was voted Greyhound of the Year. He won Gold Collar at Catford Stadium and the Grand Prix at Walthamstow Stadium.

Tracks Nottingham Greyhound Stadium opened on 24 January.

Ladbrokes closed Willenhall for development and cut prize money at Perry Barr and Monmore. Eastville Stadium suffered a major fire, and the majority of the south stand was destroyed causing more than £1 million worth of damage. Later in the year some consolation arrived in the form of a Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS) debut in November, and along with Hackney would become the backbone of the betting shop service. Monmore also joined the BAGS, which is currently supplied by White City Manchester, Hackney, Wembley and Harringay.

Bletchley in Milton Keynes under the new promotion of Reg Young rejoined the NGRC under the permit scheme and would become known as Milton Keynes Stadium instead of Bletchley. Maidstone and Long Eaton would leave the scheme and the Knott family sold their interest in Poole Stadium.

News An outbreak of Parvovirus killed hundreds of pups in the early part of the year. The Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) continue to recover from their debt and repay creditors. Arthur Hancock retired as a trainer at Brighton and was replaced by GRA trainer Derek Knight who had previously been at Shawfield.

Ireland The Bord na gCon increase prize money by a further 25%. Knockrour Slave won the Irish Laurels for the second successive year and break the Cork Greyhound Stadium track record in the final recording 29.00 sec.

Competitions 1979 Greyhound of the Year Desert Pilot reached the St Leger final at Wembley Greyhounds and performed well but lost out to Fair Reward trained by Bob Young with Decoy Sovereign runner up. Decoy Sovereign was trained by the Cobbold family Joe Cobbold and wife Doreen and had been bred by Brenda Baggs, wife of Gary Baggs who were helping the Cobbolds at the time. Decoy Sovereign easily won the Scottish Greyhound Derby final, the fawn dog defeated a good field. A greyhound called Rahan Ship has been ante post favourite for the Glasgow classic but had been withdrawn following the wrong form being printed in the racecard. The NGRC instigated an inquiry and some track officials lost their jobs before the dog returned to Ireland.

Principal UK races

BBC TV Trophy, Wembley (Apr 2, 850m, £2,000)PosName of GreyhoundTrainerSP TimeTrap 1st Tread Fast Graham Sharp 53.20 12-1 22nd Welsh CobblerJohn Honeysett 53.24 9-2 53rd Flighty Frances 53.26 8-1 44th Gloss Bette Godwin 53.44 9-2 65th Major Snoot K Burgess 53.88 16-1 36th Roystons Supreme Adam Jackson 00.00 11-10f 1

Grand National, White City (April 5 500m h, £4,000) PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Gilt Edge Flyer Eric Pateman 4-5f 30.22 12nd Westlands Steve Gunner Smith 10-1 30.92 43rd Teenage Heather David Kinchett 20-1 30.95 34th Ballymena Moon George Curtis 4-1 31.11 65th Scintillas Rock Frank Melville 16-1 31.63 56th Right Arkle Ted Dickson 4-1 00.00 2

Laurels, Wimbledon (May 16, 460m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Flying Pursuit John Gibbons 6-4f 27.89 42nd Jon Barrie Ray Andrews 8-1 28.07 53rd Lift Coming Dick Hawkes 5-2 28.25 64th Dangerous Lad Joe Pickering 7-2 28.45 15th The Grand Devil Phil Rees Jr. 14-1 28.55 26th Super Countess 12-1 28.59 3

Scurry Gold Cup, Slough (Jul 19, 442m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Willing Slave Ted Dickson 2-1 27.11 12nd Ballydonnell Ted 6-1 27.15 53rd Able Worker Nora Gleeson 7-1 27.59 34th Lancia Q Paddy McEvoy 7-1 27.63 25th Alpine Mill 16-1 27.6566th Sunny Interval Phil Rees Jr. 7-4f 27.69 4

