The Oaks is an original classic greyhound competition, and was first run at White City Stadium, West London in 1927, when Three Of Spades trained by Sid Jennings landed the inaugural edition at odds of 5/1. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, White City hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car racing, concerts and a match at the 1966 World Cup. The stadium became the Mecca of greyhound racing with tens of thousands of spectators attending meetings on a regular basis, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s.
The Oaks gained classic status in September 1939, becoming the seventh of its type, but due to the war it was suspended until 1945. The race was held at Harringay Stadium from 1959 until 1987, and then at Wimbledon Stadium until 2012. In recent years, the Oaks has been staged at Belle Vue in Manchester, and also Swindon, before finding its current home at Perry Barr in 2021.
The competition has always attracted the cream of the crop, with the very best bitches in the land putting their reputations on the line in search of classic glory. Queen Of The Suir (trained by Stan Biss, 1932 & 33) was the first dual winner, with others to have claimed that honour being Lizette (Paddy Fortune, 1953 & 55), Ballinasloe Blondie (Jack Harvey, 1961 & 62), and the great Cranog Bet (Phil Rees Snr, 1963 & 64).
Other famous names to have lifted the Oaks trophy include the legendary Ballinderry Moth, trained by Barney O’Connor, who went on to create a dynasty in the breeding paddocks, as have many other Oaks winners. There have also been four Irish trained winners of the event, the last of whom was Billys Diva in 2021. Trainer Kevin Hutton is looking for his fourth win in the event, having been successful with Droopys Danneel (2013), Ravenswood Flo (2018) and Bull Run Byte (2019).
Content text
