 Interactive map of Stamford Bridge Greyhounds | |
| Location | London |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°28′54″N0°11′28″W / 51.48167°N 0.19111°W /51.48167; -0.19111 |
| Opened | 31 July 1933 |
| Closed | 1 August 1968 |
Stamford Bridge Greyhounds was thegreyhound racing operation held atStamford Bridge in London, England.
During 1933, Stamford Bridge Ltd, a subsidiary of parent companyGreyhound Racing Association (GRA), took over the athletics track belonging to theLondon Athletic Club and forced them to leave because they wished to construct a greyhound track around the football pitch.[1] The speedway teamStamford Bridge Pensioners were also forced to leave.[2]
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 GRAHook Estate and Kennels in Northaw. The hare system was an outside McKee Cable hare.[4][5]
The Charlie Ashley trained Shove Halfpenny won the 1935Pall 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 the1940 English Greyhound Derby final.[8][9] In 1944 Stamford Bridge maintained its reputation for being an extremely fast track whenBallyhennessy Seal clocked 27.64 seconds for the 500 yards course, another world and national record.[6][7]
In 1946, the Stamford Bridgetotalisator turnover surpassed £5 million, to put this in perspective to football andChelsea 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 theSpringbok 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]
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 theWhite City.[6][7][11]
| 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 |
| Distance (yards) | Greyhound | Time | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | Creamery Border | 28.01 | 1936+ | World & National Record |
| 500 | Ballyhennessy Seal | 27.64 | 20 May 1944 | World & National Record |
| 500 | Mighty Hassan | 27.24 | 04 July 1959 | |
| 500 | Oregon Prince | 27.15 | 27 July 1961 | |
| 700 | Kampion Sailor | 39.96 | 09 May 1946 | |
| 700 | Dunmore Rocco | 39.25 | 16 May 1959 | |
| 700 | Ballymurn Prince | 39.08 | 11 August 1962 | |
| 880 | Maddalena | 51.05 | 05 November 1959 | |
| 880 | Strolling Girl | 50.28 | 15 September 1960 | |
| 934 | Magic Brooklyn | 54.21 | 30 May 1959 | |
| 934 | Hard Pressed Again | 53.81 | 11 August 1962 | |
| 500 hurdles | Bealtaine | 28.27 | 15 September 1938 | National Record |
| 500 hurdles | Bus Stop | 28.18 | 30 May 1959 | |
| 500 hurdles | Crimson Wave | 28.13 | 27 August 1964 | |
| 700 hurdles | Speedway Rebel | 41.30 | 29 June 1939 | National Record |
| 700 hurdles | Olly's Playboy | 40.46 | 13 June 1959 | |
| 700 hurdles | All Alone | 40.42 | 11 June 1960 | |
| 500 Chase | Change That | 28.44 | 13 June 1961 |
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+closed during the year