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Great videos, hard to imagine an atmosphere quite like that at a greyhound race these days.
As you say, surprising to see a greyhound question on a BBC quiz, particularly one of their flagship ones. Although I suppose it a fairly niche subject now so probably more of a question for the serious quizzers.
I just hope that Google hasn’t informed the men in white coats that I was searching for images of a greyhound playing golf
In 2006, the Derby and the Greyhound Derby were on the same day. As soon as the Derby was over, I remember hot footing it from Epsom to Wimbledon to get there in time for the first race. Great times.
“He’s an icon, he’s fantastic, he’s superlative, he is Westmead Hawk!”
It’s spine tingling stuff, all these years later.
“Hard to imagine an atmosphere quite like that at a greyhound race these days.”
Almost impossible, I would say. I think that era was greyhound racing’s last hurrah. A lot of tracks have closed since then, including Wimbledon Stadium itself. It was almost falling apart but I loved the place.
Westmead Hawk was the best I have seen and ever expect to see but I always felt sorry for Mineola Farloe, the runner up in 2006. He was genuinely top class and would have won almost every other running of the Greyhound Derby. He had the misfortune to be around at the same time as a superstar.
Did the Oaks, when it was on a Saturday, and the greyhound Derby earlier rounds a few times in the late 80s early 90s Cork.
As you say happy days.
Question on “The Chase”:
“In horse racing, it is sometimes said the fittest horse wins the 2,000 Guineas, the luckiest horse wins the Derby but the best horse wins..?”
A Grand National B Cheltenham Gold Cup C St Leger
The contestant answered B. Anne Hegarty got it right with the St Leger and explained she chose it because she knew the other two races in the question are Flat races, whereas options A and B are steeplechases.
The contestant was quite young and I don’t blame her for not having heard the saying before, which is well and truly from racing’s past. I suppose a contestant could have figured it out using Anne’s logic but even that is quite specialist knowledge.
It was interesting to see that old saying used in a question, anyway.
The link works OK. Good to see Shawfield Stadium again. Unfortunately it hasn’t reopened after the lockdown era and isn’t likely to in the prevailing climate.
The stadium was also the home of Clyde FC (“The Bully Wee”). They were booted out in the 1980s, I think. They currently ground share with Hamilton Academical.
I have to say I’m not sure I’ve heard that phrase before. Fairly obvious if you have a bit of knowledge but a total stab in the dark if you don’t. Quite a tough question for a daytime quiz, it wouldn’t be out of place in the Mastermind general knowledge round (sans multiple choice of course).
Question on “Mastermind” tonight: “Which prestigious race at the Cheltenham Festival was won in 2025 by Inothewayyourthinkin defeating Galopin Des Champs, the winner in the previous two years?”
The contestant rather inevitably answered “The Grand National”. Another sign that these horses and races we all talk about so much are not very well known outside of racing’s small parish.
Then again, the same contestant thought Peru is in Central Europe…
Peru in Europe, did they have Monty Panesar back on?
I think the word ‘Cheltenham’ would probably steer a lot of people with good general knowledge in the right direction even if they didn’t know. Probably the sort of question that would have been ‘easier’ in the past, i.e. more people would know it. That’s only going to keep going one way in future.
Good to see you back posting Cork
I’ve been catching up on Only Connect this week and the late Peter Bromley made an appearance in the picture round. Have to say I ddn’t have had a clue and neither did the contestants.
That question definitely has the Waley-Cohen fingerprints all over it.
I would like to say that the dumbing down of current television quiz programmes is a reflection of neoliberal brainwashing, so I will.
Waley-Cohen does tend to smuggle a racing reference or two into each series. Peter Bromley was the most out of left field reference yet. He was more often heard than seen.
If there is a dumbing down of quiz shows then Monday evenings on BBC2 are the last bastion of the highbrow shows.
There was another racing reference in a different question which this time did make the question click for me with the last clue on a ‘share the same birthday’ connection being ‘all UK racehorses’.
Monday evening is the highlight of our tv watching week. If I can get one or two correct answers in UC or OC I’m over the moon. I tend to pay less attention to Mastermind as I should know the answers in the general knowledge round but don’t so I get about depressed about it. I had a friend who took part and chose racing as his specialist subject but even he, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of racing went blank over a couple of questions. UC is as exciting as some races these days with some close finishes and some winners coming from behind.I’m afraid I’m always gunning for the non Oxbridge teams.
My alma mater has made it through to the quarter finals of UC, so I am hopeful they will win the title.
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