One of UK greyhound racing’s most watched and iconic competitions is heading for Oxford Stadium in March – 36 years after it was last held at Sandy Lane.
Inaugurated in 1958, the TV Trophy is a marathon competition held at a different stadium each year with previous host venues including Wembley Stadium, White City and the legendary Walthamstow.
Racing was broadcast live on BBC television until 1996 with Sky Sports and Racing Post Greyhound TV picking up coverage since.
The £15,000 to-the-winner event will be held over back-to-back Saturday nights with the first three greyhounds to finish two separate semi finals advancing to the Grand Final on Saturday, March 23.
Glenowen Queen was the last greyhound to scoop the TV Trophy at Oxford back in 1987. The fawn bitch trained by Dick Hawkes was one of four greyhounds to participate in the John Power Showdown at Wembley Stadium in 1985 which was won by Ballyregan Bob and to this day remains one of the sport’s most-watched races on record.
Kevin Boothby, Managing Director of Oxford Stadium, said his earliest childhood memories of greyhound racing are connected to the TV Trophy. And he was fortunate enough to win the competition himself in 2018 with the appropriately named Savana Winner.
He said: “The TV Trophy is one of UK greyhound racing’s great events. My first memories of greyhound racing as a child are centred around the TV Trophy – it’s a fantastic spectacle and one of my greatest achievements as an owner was winning it with Savana Winner in 2018.
“We’re really pleased to bring the competition to Oxford for 2024 with launch night coinciding with a spectacular St Patrick’s Day celebration of which we’ll be confirming full details very soon.”
The agreement extends to Towcester Racecourse – Oxford’s sister venue – hosting the competition in 2025.
GBGB Commercial Director Mark Moisley added: “We are delighted that Henlow Racing Ltd will be hosting the TV Trophy at Oxford in 2024 and Towcester in 2025. This is in keeping with the aim for the event to move around the country, which has historically been a key aspect of the competition.
“We also thank Entain for their previous sponsorship following the hosting of the competition at all four of their tracks in recent years. We look forward to an exciting renewal of the competition at Sandy Lane in March.”
2024 TV Trophy:
Round One – Saturday, March 16
Grand Final – Saturday, March 23.
