# 2016 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year

The 2016 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 91st year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland and commenced with the category 2 Coronation Cup at Romford Greyhound Stadium which was shown live on Sky Sports. The final event was the Olympic at Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium.
The year was overshadowed by the ongoing saga regarding the uncertain future of the Greyhound Racing Association operated tracks of Wimbledon Stadium and Hall Green Stadium. An announcement was made that Wimbledon would close after the running of the 2016 English Greyhound Derby before a six-month reprieve arrived. However it was announced that the stadium would close in March 2017.
Wimbledon's sister track Hall Green remained in danger of being closed following the 2014 sale to Euro Property Investments Ltd.
The premier competition of the year, the English Greyhound Derby, was won by Jaytee Jet and the Irish Derby was taken by Rural Hawaii. Kevin Hutton secured his second successive trainers championship. Mark Wallis won the champion trainer trophy for a record eighth time passing the previous record of seven set by John 'Ginger' McGee Sr.
The year ended with two notable successes for Towcester, the first was being crowned BAGS/SIS Track Champions (greyhound racing's equivalent to footballs FA Cup and within days it was announced that the track would host the English Greyhound Derby for five years.

## Roll of honour

Major Winners :
| Award | Name of Winner |
| 2016 English Greyhound Derby | Jaytee Jet - Paul Hennessy |
| 2016 Irish Greyhound Derby | Rural Hawaii - Graham Holland |
| Greyhound Trainer of the Year | Mark Wallis (Towcester) |
| UK Greyhound of the Year | Droopys Buick - Jimmy Wright (Newcastle) |
| Irish Greyhound of the Year | Jaytee Jet - Paul Hennessy |
Chelsea Glass Trainers Championship, Sittingbourne (16 February) :
| Pos | Name of Trainer | Points |
| 1st | Kevin Hutton | 53 |
| 2nd | Seamus Cahill | 40 |
| 3rd | Paul Young | 38 |
| 4th | Mark Wallis | 33 |
| 5th | Dean Childs | 31 |
| 6th | Hayley Keightley | 29 |
BAGS/SIS Track Championship, Perry Barr (23 December) :
| Pos | Track | Points |
| 1st | Towcester | 56 |
| 2nd | Romford | 54 |
| 3rd | Sheffield | 54 |
| 4th | Peterborough | 44 |
| 5th | Newcastle | 40 |
| 6th | Nottingham | 32 |

