 |
Loading...
|
|---|
NEXT EVENT
Saturday Morning Racing
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Place: Tilery Sports Stadium
CLUB PHOTOGRAPHS
If you would like your photos from stockton here please email Malcolm
Home History
Club History
Stockton On Tees Wrc 1967 - 2007
Picture Arthur Shepherd Clocking in the Dogs in the 70's
Reformed in 1967 by the late Denis Suddren, Barnie Dolan, Peter Jennings, Brian Gill, Arthur Shepherd including a present day member Ross Shepherd. Evidence shows Stockton Wrc held whippet meetings around 1932 less than a few hundred yards away from the present day track, on what was known locally at the time as Portrack playing fields. Today this area is known as Stockton Sports Centre.
Stockton WRC had a name change in 1967 and became know as Teesside Whippet Racing Club it was one of the first tracks in the North East to boast a new bend track. Constructed to a high standard and ran on a cinder surface. The committee in 1971 included a man and wife team Eddie and Jean Lewis who later emigrated to Australia in the 70's.
Others on the Committee in the early 70's were Ronnie Caygill, Kevin Stead, Kevin Shepherd, Dick Franklin and Peter Jennings between
them they built the new bend track and a new set of metal traps that lasted Teesside WRC for many years. The hand lure this committee provided is still used today 36 years later.
Teesside Whippet Racing Club had a strong membership in the early 70's with some colourful characters around during this time John Robbie Wilkinson, Dougie Heaveysides, Arthur Cook, John Hockey, Brian Douglas, Alan Howes, Brian McCarthey, Charlie Campbell & Freddie Date. Freddie's granddaughters went on to race whippets for many years more.
Lily Wincup the local saddler was a very keen competitor she employed her own personal trainer Dezzie Hockey who took on his role with great pride and attention to detail to get the very best out of Mrs. Wincups bitch Peters Pal a stunning looking cream fawn.
Picture Hennesy held by Mrs Shepherd in the 70's
Teesside WRC used a handicap time system 0.06th seconds to the yard this system is still used to day. Mainly the standard of dogs around at this time was local club dogs and pedigree racing types. It was in the early 70s that Teesside became aware of the true racing strains and Peter Jennings, Brain Gill and Ronnie Caygill all brought in real class non-ped racing stock. Pups from such litters as Golden Link x Silver X, Blue Peter x Spotted Dog, Tinlegs x Stelko this really was a time of action, these litters produced such dogs as The Witch ( Tinlegs x Stelko ) Diamond Lil ( Blue Peter x Spotted Dog ) Give em Rice ( Golden Link x Silver X) and Black Magic ( Tinlegs x Magpie ) the latter became quite a Local Stud dog to Greyhounds and was owned by Frankie & Betty Suttle.
Pictured Black Magic & Jane Ayre
In the mid 70s Peter Jennings acquired a New Track and Teesside Wrc became The Co-Op Whippet Racing Club this boasted a Club house and a fantastic running surface. A young 16 year old was soon to show his organizational skills and became the youngest handicapper Stockton had seen for many years, his name is Malcolm Clarke who went on to become the Chairman of Stockton wrc and is the present day BWRA President. Malcolm became a great friend of the Jennings family. Peter, John, Paul and the late Bert Jennings (Paul Jennings father) Burt & Peter showed these young chaps all they knew about the art of racing, Burt's son Paul Jennings was also to became BWRA Chairman for many years.
The Co op Whippet Racing Club settled in to its new home and attracted a fresh set of racing folk to this club, we were joined by Porky Fitzpatrick and his brother Jimmy Fitzpatrick after a short spell of racing good club handicap dogs namely Sea Breeze & Zoot Money they went out and acquired two flying machines of the calibre the Club had not previously seen before, other than at Open Level. There new charges were Nch Mad Era a powerful Cream Scratch dog out of (Good as Gold x Square Girl) this dog was trained by Jimmy, whilst Porky took charge of training Nch Crazy Lady (Wishy Was x Irish Lass) both these charge's took Stockton Members to another level and more members began to go open racing just to see these two run.
Yard per pound was never or rarely talked about much, until Peter and Bert acquired such dogs as Pot Black and Thin Lizzie. Time handicaps and scratch racing was the main stay of the club. As time progressed more members went to opens and minds began to change. Frankie and Betty Suttle produced some great bitch's from their stud dog Black Magic these were Saddler & Mays Magic. Porky Fitzpatrick then produced a flying machine out on Crazy Lady in form of Mad Lady this little black bitch was doing identical times to those of the heavy weight Scratch dogs but would pull up just before the line and cost Porky many open placing.
Disaster Stuck as the local Co-Op sold the land the track was situated on. Malcolm Clarke and Frankie Suttle managed to acquire a track on a local farm (known as Kells Farm) the lads got stuck in levelled the ground, chopped down overhanging tree's and fenced off the track. Kells Farm attracted new face's Steve Clark, Marty Collins, (Editor Whippet News) later to become BWRA Secretary for several years. Kenny Powell, Carl Kovacs, Maurice Wallas, Ian Wallas, Kevin Edmundson and Mark Edmundson. Also returning to racing after many years Mick and Kath Turnbull (Rch/Nch Casino & Nch Mad Hatter fame) although we had some good racing and enjoyable evenings at the Kells Farm site the farm was sold along with the track forcing Stockton member to once again seek out a new home.
Stockton WRC was then offered a temporary site call Greenwood Road Playing Fields before returning to the present day Stockton Sports Centre track, the committee in 2007 now consist of Chairman Malcolm Clarke & Porky Fitzpatrick Secretary helped by Frankie & Betty Suttle Treasurer assisted by Ross Shepard, Mark Edmundson & Sue & Martin Smithson and presently our oldest member is Ted Smithson who runs his dogs at the club week in week out weather and opens permitting a True whippet man.