Frederick Jace
The 2021 greyhound racing season may be past its peak, with the likes of the English Greyhound Derby, the East Anglian Derby, the Romford Puppy Cup and so on done and dusted for another year, but there are still plenty of big race nights to look forward to over the course of the coming weeks and months.
That said, let’s take a look at a couple of exciting nights at the races that November has to offer, with big races taking place at the best greyhound racing venues up and down the country. Read on to find out more!
27th November: 2021 Gold Collar – Crayford Stadium
Dating back to the early 1930’s, the Gold Collar is one of the most historic races on the greyhound racing calendar. The Category 1 race was held at Catford Stadium for 70 years before the suburban London venue was closed in 2003. It was immediately rehomed at Belle Vue, but was discontinued in 2009. Six year later and the 540-metre race was rejuvenated at Crayford Stadium in Bexley and it’s back to being one of the most popular races on the schedule. Patrick Janssens’ fan favourite Desperado Dan won the Gold Collar last year, as expected in the greyhound tips, taking his Category 1 tally to three after prior successes in the 2019 Coronation Cup and the 2020 Champion Stakes.
27th November: Cesarewitch – Crayford Stadium
The Gold Collar isn’t the only historic race taking place at Crayford Stadium on November 27th, as the Cesarewitch will also be contested on the night. Inaugurated in 1928 as on of the original classics, the race was held at West Ham Stadium until the East London venue closed its doors in 1972. It was then moved around from Belle Vue to Catford to Oxford Stadium for the next 40 years before being discontinued in 2012. Resurrected at Romford Stadium last year, and made a Category 1 race, Mark Wallis-trained Aayamza Royale won the first renewal after an eight-year absence. After just one year at Romford, the Cesarewitch has been moved to Crayford, where it will take place over a grueling 874 metres.
29th November: The Eclipse – Nottingham
Another race that has survived the test of time, the Eclipse was first contested at Lythalls Lane Stadium in Coventry back in 1938 and stayed there until the midlands venue closed its doors in 1964. After three years without a home, it bounced around between Kings Heath Stadium, Hall Green Stadium and Brandon Stadium before finally settling down at Nottingham in 1986, where it has remained ever since. Raced over 500 metres, the best four-bend dogs in the United Kingdom, many of which would have taken part in the Greyhound Derby earlier in the season, will make their way to Nottingham for the Category 1 race. The Eclipse was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, so 2019 champion Ice On Fire was the last winner of the race.
Big races to look forward to earlier in the month include the Hunt Cup at Towcester on November 14th and the Arena Racing Company Classic at Sunderland on November 14th.