### Principal UK finals

Ladbrokes Golden Jacket, Crayford (23 February, 714m, £17,500) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Patchys Kerry | 1 | 2-5f | 44.94 | Mark Wallis |
| 2nd | Diesel Flo | 2 | 7-1 | 45.46 | Michael Fawsitt |
| 3rd | Oneco Sky | 5 | 5-1 | 45.86 | Kevin Boon |
| 4th | Racenight Jenny | 3 | 14-1 | 46.00 | June Harvey |
| 5th | Clonmoyle Shane | 6 | 20-1 | 46.22 | Jennifer March |
| 6th | Droopys Alberta | 4 | 20-1 | 46.28 | Jim Daly |
Racing Post Scottish Derby, Shawfield (9 April, 480m, £20,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Hot Pipe | 6 | 25-1 | 29.09 | Jim Brown |
| 2nd | Fair Taxes | 5 | 5-1 | 29.10 | Francie Murray |
| 3rd | Ballymac Matt | 1 | 4-5f | 29.12 | Kelly Macari |
| 4th | Eden The Kid | 3 | 3-1 | 29.29 | Liz Mcnair |
| 5th | Droopys Buick | 4 | 7-2 | 29.31 | Jimmy Wright |
| 6th | Leave At Dawn | 2 | 10-1 | 29.39 | Brendan Matthews |
William Hill Classic, Sunderland (13 July, 450m, £25,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Roxholme Scolari | 3 | 8-1 | 26.75 | Hayley Keightley |
| 2nd | Coolavanny Rebel | 6 | 7-2 | 26.90 | Elaine Parker |
| 3rd | Toolmaker Scot | 1 | 5-4f | 27.05 | Robert Gleeson |
| 4th | Southfield Jock | 2 | 7-2 | 27.11 | Seamus Cahill |
| 5th | Baran Jack | 5 | 33-1 | 27.31 | Claude Gardiner |
| 6th | Jaytee Spartacus | 4 | 5-1 | 27.33 | Paul Young |
William Hill Grand Prix, Sunderland (13 July, 640m, £15,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Pinpoint Boom | 1 | 2-5f | 39.27 | Kelly Macari |
| 2nd | Mustang Golden | 3 | 6-1 | 39.55 | Paul Young |
| 3rd | Farley Rio | 5 | 14-1 | 39.88 | Kevin Boon |
| 4th | Fearsome Code | 6 | 25-1 | 40.50 | Debbie Calvert |
| 5th | Swift Leonard | 2 | 14-1 | 40.60 | Gary Carmichael |
| 6th | Zulu Baran | 4 | 5-1 | 41.06 | Claude Gardiner |
Colossus Bets TV Trophy, Towcester (3 August, 906m, £8,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Borna Mindy | 2 | 7-2 | 56.57 | Diane Henry |
| 2nd | Ballymac Bonnie | 5 | 4-6f | 56.68 | Liam Dowling |
| 3rd | Ribble Atom | 4 | 7-2 | 57.07 | Mark Wallis |
| 4th | Lemon Lyric | 1 | 40-1 | 57.30 | Paul Young |
| 5th | Spa Road Piper | 3 | 16-1 | 57.31 | Kevin Boon |
| 6th | Kilfane King | 6 | 40-1 | 57.36 | Pat Doocey |
MTS Grand National, Sittingbourne (4 October, 480mH, £8,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Ballymac Manix | 2 | 9-4 | 29.32 | Seamus Cahill |
| 2nd | Razldazl Raidio | 6 | 2-5f | 29.41 | Ricky Holloway |
| 3rd | Coolavanny Bono | 1 | 33-1 | 29.65 | Bob Pattinson |
| 4th | Fridays Sean | 4 | 25-1 | 29.78 | Julie Luckhurst |
| 5th | Bua Frank | 5 | 40-1 | 29.93 | Barry O'Sullivan |
| 6th | Sidarian Blitz | 3 | 33-1 | 00.00 | Heather Dimmock |
William Hill St Leger, Wimbledon (8 November, 687m, £25,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Ferryforth Fran | 6 | 20-1 | 41.90 | Mark Wallis |
| 2nd | Fizzypop Buddy | 5 | 13-8 | 42.05 | June Harvey |
| 3rd | Cloran Paddy | 1 | 11-8f | 41.17 | Charlie Lister OBE |
| 4th | Huarache Madison | 4 | 9-1 | 41.23 | Kevin Hutton |
| 5th | Rubys Rascal | 3 | 6-1 | 41.24 | Mark Wallis |
| 6th | Billys Bullet | 2 | 20-1 | 41.37 | Mark Wallis |
RPGTV Oaks, Belle Vue (14 December, 470m, £10,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Forest Twilight | 2 | 6-4f | 27.79 | Hayley Keightley |
| 2nd | Domino Storm | 4 | 7-4 | 27.91 | Mark Wallis |
| 3rd | Droopys Two | 6 | 6-1 | 27.97 | Dean Childs |
| 4th | Barnagrane Glen | 5 | 14-1 | 28.30 | Chris Allsopp |
| 5th | Huarache Madison | 3 | 6-1 | 28.37 | Kevin Hutton |
| 6th | Steely Charm | 1 | 10-1 | 28.43 | John Walton |
RPGTV Laurels, Belle Vue (14 December, 470m, £6,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Hiya Butt | 3 | 5-4f | 27.49 | Hayley Keightley |
| 2nd | Oscar Junior | 4 | 11-4 | 27.63 | Charlie Lister OBE |
| 3rd | Droopys Country | 6 | 4-1 | 28.30 | Jimmy Wright |
| 4th | Charity Dragon | 5 | 10-1 | 28.70 | Pat Rosney |
| 5th | Killieford Kane | 2 | 25-1 | 28.78 | Neil Black |
| 6th | Dorotas Tiger | 1 | 6-1 | 28.83 | Kevin Hutton |

