Catford Stadium

Charles Benstead and Frank Sutton founded the stadium on Southern Railway land between two commuter lines in 1932. The entrance was in Adenmore Road, west of Doggett Road.{{cite web|url=https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/537376/174096/12/101107|title=OS County Series London 1916|publisher=old-maps.co.uk}}

The inaugural meeting was held on Saturday 30 July 1932 and consisted of a seven race card; each event had four or five runners. Mick the Miller was paraded around the track before the fourth race. The first racing manager was Lt. Col. A J Vernon and there were no fewer than eighty bookmakers. A kennel complex was constructed at Layham's Farm, Keston, near Biggin Hill and six trainers were appointed.{{cite book|last=Ash|first=Edward C|title=The Book of the Greyhound|page =303|year=1933|publisher=Hutchinson & Co}}

The track was described as a tight 369 yard circumference circuit and the hare was an 'Outside Breco Silent' before being switched to a more conventional 'Outside McKee'. Buses originally dropped patrons off just outside the main gates and by the entrance gates were tote facilities and the South bank enclosure. The West forecourt had a covered grandstand with tote facilities, with the judges' box directly opposite the winning line. Behind this were the race day kennels. The East forecourt had a larger covered grandstand on the back straight. The track could also be accessed from behind this grandstand, as there were two bridges across the Southern Railway line. To use the bridges to the track an entrance fee was paid at the turnstiles on the other side of the railway line from the stadium itself; thus the bridges were actually part of the stadium complex. Finally opposite the main entrance on bends 3 and 4 was the famous tote board nestled between the uncovered north bank enclosure.{{Fix|text=words missing: and what?}}{{cite book|last=Tarter|first=P Howard|title=Greyhound Racing Encyclopedia|pages =74–75|year=1949|publisher=Fleet Publishing Company Ltd}}

Early trainers at the track were Jock Hutchinson, H Hammond, Claude Champion, Albert Bedford, Harry Woolner, Dal Hawkesley and Ernie Pratt and a major event 'The Gold Collar' was introduced in 1933 which would gain classic status. Two other events called the Catford British Breeders Produce Stakes and Cobb Marathon Bowl were introduced; the former became very popular with the event being run twice during many years and the latter was sponsored by brewer Rupert Cobb and became a significant test for the leading staying stars, this race would continue until 1975.{{cite book|last=Genders|first=Roy|title=The Greyhound and Racing Greyhound|page =92|year=1975|publisher=Page Brothers (Norwich)|isbn=0-85020-0474}}

File:Catford Greyhound Stadium c.1950.png

Tote turnover after the war was extremely healthy and the seventh best in London and Great Britain just ahead of West Ham Stadium.{{cite book|title=Particulars of Licensed tracks, table 1 Licensed Dog Racecourses|year=1946|publisher=Licensing Authorities}} On 20 September 1946 an express train from Victoria to Ramsgate derailed and five of the ten coaches fell down the 20 foot embankment landing in the stadium car park. The stadium employees were first on to the scene and remarkably only one person died as a result of the crash.{{cite web|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=oxfshlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS135217986&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title="Catford Train Accident." Times [London, England] 2 Oct. 1946|work=The Times}}

In 1952 the Managing Director Frank Sutton died; Sutton had introduced the British Breeders Produce Stakes. His son John would eventually take over from his father and take over the family business and introduced the very first jackpot pool in 1961, later to be copied by horse racing. In 1954 the Dave Barker trainer Ardskeagh Ville was the first and only hound from Catford to make the English Greyhound Derby final. Charles Benstead sold his share in the company in 1959 to Harold Clifton.{{cite book|last=Genders|first=Roy|title=The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing|pages =40–42|year=1981|publisher=Pelham Books Ltd|isbn=07207-1106-1}}

By 1963 the Greyhound Racing Association purchased the track and John Sutton eventually become their Managing Director. The GRA introduced under track heating system at Catford with electric cables sewn into the track eight inches under the turf. Sister track Charlton Stadium finished racing during 1971 resulting in the Greenwich Cup and Ben Truman Stakes finding a new home at Catford. One year later the track was the first London stadium to start eight dog racing and the circuit was substantially altered with steep banking on the bends.