Scottish Greyhound Derby, Shawfield (Aug 9, 500m, £3,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Decoy Sovereign Joe Cobbold 4-1 30.68 52nd Coolarota Ray Andrews 10-1 31.16 33rd Jon Barrie Ray Andrews 5-4f 31.32 24th Corleish Ron 10-1 31.38 45th Barley Field Joe Kelly 5-2 31.62 16th Town View Evert Ray Andrews 7-1 31.66 6

St Leger, Wembley (655m, £10,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Fair Reward Bob Young 5-2 40.46 22nd Decoy Sovereign Joe Cobbold 8-1 40.58 63rd Desert PilotGeoff De Mulder 4-5f 40.61 14th Donore Speech 18-1 40.71 35th Sport Promoter Pat Mullins 6-1 40.81 46th Owners Guide Tony Jowett 100-1 40.91 5

Gold Collar, Catford (Sep 20, 555m, £5,000)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Sport Promoter Pat Mullins 8-15f 35.06 52nd Owners Guide Tony Jowett 8-1 35.22 63rd Tivoli Town John Cox 4-1 35.34 24th Cormacruiser 7-1 35.46 15th Fly Muffin 25-1 35.68 46th Westmead Echo 16-1 35.78 3

Cesarewitch, Belle Vue (Oct 4, 815m, £3,500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Linkside Liquor Gordon Bailey 3-1 51.22 22nd Visiting Time 2-1f 51.25 33rd Tread Fast Graham Sharp 3-1 51.28 44th Roystons SupremeAdam Jackson 14-1 51.34 55th Petite Silver 25-1 51.62 66th Caesars Daughter J Williamson 3-1 51.76 1

The Grand Prix, Walthamstow (Oct 18, 640m, £5,500)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Sport Promoter Pat Mullins 2-1jf 40.17 42nd North Rain Geoff De Mulder11-4 40.25 53rd Boys Town Pat Mullins 6-1 40.3364th Honeygar Kid Ray Andrews 66-1 40.63 25th Knockerlay Star Adam Jackson 2-1jf 40.69 36th Johns Luck Norah McEllistrim 20-1 41.25 1

Oaks, Harringay (Oct 31, 475m, £1,750)PosName of Greyhound TrainerSP Time Trap 1st Devilish Dolores Ernie Gaskin Sr. 20-1 28.72 42nd Pacey Miss R Sperry 5-2 28.78 63rd The Mill Queen Tom Foster 9-4f 28.79 54th Thanet Princess Tom Foster 14-1 29.01 25th Roystons Damsel Adam Jackson 11-4 29.05 16th Day Dream Wally Ginzel 7-2 29.17 3

Totalisator returns

The totalisator returns declared to the National Greyhound Racing Club for the year 1980 are listed below.

StadiumTurnover £London (White City) 8,601,270London (Walthamstow) 8,410,073London (Wimbledon) 6,337,216London (Harringay) 4,379,421Romford 4,030,569London (Catford) 3,950,040Brighton & Hove 3,648,558Slough 3,409,122London (Wembley) 3,302,233Manchester (Belle Vue) 3,006,025Birmingham (Hall Green) 2,544,020Crayford & Bexleyheath 2,387,655Edinburgh (Powderhall) 2,270,729Newcastle (Brough Park) 1,752,892Southend-on-Sea 1,733,398

StadiumTurnover £Glasgow (Shawfield) 1,667,392Birmingham (Perry Barr, old)1,663,977Sheffield (Owlerton) 1,526,712Leeds (Elland Road) 1,526,303Wolverhampton (Monmore)1,346,299Gloucester & Cheltenham 970,347London (Hackney) 940,260Yarmouth 924,764Derby912,433Ramsgate 886,521Portsmouth 872,621Bristol (Eastville) 829,729Newcastle (Gosforth)621,531Nottingham 565,828Reading 531,223

StadiumTurnover £Poole530,080Milton Keynes516,666Middlesbrough 468,621Ipswich 466,779Hull (Old Craven Park) 438,720Coventry 424,723Cradley Heath 414,698Rye House 359,551Manchester (White City) 344,927Henlow (Bedfordshire) 344,528Leicester 343,122Oxford340,863Swindon 306,970Norton Canes 60,000

References