### Principal Irish finals

Ladbrokes Easter Cup, Shelbourne (19 March, 550y, €25,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Jaytee Jet | 5 | 6-4 | 29.45 | Paul Hennessy |
| 2nd | Skywalker Rory | 4 | 7-1 | 29.62 | Graham Holland |
| 3rd | Lenson Sanchez | 3 | 6-1 | 30.08 | Pat Buckley |
| 4th | Slippery Fred | 2 | 7-2 | 30.09 | Larry Dunne |
| 5th | Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 3-1 | 30.14 | Pat Curtin |
| 6th | Only For Life | 6 | 33-1 | 30.19 | James Melia |
Kirby Memorial Stakes, Limerick (9 April, 525y, €80,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Droopys Roddick | 4 | 7-2 | 28.09 | Pat Buckley |
| 2nd | Riverside Oscar | 5 | 20-1 | 28.65 | Graham Holland |
| 3rd | Witches Belle | 3 | 5-2 | 28.86 | Liam Twomey |
| 4th | Riverside Chip | 1 | 20-1 | 28.87 | Graham Holland |
| 5th | Clares Rocket | 2 | 4-6f | 29.43 | Graham Holland |
| 6th | Maytown Eclipse | 6 | 8-1 | 30.20 | Peadar Woods |
B.I.F National Produce, Clonmel (22 May, 525y, €30,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Clares Rocket | 6 | 1-2f | 28.00 | Graham Holland |
| 2nd | Anopheles | 3 | 10-1 | 28.45 | Liam Dowling |
| 3rd | Crohane Ronnie | 5 | 25-1 | 28.49 | Declan Byrne |
| 4th | Jo Jo Fantasy | 2 | 5-1 | 28.50 | Graham Holland |
| 5th | Escapism | 4 | 4-1 | 28.81 | Owen McKenna |
| 6th | Mountaylor Queen | 1 | 14-1 | 29.09 | Jennifer O'Donnell |
Sporting Press Oaks, Shelbourne (11 June, 525y, €25,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Witches Belle | 6 | 6-1 | 28.44 | Liam Twomey |
| 2nd | Leamaneigh Mags | 5 | 6-1 | 28.61 | Owen McKenna |
| 3rd | Sidarian Pearl | 2 | 1-2f | 28.79 | Graham Holland |
| 4th | Holycross Leah | 4 | 4-1 | 28.81 | James Melia |
| 5th | High St Jesse | 1 | 14-1 | 28.86 | Rachel Wheeler |
| 6th | Ballymac Sarahjo | 3 | 20-1 | 28.97 | Liam Dowling |
Irish Independent Laurels, Cork (16 July, 525y, €30,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Skywalker Manner | 2 | 5-1 | 28.29 | Graham Holland |
| 2nd | Farloe Rumble | 4 | 2-1f | 28.39 | Owen McKenna |
| 3rd | Ela Alecko | 1 | 5-2 | 28.50 | Peter Cronin |
| 4th | Rural Hawaii | 6 | 6-1 | 28.57 | Graham Holland |
| 5th | Must Be Jack | 5 | 5-2 | 28.64 | Peter Cronin |
| 6th | Borna Candy | 3 | 14-1 | 28.88 | Ruairi Dwan |
Doire Construction Champion Stakes, Shelbourne (30 July, 550y, €15,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Clares Rocket | 5 | 1-6f | 29.29 | Graham Holland |
| 2nd | Droopys Awesome | 1 | 12-1 | 29.46 | Fraser Black |
| 3rd | Farloe Joey | 2 | 8-1 | 29.67 | Owen Mckenna |
| 4th | Mucho Macho Man | 3 | 20-1 | 29.92 | Paul Hennessy |
| 5th | Swords Ace | 4 | 10-1 | 30.20 | Marie Gilbert |
| N/R | Highway Event | 6 | | | Graham Holland |
Dublin Coach Juvenile Derby, Harolds Cross (14 October, 525y, €22,500) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Droopys Wilbury | 2 | 3-1 | 28.21 | Pat Buckley |
| 2nd | Mustang Kasco | 1 | 6-1 | 28.28 | Peter Cronin |
| 3rd | Bull Run Bolt | 5 | 6-4f | 28.38 | Patrick Norris |
| 4th | Coolio | 6 | 4-1 | 28.44 | Thomas Burke & John Byrne |
| 5th | Droopys Smasher | 3 | 9-2 | 28.72 | Pat Buckley |
| 6th | Droopys Jack | 4 | 10-1 | 28.89 | John Linehan |
Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger, Limerick (29 October, 550y, €25,000) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | Trap | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Priceless Brandy | 4 | 4-5f | 29.30 | Paul Hennessy |
| 2nd | Native Chimes | 2 | 8-1 | 29.75 | Johnny O'Sullivan |
| 3rd | Jaytee Dutch | 5 | 5-1 | 29.93 | Paul Hennessy |
| 4th | Swithins Brae | 1 | 2-1 | 29.96 | Peter Cronin |
| 5th | Country Legend | 3 | 10-1 | 30.00 | Maurice Heffernan |
| 6th | Leave At Dawn | 6 | 6-1 | 30.07 | Brendan Matthews |

