1961 Irish Greyhound Derby
The 1961 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during July and August with the final being held at Harold's Cross Stadium in Dublin on 11 August 1961. [1]
| 1961 Irish Greyhound Derby | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Harold's Cross Stadium |
| Location | Dublin |
| End date | 11 August |
| Total prize money | £1,250 (winner) |
The winner Chieftain's Guest won £1,250 and was trained and bred by Leslie McNair, and jointly owned by McNair and Eric McCullough.[2]
Final result
At Harold's Cross, 11 August (over 525 yards):
| Position | Name of Greyhound | Breeding | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chieftain's Guest | Knock Hill Chieftain - Star Guest | 1 | 5-2 | 29.45 | Leslie McNair |
| 2nd | Skips Choice | Romola's Dante - Phil Skip | 6 | 5-1 | 29.49 | Gay McKenna |
| 3rd | The Grand Canal | Champion Prince - The Grand Duchess | 4 | 4-1 | 29.57 | Paddy Dunphy |
| 4th | Wild Maid | Champion Prince - Much Loved | 3 | 6-4f | ||
| 5th | Ballycashen Rory | unknown | 2 | 20-1 | ||
| 6th | Evening Iris | unknown | 5 | 100-7 |
Distances
½, 1 (lengths)
Competition Report
Long Story and Sandown Dick were major eliminations during the first round and Clonmel record holder Odd Venture broke a hock whilst leading. First round winners included The Grand Canal, Ireland's leading bitch Wild Maid, Evening Irish and Ballycashen Rory.[3]
In the second round The Grand Canal won again with Spark of Delight and Wild Maid also impressing. The first semi-final went to Wild Maid in 29.32 and The Grand Canal who remained unbeaten after recording 29.36 in the second semi-final. The final semi was won by Skips Choice in a slower time of 29.84.[4]
The final saw three greyhounds prominent early, Skips Choice had etched out a lead but the strong finishing Chieftains Guest caught him and won by half a length to land a hefty gamble with The Grand Canal also running on strongly a further length behind. Chieftains Guest who had failed to win a race leading up to the final was to finish lame on his wrist.[4]
References
- Genders, Roy (1990). NGRC book of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. p. 261. ISBN 0-7207-1804-X.
- Comyn, John. 50 Years of Greyhound Racing in Ireland. Aherlow Publishers Ltd.
- Fortune, Michael. Irish Greyhound Derby 1932–1981. Victory Irish Promotions Ltd.
- Fortune, Michael. The 75 Years History of the Irish Greyhound Derby. Irish Greyhound Review. ISSN 0709-0609.