During the 1970s trainers at the track would include Mike Smith, John Horsfall and Paddy Milligan. The legendary Scurlogue Champ set three track records over marathon distances of 718 and 888 metres from 1984-1986 and in 1987 the Scurry Gold Cup became another major event to be held at the track, the classic race arrived from Harringay Stadium after its closure.{{cite book|last=Dack|first=Barrie|title=Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years|pages =30–31|year=1990|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-36-8}}

The Cesarewitch was switched to from Belle Vue Stadium to Catford in 1995 before switching to Oxford Stadium later.

During 2001–2002, a trainer Lennie Knell was caught on camera admitting overfeeding dogs to slow them down,[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/kenyon_confronts/1681636.stm Overfeeding controversy] and a greyhound died of heat exhaustion.{{Cite web |url=http://bgrd.co.uk/ugo/Tom_Flaherty.htm |title=Greyhound Union |access-date=12 September 2007 |archive-date=9 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009164732/http://bgrd.co.uk/ugo/Tom_Flaherty.htm |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://greyhoundstar.co.uk/remember-november-1/|title=Remember When in November|date=11 November 2017|publisher=Greyhound Star}} Subsequently, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain brought in stringent rules that required every stadium and greyhound transporter to have cool air management systems and any trainer found deliberately overfeeding dogs would lose their licence. Knell was disqualified from all licensed greyhound tracks in May 2002 after an inquiry by the governing body.

On 6 November 2003, following years of rumours, the track closed overnight without warning, when it was announced the previous day's race meeting had been the last.

Trainers John Simpson, Tony Taylor, Maxine Locke and John Walsh moved to Wimbledon, Keston based Steve Gammon left for Crayford, Sonja Spiers and Kevin Connor went to Sittingbourne and Mark Lavender switched to Portsmouth. Racing Manager Derek Hope was able to take up the same position at Wimbledon soon after because Simon Harris had left for Coventry{{cite web|url=https://betting.betfair.com/greyhound-racing/lost-tracks/post-131107.html|title=Catford greyhound track: gone but not forgotten|publisher=Betfair.com}} Stadium bookmaker John Humphreys who had stood in the main ring since 1966 and sponsored the Gold Collar for 18 years, retired.

In 1934 several speedway meetings were held on a track constructed inside the dog track. In 1949 permission was sought to operate speedway from the stadium again but permission was refused.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. {{ISBN|0-7524-2210-3}} Not to be confused with The Mount stadium, another stadium in Catford.

The local amateur football side, Catford Wanderers, were mooted to move into the stadium, though this dream was never realised. The stadium has since caught on fire and was subsequently demolished, along with the iconic tote board. The site has been redeveloped for housing by Barratt Homes as "Catford Green".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22425127|title = Former Catford Greyhound Stadium to be redeveloped|work = BBC News|date = 7 May 2013}}[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/3245015.stm BBC news item about closure][http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/article-7709688-details/Catford's+gone+to+the+dogs+/article.do;jsessionid=8QY7GtsWQz4qtV6vnSyzWlh41TdPv8Q1L1zTwL1WWsNDvz1Hw5Lh!823374612!-1407319225!7001!-1 This is London report]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

(an original classic competition)

{{main|Gold Collar}}

{{main|Greenwich Cup}}

(an original classic competition)

{{main|Scurry Gold Cup}}

(an original classic competition)

{{main|Cesarewitch (greyhounds)}}

{{main|Cobb Marathon Bowl}}

{{main|Ben Truman Stakes}}

• H = Hurdles

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060221205742/http://www.derelictlondon.com/pictures_of_london_s_decaying_beauty.htm Pictures at Derelict London]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061105053343/http://www.derelictlondon.com/id660.htm More Pictures]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050212190921/http://www.thedogs.co.uk/index.php?m=aid&id=141 Catford Greyhound Racing History]

{{Reflist}}

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{{English greyhound tracks}}

{{Motorcycle speedway tracks}}

Category:Defunct greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom

Category:Sport in the London Borough of Lewisham

Category:Defunct speedway venues in England

Category:Defunct sports venues in London

Category:Catford

Category:Sports venues completed in 1932

Category:Defunct greyhound racing venues in London

Category:Greyhound racing in London

Category:Demolished sports venues in the United Kingdom

Category:Burned buildings and structures in the United Kingdom