The 1946 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 21st year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Roll of honour
Summary
The greyhound racing industry experienced an extraordinary year in 1946, with all previous records in terms of attendances and totalisator turnover being broken. The year would be the pinnacle in the history of the sport and would never be matched again. Attendances were estimated to be around 75 million based on an annual totalisator turnover of £196,431,430. The figure equates to £8 billion today (2018), using a historic inflation calculator, which indicates the significance of the industry at the time. Trading on greyhound racing shares at the stock exchange were centre stage business.
The leading greyhound company, the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) recorded record attendances and profits at all of their tracks. The largest tote turnover was at White City and reached £17,576,190.
Competitions
Mondays News won the 1946 English Greyhound Derby, run under floodlights for the first time. In the Derby Consolation Stakes, Quare Times won by four lengths from Bah's Choice in 28.82 seconds to improve on his own world record.
The Scottish Greyhound Derby and Welsh Greyhound Derby clashed, in the former Lattin Pearl defeated Grand Prix champion Magic Bohemian and in the latter, Negros Lad overcame a field including defending champion Shaggy Lass and 1945 English Greyhound Derby finalist Duffys Arrival. The time of 29.54 broke the track record.
A week after the Scurry Gold Cup (won by Mischievous Manhattan) the Wembley Summer Cup paired the two fastest greyhounds in training Bah's Choice and Quare Times. Bah's Choice won the event from Shannon Shore, Magic Bohemian, Shaggy Lass and Negro's Lad in addition to Quare Times. The race attracted significant national attention and Major Percy Brown (Racing manager at White City) contacted the owners of the two greyhounds to arrange a return match between them, at White City, on August Bank Holiday Monday. Quare Times was handled by the 'Wizard of Burhill', Sidney Orton, while Bah's Choice was trained by Bob Burls at Wembley. Quare Times, was first from the traps and made no mistakes setting a new world record of 30.38 seconds for the 550 yards course.
In the Invitation Stakes run at Coventry on 9 August, Bah's Choice gained revenge beating Quare Times by five lengths, in a new track record with a time of 29.45 seconds. Sadly entered for the Birmingham Cup at Perry Barr in September, Bahs Choice broke a hock in his first round heat and was retired to stud. Shannon Shore gained some compensation for his Derby defeat after winning the Laurels, the January 1943 whelp would retire to stud after an unsuccessful attempt to retain his Golden Crest crown which went to Rimmells Black. Stan Biss won the Oaks for the fifth time with Dumbles Maid, a brindle and white bitch that had turned in the traps and refused to chase just a few weeks previous.
A strong entry for the St Leger saw Bohernagraga Boy win by just a short head from recent Oaks champion Dumbles Maid, Monday's News struggled with the longer distance and could only finish a disappointing fifth. History was made during the All England Cup, held at Brough Park when four of the entries were all four nations Derby winners. The English Greyhound Derby winner Mondays News, the Irish Greyhound Derby champion Lilac Lady, Welsh Greyhound Derby winner Negro's Lad and Scottish Greyhound Derby champion Lattin Pearl all competed. The hope that all four would progress to the final failed to materialise but two of them Monday's News and Lattin Pearl did make the final and duly finished first and second.
Tracks
Just two known tracks were opened during 1946. A proposed track application for Darnley between Barrhead and Thornliebank was rejected by Glasgow magistrates, on the grounds that it was too near houses and would cause traffic congestion. A company called the Darnley Greyhound Racing Track Ltd had already been formed in readiness.
The Glasgow City assessor attempted to increase the valuations of the five greyhound stadiums in Glasgow, which was opposed by the tracks because they did not want to have to pay increased tax. Carntyne, owned by the Scottish Greyhound Racing Company was valued at £4,500 by the assessor but £3,700 by the track, which was followed by White City, White City Glasgow Ltd £6,700 (£4,000), Albion, Glasgow-Albion Racing Ltd £12,000 (£1,250), Firhill, Partick Thistle FC & Firhill Racing Company Ltd £3,000 (£2,500) and finally Shawfield, Shawfield Greyhound Racing Company Ltd £4,000 (£600).