### UK Category 1 & 2 competitions

| Competition | Date | Venue | Winning Greyhound | Winning Trainer | Time | SP |
| Coral Coronation Cup | 13 January | Romford | Millwards Master | Paul Young (Romford) | 34.81 | 10-1 |
| Prestige | 27 January | Hall Green | Deanridge Pennys | John Mullins (Yarmouth) | 39.87 | 8-1 |
| William Hill Springbok | 8 March | Wimbledon | Ballymac Manix | Seamus Cahill (Hove) | 29.11 | 2-1 |
| Racing Post Juvenile | 8 March | Wimbledon | Ballymac Ramsey | Barrie Draper (Sheffield) | 28.65 | 7-2 |
| Ladbrokes Puppy Derby | 17 March | Monmore | Castell Henry | Philip Simmonds (Romford) | 28.30 | 10-1 |
| Coral Golden Sprint | 18 March | Romford | Droopys Story | Paul Young (Romford) | 24.13 | 5-2f |
| Calne Racing Arc | 23 March | Swindon | Ballymac Brogan | Seamus Cahill (Hove) | 28.49 | 9-4jf |
| Three Steps to Victory | 5 April | Sheffield | Patchys Kerry | Mark Wallis (Towcester) | 38.77 | 2-5f |
| Betfred Gymcrack | 20 April | Kinsley | Droopys Trapeze | Jimmy Wright (Newcastle) | 27.23 | 2-1 |
| Coral Regency | 4 May | Hove | Billys Bullet | Mark Wallis (Towcester) | 41.31 | 4-1 |
| William Hill Champion Hurdle | 4 June | Wimbledon | Razldazl Raidio | Ricky Holloway (Sittingbourne) | 28.90 | 11-8f |
| Golden Crest | 25 June | Poole | Castlehyde King | Bill Black (Poole) | 26.36 | 9-2 |
| Betfred Select Stakes | 5 July | Nottingham | Domino Storm | Mark Wallis (Towcester) | 29.34 | 6-1 |
| British Bred Produce Stakes | 23 July | Swindon | Bansha Rooskey | Dave Acott (Perry Barr) | 28.83 | 7-1 |
| Coral Sussex Cup | 27 July | Hove | Barricane Tiger | Patrick Janssens (Towcester) | 29.79 | 8-1 |
| Ladbrokes Gold Cup | 18 August | Monmore | Jaytee Spartacus | Paul Young (Romford) | 27.83 | 5-2 |
| Ladbrokes Summer Stayers Classic | 18 August | Monmore | Ferryforth Fran | Mark Wallis (Towcester) | 37.86 | 14-1 |
| Kai Laidlaw Trafalgar Cup | 18 August | Monmore | Charity Dragon | Pat Rosney (Private) | 28.20 | 3-1 |
| Lowther Stakes | 27 August | Towcester | Crossfield Molly | Seamus Cahill (Hove) | 29.45 | 7-1 |
| Puppy Classic | 29 August | Nottingham | Bubbly Bluebird | Paul Young (Romford) | 29.75 | 4-5f |
| Coral Champion Stakes | 31 August | Romford | Ascot Woodie | John Mullins (Yarmouth) | 35.40 | 8-1 |
| Betfred Steel City Cup | 6 September | Sheffield | Pinpoint Den | Kelly Macari (Sunderland) | 28.56 | 7-2 |
| East Anglian Derby | 14 September | Yarmouth | Clondoty Alex | Mark Wallis (Towcester) | 27.79 | 9-2 |
| Yorkshire St Leger | 21 September | Doncaster | Rubys Rascal | Mark Wallis (Towcester) | 41.10 | 5-4f |
| Ladbrokes Gold Collar | 27 September | Crayford | Yahoo Victor | Barry O'Sullivan (Crayford) | 33.54 | 9-2 |
| Guys and Dolls | 27 September | Crayford | Brick Mansions | Katie O'Flaherty (Crayford) | 23.22 | 4-1 |
| Romford Puppy Cup | 30 September | Romford | Kooga Klammer | David Pruhs (Peterborough) | 23.75 | 2-1 |
| BAPP Group Scurry Cup | 1 October | Belle Vue | Walshes Hill | Jimmy Wright (Newcastle) | 15.14 | 4-7f |
| BAPP Group Northern Flat | 1 October | Belle Vue | Ballymac Galtee | Brian Stuart (Private) | 27.75 | 4-1 |
| Kent Derby | 4 October | Sittingbourne | Bubbly Bluebird | Paul Young (Romford) | 28.87 | 5-4f |
| William Hill All England Cup | 13 October | Newcastle | Oscar Whisky | Charlie Lister OBE (Private) | 28.26 | 5-4f |
| William Hill Northern Puppy Derby | 13 October | Newcastle | Kildallon Bolt | Heather Dimmock (Towcester) | 28.65 | 1-2f |
| British Breeders Stakes | 25 October | Nottingham | Badabing | John Mullins (Yarmouth) | 29.94 | 8-1 |
| Kai Laidlaw St Mungo Cup | 29 October | Shawfield | Killieford Kane | Neil Black (Private) | 29.30 | 1-1f |
| RPGTV Henlow Derby | 30 October | Henlow | Lenson Santi | Tony Collett (Sittingbourne) | 27.41 | 6-1 |
| Brighton Belle | 3 November | Hove | Banabane | Seamus Cahill (Hove) | 29.69 | 4-5f |
| RFS Puppy Derby | 8 November | Wimbledon | King Eden | Liz McNair (Private) | 28.46 | 20-1 |
| Betfred Eclipse | 22 November | Nottingham | Droopys Buick | Jimmy Wright (Newcastle) | 30.14 | 7-4 |
| Carlsberg Kent St Leger | 26 November | Crayford | Jimbobjoe | Ricky Holloway (Central Park) | 45.60 | 9-4 |
| British Bred Derby | 29 November | Towcester | Russanda Rubin | James Hayton (Kinsley) | 29.93 | 11-4 |
| Coral Essex Vase | 7 December | Romford | Bubbly Torpedo | Paul Young (Romford) | 35.24 | 3-1 |
| National Sprint | 19 December | Nottingham | Trapstyle Jet | Jean Liles (Towcester) | 17.64 | 5-2 |
| Coral Olympic | 29 December | Hove | Droopys Buick | Jimmy Wright (Newcastle) | 29.89 | 2-5f |

