Geoff De Mulder
{{Short description|English greyhound trainer}}
{{Infobox horseracing personality
|name = Geoff De Mulder
|image = Geoff De Mulder champion greyhound trainer.jpg
|caption =
|occupation = Greyhound Trainer
|birth_place = Yorkshire
|birth_date = Q2 1930
|death_date = {{death date|df=yes|2009|12|11}} aged 79
|career wins =
|race =
Classic/Feature wins:
English Greyhound Derby
(1974, 1979)
Scottish Greyhound Derby
(1978)
Trainers Championship
(1977, 1987)
Pall Mall
(1988)
Puppy Derby
(1985)
Grand Prix
(1976)
Trafalgar Cup
(1977, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1997)
Select Stakes
(1978, 1979, 1980, 1986)
Juvenile
(1982, 1986, 1998)
|awards =
|honours =
|horses =
| }}
Geoffrey De Mulder (1930 – 11 December 2009) was an English greyhound trainer. He was a two times champion trainer of Great Britain and was regarded as the leading trainer during the 1970s and 1980s.{{cite book|last=Hobbs|first=Jonathan|title=Greyhound Annual 2008, pages 89-92|year=2008|publisher=Raceform|isbn=978-1-905153-534}} De Mulder won the Greyhound Trainer of the Year twice in 1978 and 1979.{{cite book|last=Hobbs|first=Jonathan|title=Greyhound Annual 2008|year=2008|publisher=Raceform|isbn=978-1-905153-534}}
Early life
He was born in Yorkshire and grew up in a greyhound racing environment because his father Joe De Mulder was a prominent trainer during the 1950s and 1960s.{{cite book|last=Genders|first=Roy|title=The Greyhound and Racing Greyhound|year=1975|publisher=Page Brothers (Norwich)|isbn=0-85020-0474}}
Career
After learning his trade with his father he took over the National Greyhound Racing Club licence in 1967 and he made the Gold Collar final in his rookie year. His father retained ownership of several greyhounds in the kennel. The majority of his kennel were open race class greyhounds but he held attachments throughout the Midlands at Oxford Stadium, Nottingham Stadium, Coventry Stadium, Hall Green Stadium and Norton Canes Stadium.{{cite book|last=Genders|first=Roy|title=NGRC book of Greyhound Racing|year=1990|publisher=Pelham Books Ltd|isbn=0-7207-1804-X}}
His first major result was getting Little County into the 1970 English Greyhound Derby final where he finished runner-up.{{cite book|last=Dick|first=Barrie|title=Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years, pages 133/134/135/136|year=1990|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-36-8}} Training out of kennels in Meriden in the West Midlands, he gained the nickname 'The Wizard of Meriden' and consistently won major competitions during the 1970s and 1980s.{{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Julia|title=Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File|year=1988|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-15-5}}
His biggest successes were the two English Greyhound Derby wins in 1974{{cite book|last=Dick|first=Barrie|title=Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years, pages 147/148/149/150/151|year=1990|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-36-8}} with Jimsun and 1979 with Sarahs Bunny,{{cite book|last=Dick|first=Barrie|title=Greyhound Derby, the first 60 years, pages 165/166/167/168/169|year=1990|publisher=Ringpress Books|isbn=0-948955-36-8}} a Scottish Greyhound Derby and four times winner of the Consolation Derby. He sent out 14 English Derby finalists.
De Mulder won the Trainers Championship twice in 1977{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002240/19770328/739/0014 |title=Seven is not so lucky for Geoff |work=Newcastle Journal |date=28 March 1977 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 April 2025}} and 1987.
De Mulder was responsible for the greyhounds with the 'Fearless' prefix' and was well known for being eccentric. His protégé Tony Meek{{cite web|url=http://www.meekgreyhounds.co.uk/meet-the-trainer/|title=Greyhounds become your life|publisher=Jayne Meek|access-date=2017-12-08|archive-date=2017-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208231857/http://www.meekgreyhounds.co.uk/meet-the-trainer/|url-status=dead}} went on to win two English Greyhound Derby finals. After a long illness he died in 2009 leaving a wife and two children.{{cite web|url=http://www.bmdsonline.co.uk/coventry-telegraph/obituary/geoffrey-demulder/3271548|title=Geoff De Mulder obituary|publisher=Coventry Telegraph}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rgtperrybarr.co.uk/news/66|title=The Death of Geoff De Mulder|publisher=Perry Barr Retired Greyhounds Trust}}