Remembering Clapton Stadium: One of the fastest tracks there ever was

Lost Tracks / Darrell Williams / 11 March 2008 / 14 Comments

Boxing, baseball, football and then dogs... Darrell Williams harps back to London's fourth greyhound track...

From 1900 the home of Clapton Orient FC, now Leyton Orient, Clapton Stadium designed by the famous architect Sir Owen Williams, became London's fourth greyhound track, with the first meeting staged almost eighty years ago on 7th April 1928.

After spending over £80,000 to install greyhound facilities at the Millfields Road ground, which was also a major venue for boxing, and even in its early days baseball, the football team was soon asked to find a new home as the track invested in the dogs, opening its first restaurant in 1930 and building covered stands and a second restaurant in 1939.

The track, almost circular in shape with its short straights of only 75 yards and wide, easy bends made it one of the fastest tracks in the country, a factor which in its very first season resulted in it staging what would become the sprinters' Classic, the Scurry Gold Cup - a race that in its heyday would rival even the Derby in terms of prestige, it would remain the most important race to be staged at the East London circuit throughout the track's near fifty year tenure.

Staged over 400 yards, the Scurry attracted the fastest greyhounds in the land, and the list of winners through the years reads like a who's who of sprinting. Yet it took nearly twenty years before a local champion was crowned, when the Stanley Biss trained Rimmell's Black set new figures when winning the 1947 renewal. Biss, one of the country's most respected handlers - he had trained two Oaks winners from West Ham before the Second World War - was back twelve months later to double up with Local Interprize.

One of the all time greats, Local Interprize was also a dual Gold Collar winner, and went within a short-head of also winning the 1949 Scurry in front of a crowd of over 30,000, many of whom believed the result should have been a dead-heat. Clapton was renowned for attracting big name trainers, another was Jimmy Jowett who won a record four Scurry's between 1952 and 1960, two of those wins being credited to Gorey Airways, who became the first dual winner in 1959/60, a feat Don't Gambol would repeat in the early seventies.

Another trainer John Bassett also made his own piece of history when claiming three successive Scurry's in the early sixties, with Lucky Joan's victory in 1963 one of a record four Classics for the handler that year. In its later years, Clapton was a hotbed of Classic winners with no fewer than six Derby winners produced from its kennels at Claverhambury Farm in Waltham Cross between 1956 and 1972.

One of those winners, Palm's Print in 1961, created a unique double having also won the Scurry the same year for Paddy McEvoy, while Adam Jackson sent out the last Clapton Derby winner Patricia's Hope who claimed the first of back to back successes in the race in 1972..

An immensely popular track, Clapton's demise caused much upset when the track was sold by the GRA in 1969, eventually closing its doors for the final time on 1st January 1974. It was replaced by the Millfields housing estate in the early eighties.

Comments (14)

1. Caroline Pickering | 15 May 2009

   Clapton is another track with which Ihave fond memories remember leading Casa Miel in the final of the Scurry Gold Cup and coming home with a winner.

2. tony ashley | 20 February 2010

   I JUST WONDER IF ANYBODY REMEMBERS MY FATHER WHO WAS A BOOKMAKER WORKING AT CLAPTON DOGS FROM ABOUT 1950-1970,HE WENT UNDER THE NAME OF CHRIS MERRY,REAL NAME HAROLD ASHLEY,I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IF ANYBODY HAS ANY MEMORIES.
   TONY ASHLEY.

3. Susan Chown | 02 March 2010

   Jimmy Jowett was my Father and I remember all those Scurry Cup wins! Just 2 of the many excellent dogs he trained were Lucky Hi There(16? wins in a row)and Fodda Champion(Grand National winner).

4. gary moore | 31 July 2010

   i also have fond memories of clapton
   dog track I have recently found
   a programme of scurry cup night including dont gambol
   jimmy jowett trained mt dads dog inny belle who was on the card the same night
   10th july 1976

5. Amanda Yarnell | 05 August 2010

   My grandfather and great grandfather owned Clapton Stadium, they also had 2 other stadiums.
   I have quite a few photos including 1949 C Orton, son of Sidney Orton, Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon.1959 George Flintham, Mrs C H Chandler, Mr Leslie Holmes and others but I don't know who they are or when they were taken.

6. leo boyle | 07 October 2010

   Susan Chown:

   Did Lucky Hi There belong to the Algate East bookmaker Stan Barrett?
   And didn't he win the Wimbledon TV trophy as well?
   I worked for Maxie Parker and Stan Barrett.
   Clapton was my favourite track.Great bar and restuarant as well.

   Leo Boyle Sacramento Ca USA

7. Susan Chown | 02 November 2010

   Leo
   Lucky Hi There was owned by Stan Barrett.He did win the Sportsview trophy as well as being the only dog to win both English and Scottish St. Ledgers plus the 16 wins in a row.Lucky Joan was also one of Stan's dogs.Clapton was one of the best tracks for graded and open racers.I loved going to eat there as well.

   Susan Chown Essex England

8. Dave | 09 November 2010

   My Dad was a keen betting man mostly on the dogs. he took me to Clapton dogs a few times and I remember the Scurry Goldcup nisghte and the fireworks afterwards that scared me to death as a boy. In 1974 having just bought a small 110 camera I took a photo of CDT being demolished. if any one wanst a copy please mail me.