### Irish feature competitions

| Competition | Date | Venue | Winning Greyhound | Winning Trainer | Time | SP | Notes |
| Best Car Parks Gold Cup | 20 February | Shelbourne | Slippery Fred | Larry Dunne | 28.62 | 6-4f | |
| Juvenile Classic | Mar 4 | Tralee | Escapism | Owen McKenna | 28.35 | 3-1 | |
| McCalmont Cup | 8 April | Kilkenny | Doctor Zhivago | David Flanagan | 29.02 | 6-1 | |
| Gain Feeds Cesarewitch | 10 April | Mullingar | Slippery Fred | Pat Buckley | 33.31 | 12-1 | |
| Gain Open 600 | 30 April | Shelbourne | Ballyhooly Henry | Tom O'Neill | 32.24 | 4-7f | |
| Boylesports Race of Champions | 27 May | Tralee | Paradise Maverick | Pat Buckley | 29.61 | 4-1 | |
| Marshes Dundalk International | 12 July | Dundalk | Droopys Roddick | Pat Buckley | 29.40 | 9-4 | Track record |
| Gain Corn Cuchulainn | 29 July | Harold's Cross | Airmount Tess | Gerald Kiely | 41.84 | 3-1 | |
| Thurles Fresh Milk Tipperary Cup | 31 July | Thurles | Skiproe Master | Pat Curtin | 28.66 | | |
| Bar One Racing Irish Sprint Cup | 14 August | Dundalk | Ballymac BigMike | Robert Gleeson | 21.01 | 6-4f | |
| Gain Feeds Select Stakes | 5 November | Waterford | Riverside Oscar | Graham Holland | 28.42 | 5-2 | |
| HRX Irish Grand National | 2 December | Harolds Cross | BrinkleysDominic | Pat Buckley | 29.60 | 5-4f | |