Stamford Bridge Greyhounds
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 Interactive map of Stamford Bridge Greyhounds | |
| Location | London |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°28′54″N 0°11′28″W / 51.48167°N 0.19111°W |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 31 July 1933 |
| Closed | 1 August 1968 |
Stamford Bridge Greyhounds was the greyhound racing operation held at Stamford Bridge in London, England.
During 1933, Stamford Bridge Ltd, a subsidiary of parent company Greyhound Racing Association (GRA), took over the athletics track belonging to the London Athletic Club and forced them to leave because they wished to construct a greyhound track around the football pitch.[1] The speedway team Stamford Bridge Pensioners were also forced to leave.[2]
Opening
The first night of racing was held on 31 July 1933 [3] The track circumference as was 434 yards and it was described as a fast, average sized course with short 80-yard straights and banked bends of wide radius. Railers showed a slight advantage and the greyhounds were supplied by the famous GRA Hook Estate and Kennels in Northaw. The hare system was an outside McKee Cable hare.[4][5]
History
The Charlie Ashley trained Shove Halfpenny won the 1935 Pall Mall Stakes and Joe Harmon won the 1938 running of the same competition with Roeside Creamery.[6] Events at Stamford Bridge included the Chelsea Cup, won by Creamery Border in 1936, who set a then a new world record of 28.01 seconds for 500 yards. In addition to the Chelsea Cup the tracks premier event would be the Stamford Bridge Produce Stakes, which was inaugurated in 1936.[6][7]
Albert Jonas trained Return Fare II to Berkeley Cup success and the same trainer trained Roving Youth to the 1940 English Greyhound Derby final.[8][9] In 1944 Stamford Bridge maintained its reputation for being an extremely fast track when Ballyhennessy Seal clocked 27.64 seconds for the 500 yards course, another world and national record.[6][7]
In 1946, the Stamford Bridge totalisator turnover surpassed £5 million, to put this in perspective to football and Chelsea F.C. at the time, the British transfer record at the same time in 1946 was £14,500.[10]
Jonas continued to train big race winners winning the Springbok with Kids Delight in 1947. During the fifties Kenneth Obee was Racing Manager before switching to sister track Harringay replaced by F A Branscombe. Assistant Racing Managers at this time included Sidney Wood and Jeff Jeffcoate. The resident trainers in 1965 consisted of Hancox, Ivor Morse, Forster, Sid Mann, Dick Clark and Jim Singleton but the GRA forced former trainer Albert Jonas and Dick Clark to leave the Northaw kennels.[6][7]
With the formation of the Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service (BAGS) in 1967 the National Greyhound Racing Society named Stamford Bridge as one of the tracks to host the service. This meant racing was changed to Thursday afternoons at 2.30pm, with just one evening meeting remaining on Saturday at 6.15pm.[6][7]
Closure
On 1 August 1968, the GRA closed Stamford Bridge to greyhound racing, quoting the fact that Stamford Bridge was forced to race on the same days as the White City.[6][7][11]
Competitions
Stamford Bridge Produce Stakes
| Year | Winner | Breeding | Trainer | Time | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Bellas Jim | Maidens Boy – Walthams Bella | Stanley Biss (West Ham) | 28.56 | 7-2 |
| 1937 | Junior Classic | Beef Cutlet – Lady Eleanor | Joe Harmon (Wimbledon) | 28.00 | 1-3f |
| 1946 | Trev's Harlequin | Rock Callan – Wotta Gem | Fred Trevillion (Private) | 28.30 | 7-1 |
| 1947 | Trev's Idol | Trev's Despatch – G R Bexhill | Fred Trevillion (Private) | 28.60 | 7-2 |
| 1948 | Kids Shop | Paddy Fortune (Wimbledon) | 28.09 | 100-7 | |
| 1949 | Denver Agent | Stanley Biss (Clapton) | 28.57 | 20-1 | |
| 1950 | Hunsdon Stoat | Tom Smith (Clapton) | 28.52 | 20–1 | |
| 1951 | Moreton Ann | Grand Hussar – Moreton Lily | Jack Harvey (Wembley) | 28.25 | 10-11f |
| 1952 | Kensington Perfection | Black Invasion – Lambourn Firefly | Bill Higgins (Oxford) | 28.28 | 11–4 |
| 1953 | Prince Lionel | Tom Lightfoot (White City) | 28.04 | 1-1f | |
| 1954 | Ramsey Clipper | Slaney Record – Sally Gap | Paddy McEvoy (Private) | 28.05 | 8-13f |
| 1955 | Marazion Millpool | Dangerous Prince – Marazion Minnie | Joe Pickering (New Cross) | 28.31 | 100–7 |
| 1956 | Highwood Spot | Westbourne – Pretty Miss Amber | Tom Smith (Clapton) | 27.78 | 4-7f |
| 1957 | Tams Tamarisk | Imperial Dancer – Wonderful | Jimmy Jowett (Clapton) | 28.08 | 100-8 |
| 1958 | Tams Torness | Prince Chancer – Tams Trasna | Jimmy Jowett (Clapton) | 27.87 | 2-5f |
| 1959 | Kensington Pioneer | Kensington Prince – Ann Dell | Marjorie Phipps (Oxford) | 27.64 | 15–8 |
| 1960 | Luxury Liner | Northern King – Brazen Hussy | Gunner Smith (Brighton) | 27.86 | 4-6f |
| 1961 | Beaverwood Flash | Churchtown Ben – Stans Daughter | Frank Sanderson (Private) | 27.73 | |
| 1962 | Tripaway | Low Pressure – High Flight | Vivien Pateman (Private) | 27.83 | |
| 1963 | Hebes Ambassador | Rialto Crown – Dream Car | Joe Pickering (White City) | 28.02 | |
| 1964 | Marvellous City | Ballymac Sailor - Alone | Frank Conlon (Private) | 27.94 | 3–1 |
| 1965 | Caledonian Jet | Prairie Flash – Caledonian Opal | George Carrigill (Private) | 27.86 | |
Other
- Winter Stayers Trophy
- Chelsea Cup
- May Stakes