THE HISTORY OF THE GOLD COLLAR
THE Gold Collar was inaugurated at Catford in 1933 and, following the closure of the famous old south east London venue in 2003, it was subsequently held at Belle Vue, Manchester before it was discontinued in 2009.
The Gold Collar was resurrected by Crayford from 2015 to 2024 and, following the perseverance of Hove racing manager Rob Abrey, it was switched to the Coral-owned venue this year to uphold the rich heritage of the Category One event.
Such illustrious greyhounds as Ballyhennessy Seal (1945), Trev’s Perfection (1947), Westmead Champ (1976), Sport Promoter (1980), Westmead Move (1986), Alans Rose (1995), Roxholme Girl (2004 & 2006) and Laughil Jess (2023) have won the Gold Collar in the post-era.
1945 winner Ballyhennessy Seal, lauded as one of the most talented greyhounds in the history of the sport, had earlier won the Circuit (Walthamstow), the Wembley Spring Cup (Wembley) and he capped a glorious career when triumphant in the English Greyhound Derby (White City).
1947 Gold Collar victor Trev’s Perfection, trained by Fred Trevillion, is only one of three greyhounds, along with the legendary Mile Bush Pride and Patricias Hope to win the ‘Triple Crown’ – English Greyhound Derby, Scottish Greyhound Derby and Welsh Greyhound Derby.
1976 was a vintage renewal over 555 metres at Catord and such talented performers as defending champion Abbey Glade, Mutts Silver, Westmead Champ and Sean Na Gaisce figured among the entries.
ABBEY GLADE: The George Curtis-trained star won a vintage renewal of the 1975 Gold Collar (555 metres) at Catford.
During a fantastic career, the English-bred Westmead Champ, an April ’74 son of Westmead County – Hacksaw, won 30 races and more than £11,000 in prize-money – his defeat of the mighty Glin Bridge in the final of the 1976 Regency is hailed as one of the greatest-ever performances at Coral Brighton & Hove Stadium.
Westmead Champ, a 1976 Greyhound Derby finalist, was retired to stud by owner Steve Constanti in 1977 to stand at trainer Pam Heasman’s kennels, Waltham Abbey, Essex.
Westmead Champ, arguably one of the greatest Gold Collar champion in the post-metric era since 1975, earned a coveted place in greyhound racing folklore and also shared the 1976 Greyhound of the Year accolade with Mutts Silver.
Greyhound of the Year Sport Promoter, trained by Pat Mullins, duly landed a 8/15 quote when readily outpointing Owners Guide (second), Tivoli Town (third), Corma Cruiser (fourth), Fly Muffin (fifth) and Westmead Echo (sixth) in the 1980 edition of the Gold Collar (555 metres) at Catford.
WESTMEAD CHAMP: Reigned supreme in the 1976 edition of the Gold Collar (555 metres) at Catford.
There was controversy attached to the 1996 Gold Collar at Catford –the computerised Macfinish photo-finish equipment was not in operation due to a malfunction – and the announcement of the result caused widespread uproar on the terraces, as the locally-trained Homeside Knight got the verdict by the minimum margin over Away Duke with odds-on favourite El Tenor the same distance away in third.
2004 winner Roxholme Girl, one of the greatest bitches in the history of greyhound racing, achieved an amazing feat two years later when regaining her title over 590 metres at Belle Vue by accounting for Westmead Aoife (second), Westmead Swift (third), Teds Anchor (fourth), Halcrow Prince (fifth) and Thunderbird Two (sixth).
Roxholme Girl, outstanding over four, six and eight bends, won 23 open races over distances ranging from 500-878 metres, and was also victorious in the Select Stakes (500m, Nottingham), St Leger (668m, Wimbledon) and TV Trophy (878m, Belle Vue).
WESTMEAD MOVE: The outstanding stayer of her era landed the 1986 Gold Collar (555 metres) at Catford.
Intermediate six-bend specialist Desperado Dan, who played a pivotal role in Patrick Janssens being crowned Trainer of the Year in 2020, notched the 37th win of a glittering career when slamming Ballynabee Jet by more than six lengths in the decider of the Gold Collar at Crayford in 2020.
Dave Lee’s Laughil Jess is one of the most prolific-scoring greyhounds in the history of Crayford – she actually won 20 consecutive races at the track – and the most important success of her glittering career came via a superb front-running display in the final of the 2023 Gold Collar (540 metres).
Robert Abrey, Hove’s racing manager, worked particularly hard to preserve the colourful history of the Gold Collar by persuading Coral to sponsor the 2025 edition and the acquisition of this showpiece is a major coup for a track that is already the home of the Brighton Belle, Coral Puppy Trophy, Sussex Cup, Regency, Olympic and George Curtis & Ballyregan Bob Memorial Trophy.
The completion of the 2025 Gold Collar on Sunday 9 November will be on the eve of major drainage works being carried out on the track – from Monday 10th November to Tuesday 18tth November - to ensure a consistently high-quality running surface at Hove.
DESPERADO DAN: His winning run in the 2020 Gold Collar (540 metres) at Crayford accrued precious points in the successful bid of Patrick Janssens to become Trainer of the Year in 2020.
