# 1977 English Greyhound Derby

The 1977 Spillers Greyhound Derby took place during June with the final being held on 25 June 1977 at White City Stadium.
The winner was Balliniska Band and the winning owner Raphael Bacci received £17,500. The competition was sponsored by the Spillers.

## Final result

At White City (over 500 metres):
| Position | Name of Greyhound | Breeding | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Balliniska Band | Lively Band - Certral | 5 | 1-1f | 29.16+ | Eddie Moore (Belle Vue) |
| 2nd | El Cavalier | Mel's Pupil - El Raco | 1 | 5-1 | 29.36 | Ted Griffin (Private) |
| 3rd | Pat Seamur | Tullig Rambler - Dainty Black | 4 | 5-1 | 29.72 | Geoff De Mulder (Hall Green) |
| 4th | Ballybeg Grand | The Grand Silver - Ballybeg Lady | 3 | 16-1 | 29.76 | Tom Chamberlain (Private) |
| 5th | Westmead Manor | Mel's Pupil - Westmead Silver | 6 | 8-1 | 29.86 | Natalie Savva (Bletchley) |
| 6th | Saucy Buck | Sole Aim - Limerick Lass | 2 | 7-1 | 29.96 | Barbara Tompkins (Perry Barr) |
+ Equalled the track record set by Glen Rock

### Distances

2½, 4½, ½, 1¼, 1¼ (lengths) The distances between the greyhounds are in finishing order and shown in lengths. One length is equal to 0.08 of one second.

## Competition Report

The 1977 Derby entries included the defending champion Mutts Silver and Westmead Champ. The ante-post favourite was Glen Rock, who had set a new world record for 525 yards and held the White City track record of 29.16 sec in addition to winning the 1976 Irish Puppy Derby.
The qualifying round ended with 96 greyhounds left in the betting. Glen Rock was eliminated in the very first round in a heat won by Pat Seamur. Balliniska Band lost to Westmead Special in round one and Mutts Silver was beaten by Gaily Noble but both progressed. In the second round Greenfield Fox and Westmead Champ both went out but Ger McKenna's leading entry Red Rasper won well as did Balliniska Band. Balliniska Band then won again in the quarter-finals recording 29.24 but Red Rasper was eliminated.
The first semi-final saw Balliniska Band lead out of the traps pursued by El Cavalier, Pat Seamur did well to take third place especially as Balliniska Band equalled the time he had set in the previous round. The second semi ended the hopes of Mutts Silver after he stumbled during the race and finished last behind the victor Westmead Manor, the deposed champion was retired to stud a few days later.
In the final Balliniska Band forced Saucy Buck to check up when going past him, and then he showed good early pace to draw clear. He beat El Cavalier by 2+1⁄2 lengths in a track-record-equalling 29.16 sec. He was owned by Raphael Bacci and trained by Eddie Moore.

## Quarter finals

Heat 1 :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Balliniska Band | 1-3f | 29.24 |
| 2nd | Mercian Fireball | 10-3 | 29.40 |
| 3rd | El Cavalier | 20-1 | 29.66 |
| 4th | Stingray | 25-1 | 29.92 |
| 5th | Hunday Angina | 33-1 | 29.98 |
| 6th | Shakehands | 40-1 | 30.14 |
Heat 2 :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Pat Seamur | 6-4f | 29.67 |
| 2nd | Westmead Manor | 13-2 | 29.79 |
| 3rd | Ballybeg Grand | 16-1 | 29.83 |
| 4th | Westmead Special | 13-8 | 29.97 |
| 5th | Heather Rain | 33-1 | 30.03 |
| 6th | I'll Make It | 4-1 | 30.06 |
Heat 3 :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Mutts Silver | 2-1 | 29.73 |
| 2nd | Reddans Walk | 40-1 | 29.74 |
| 3rd | Elteen Queen | 12-1 | 29.82 |
| 4th | Gaily Noble | 6-1 | 29.98 |
| 5th | Sugarloaf Jessie | 11-8f | 30.02 |
| 6th | Remote Control | 4-1 | 30.20 |
Heat 4 :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Silver Trixie | 25-1 | 29.86 |
| 2nd | Saucy Buck | 7-2 | 29.87 |
| 2nd | Ivors Alamo | 40-1 | 29.87 |
| 4th | Linacre | 6-4 | 29.93 |
| 5th | Glenesk Comet | 14-1 | 29.97 |
| 6th | Red Rasper | 5-4f | 30.00 |

## Semi finals

First Semi-final (Jun 18) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Westmead Manor | 5-1 | 29.66 | Savva |
| 2nd | Ballybeg Grand | 16-1 | 29.76 | Chamberlain |
| 3rd | Saucy Buck | 5-2 | 29.88 | Tompkins |
| 4th | Mercian Fireball | 5-2 | 29.90 | Barnett |
| 5th | Ivors Alamo | 20-1 | 29.98 | |
| 6th | Mutts Silver | 2-1f | 30.04 | Rees |
Second Semi-final (Jun 18) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Balliniska Band | 4-7f | 29.24 | Moore |
| 2nd | El Cavalier | 20-1 | 29.30 | Griffin |
| 3rd | Pat Seamur | 7-4 | 29.46 | De Mulder |
| 4th | Silver Trixie | 12-1 | 29.76 | Reilly |
| 5th | Reddans Walk | 12-1 | 30.02 | Curtis |
| N/R | Elteen Queen | | | Rees |