9. Dennis Briggs | 15 November 2010

   I spent my youth at Clapton.
   Gogs I remember were
   Foyle Tonic,
   Daybreak Again,
   Woodford Alan,
   Jamie Get Lost.
   Chittering Clapton,
   Don't Gamble,
   Palms Printer,
   These just roll off my memory . i am sure some of you out there can jog my mind with others.
   The trainer I remember was the Great Paddy Keane.
   I remember they had a casino of some discription in the "big ring".
   The firework on Scurry night were great.

   But I remember once when Woodford Alan was a short priced favourite out of trap one.
   It crawled out and was tailed off by the second bend.
   It was winter and they used to line the bends with straw after racing to protect it.
   That night some unhappy punters set fire to the straw.
   I seem to remember also that Charlie George used to frequent the track as well.
   a\t

10. S SEERY | 19 December 2010

    Jaime Get Lost was my favourite dog at the track.In his first ever race he was knocked over completely but then went in pursuit of the others and was in a photo for second place.He was a mostly white dog with a pounding style of running.To see his two front legs looming up behind the leaders along the back straight would have me already working out my winnings.That was around '67/'68.I was 13/14 years old,and went to Brooke House school(across from top of Lea Bridge Rd.)Maths ('budgie'Burgess)was in a classroom where I could see through the windows the tall chimney of the power station by the stadium.I'd get through the maths periods by gazing at the chimney and telling myself it was where the stadium was and that i'd soon be over the dogs again.I'd go there with my older brother (often dad would go with us as well)I remember the Herb Alpert tunes played in between races and the announcement inviting patrons to the casino after the last race(8 race cards back then)where they could play "Chemin de fer,blackjack and roulette".A dog named Ballintan would keep jumping in the air when being paraded almost pulling the handlers arm out of socket.I think it was Ballintan who won a race where the tote forecast should have been 4s 6d but was given on the tote board as 9s 6d.The dividend was announced and punters rushed to collect.Several minutes later came the announcement there'd been a mistake and to ask for punters to take the money back to the tote booths.I often wonder how much money was returned.A trainer named Bassett hadn't been there long when he entered a dog named Billy's Golly in an open Clapton competition(3 heats lst and 2nd through to final).It was in T6 in it's heat at odds of 33-l.Flashed out and was never headed.Come the final it was drawn T6 again.Punters again gave it no chance and it went off at 33-l again,flashed out and again was never headed .Punters would keep a careful eye on Bassett's dogs after that!
    
    I still have a few of the programmes.And I still have a small Hackney Gazette picture of a handler with Jaime Get Lost and another dog called Jockeys Brae.
    I have a green cover programme (Thursday 22nd June 1967 for The Stan Barrett Trophy -Final over 760yds winner £500 & Trophy.Jaime Get Lost was due to run from T5 but was a non-runner.A Wembley bitch called Miss Taft won it from trap one by 6 lengths beating a T6
    Jowett dog called Easterbury Star.On the inside back cover is a picture of 'the Four Lucky Stars', Lucky Boy Boy(Derby '63)Lucky Hi There(St.Leger '64)Lucky Monforte(Cesarewitch '65) and Lucky Joan(Scurry Cup '63).Great track and great memories.
    

11. S SEERY | 19 December 2010

    Dodgy memory! I was wrong in saying Bassett
    hadn't been training there for long when Billys Golly won twice at 33-1.Seems he'd
    been there for a few years by then.

12. Dennis Briggs | 23 December 2010

    S Seery.
    I went to Upton House School.
    My mate Micky Swinton loved Jamie Get Lost when it ran over 760yards.It literally flew when it got on the bunny.

    Bassett was a great trainer with many great dogs to his credit.

    The atmosphere on race days were electric when I was a kid.
    In the winters with the coal/cokes fires all littered around the stadium.

    What a way to spend my youth.

13. S.SEERY | 24 December 2010

    Dennis Briggs.
    In contrast to the winter coal fires was 'The Sunshine Roof', an open air roof area at the bends opposite the tote board.Wasn't keen on the view myself but on hot summer Saturday evenings it would be packed with 'greenhorn' family visitors.They'd also turn up in droves at the bank holiday morning meetings(12 races - it seemed to go on for ever!)Shouts of "I've won" would turn to silent confusion as the dogs would carry on for another circuit - or two! Close to the next race a
    kindly regular would often be seen trying to explain to them how many circuits the dogs in the next race had to travel - you'd see the twirling finger held out in the air in front of their heads.The greenhorns would nod their heads but were clearly none the wiser.Come the occasional 934yds race even the regulars would be scratching their heads!

    + The casino was called 'The Monte Carlo Casino.
    + I've been fingerwalking the internet.I
    don't think it was actually Herb Alpert tunes in between the races.It was an album called 'A swingin' Safari' by Bert
    Kaempfert. Listen to tracks like 'Market Day' and 'A Happy Feeling' on youtube to see if they stir the memory.The music was played at EVERY meeting.Listening to 'A Happy Feeling' with my eyes closed was like being back there again.
    
    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all contributors and readers.

14. Jan Wareham | 09 August 2011

    Does anyone know of a Thomas Farmer (Townie) who had something to do with the Clapton Dogs in the 1950's I think.

    He was my grandad and died in 1957

    I would love to here what it was he did, or any stories about him or even see any photo's he might have been in.

    Jan Wareham Nee: Farmer