George Curtis (greyhound trainer)
English professional greyhound trainer (1923–2020)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frederick "George" Curtis (21 September 1923 – 17 April 2020) was an English greyhound trainer. He was a three times UK champion Greyhound Trainer of the Year.[3]
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George Curtis (centre), Bob Rowe (right) and Ballyregan Bob | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 September 1923 Portsmouth, England |
| Died | 17 April 2020 (aged 96) [1][2] |
| Occupation | Greyhound Trainer |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Greyhound racing |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | Classic/Feature wins: St Leger (1950, 1986) Cesarewitch (1986) Oaks (1985) Grand National (1983, 1984) Grand Prix (1984) Gold Collar (1975) Scurry Gold Cup (1977, 1982, 1983, 1984) Television Trophy (1973, 1983) |
Profile
Curtis started as a kennelhand at Portsmouth Stadium with trainer Bill Peters in 1937 at the age of 14, and received his first National Greyhound Racing Club trainer's licence in 1944.[4] The first classic race success of his career came with Fawn Mack during the 1950 St Leger, whilst attached to Park Royal Stadium.[5]
A move to Brighton Stadium from Portsmouth in 1967 catapulted Curtis into continued success, his position at Portsmouth was taken by his brother Charlie.[6][7] He trained a greyhound in two Derby finals, Hard Held in the 1969 English Greyhound Derby[8] and Sirius in the 1970 English Greyhound Derby.[9] He was propelled to industry fame after training Yankee Express and then national fame as the trainer of world record holder Ballyregan Bob.[10] Curtis retired in 1987 handing the kennels and licence to Bill Masters.[11] Curtis died on 17 April 2020, at the age of 96.[2][1]
Awards
Curtis won the Greyhound Trainer of the Year three times; in 1983, 1984 and 1986 and the Trainers Championship in 1984.[12] He had the nickname 'Gentleman George'[2] and in 2017 he was given the honour of being named in the Trafalgar Cup title.[13]