Endless Gossip

{{Short description|Famous racing greyhound}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2024}}

{{Infobox greyhound

| greyhoundname = Endless Gossip

| image =

| imagesize =

| alt =

| caption =

| breed =

| discipline =

| sire = Priceless Border

| grandsire =

| dam = Narrogar Ann

| damsire =

| sex = Dog

| whelped = March 1950

| death_date =

| country =

| color = Brindle

| breeder =

| owner = Henry Ernest Gocher

| trainer = Leslie Reynolds

| rider =

| racerecord = English Greyhound Derby
Welsh Greyhound Derby
Select Stakes
All England Cup
Champion Stakes
Wembley Summer Cup

| raceearnings =

| racewins =

| raceawards = Derby champion

| otherawards =

| honors =

| updated =

}}

Endless Gossip was a racing greyhound during the 1950s.{{cite book|last=Genders|first=Roy|title=The Greyhound and Racing Greyhound|year=1975|publisher=Page Brothers (Norwich)|isbn=0-85020-0474}} He won the 1952 English Greyhound Derby.{{cite web|url=http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=71541|title=Endless Gossip profile|publisher=Greyhound Data}}

Early life

He was bred by Henry Ernest Gocher, a retired cattle breeder. The choice of sire and dam was determined by Gocher's belief that greyhounds could be bred using the same genetic theories he had used for many years in raising prize beef cattle.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbgb.org.uk/hall-of-fame.aspx?id=1015|title=Hall of Fame|publisher=Greyhound Board of Great Britain}} He purchased the 1949 English Greyhound Derby champion Narrogar Ann and mated her to the 1948 English Greyhound Derby champion with the idea that this would result in a champion litter.{{cite book|last=Dack|first=Barrie|title=Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years|pages =93–95|year=1990|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-36-8}} {{cite web|url=http://www.gbgb.org.uk/hall-of-fame.aspx?id=1015|title=Hall of Fame|publisher=Greyhound Board of Great Britain}} The litter was whelped in March 1950 and they were given names with the initials EG after his own name. Both the sire and dam had been trained by Leslie Reynolds, which was also his chosen trainer for his pick of the new litter.

Racing career

One of the first targets for Endless Gossip was the 1952 English Greyhound Derby and he caused a sensation during the first round when winning in 28.52 seconds by ten lengths and recording a sectional time of 15.94, the first ever greyhound to break 16 seconds for a split time. He went on to win the Derby which culminated in the final on 28 June. {{cite web|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=oxfshlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS34426590&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title="Sports in Brief." Times [London, England] 30 June 1952|work=The Times}}

Just one week later he won the Welsh Greyhound Derby at Cardiff Arms Park and was denied the chance to win the Triple Crown when the Scottish Greyhound Derby was cancelled.{{cite book|last=Genders|first=Roy|title=The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing|pages =21|year=1981|publisher=Pelham Books Ltd|isbn=07207-1106-1}} The fine form continued during the season when he then won the Laurels at Wimbledon Stadium.{{cite book|last=Genders|first=Roy|title=NGRC book of Greyhound Racing|year=1990|publisher=Pelham Books Ltd|isbn=0-7207-1804-X}}

In 1953 he was the first Derby champion to compete in the Waterloo Cup coursing event, which was rare for a champion track racing greyhound{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001898/19530211/142/0006 |title=Waterloo Cup |work=Nottingham Journal |date=11 February 1953 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=28 September 2024}} before he headed back to White City to defend his Derby title. The campaign finished at the second round stage before he made a second Welsh Derby final. He finished his career with wins in the Select Stakes, at Wembley beating his great rival, Magourna Reject and the Wimbledon Champion Stakes, which he again won from Magourna Reject.{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Julia|title=Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, Vol Two|year=1991|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-61-9}} {{cite book|last=Barnes/Sellers|first=Julia/John|title=Ladbrokes Greyhound Fact File|year=1992|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-22-8}} This brought his winnings to more than £5,000. He later won a prize in the show ring at Crufts and was sold to Miss Joan Hunt, an American breeder, in Miami and was put to stud.

Pedigree

{{Ahnentafel

|1 = Endless Gossip

|2 = Priceless Border

|3 = Narrogar Ann

|4 = Clonahard Border

|5 = Pricless Sandills

|6 = Dutton Swordfish

|7 = Winne of Berrow

|8 = Ruby Border

|9 = Gil's Selected

|10 = White Sandills

|11 = Paris Cutlet

|12 = Mellow Outlook

|13 = Dutton Oak

|14 = Beef Cutlet

|15 = Jubilee Joan

}}

References