Portsmouth Stadium
| Location | Tipner, north west Portsmouth |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°49'27.4"N 1°05'16.8"W |
| Operator | Greyhound Racing Association |
| Opened | 1931 |
| Closed | 2010 |
Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium in Tipner north west of Portsmouth.
The stadium was constructed in 1930 east of Tipner Lane on the site of the Stamshaw Chemical Works. The stadium would be accessed from the new Target Road and effectively replaced the track at Portsmouth Greyhound Track (Copnor) which raced from 1928-1930.
The new larger stadium was opened on 25 May 1931 with trainer Fred Tolfree claiming all the first four places in a five dog opening race. The first winner was Tommy’s Pup the 2-1 favourite.
In 1932 the stadium was bought by Joe Childs a famous jockey at the time because he was jockey to the King George V. Also included in the new management team were Jack Parker captain of the Harringay speedway team and Bradbury Pratt.
In 1937 a 14 year old boy called George Curtis secured a job with track trainer Bill Peters and one year later Hugo Spencer joined the track as a trainer. The management of the stadium was run by Sporting Promotions (Portsmouth) Ltd.
The totalisator turnover peaked in 1946 at £1,108,662.
In 1956 Quick Surprise won the Scottish Greyhound Derby and reached the final of the English Greyhound Derby for trainer Pat Mullins. Two years later Joe Childs died and the ownership of the stadium went into the hands of F A Childs who also became Racing Manager. F A Childs was replaced by E F G Wilkins after Childs drowned in an accident. Childs was remembered in the following years with the running of the F.A.Childs Memorial Trophy.
In 1961 the Hugo Spencer trained Hey There Merry won the Scottish Derby and Spencer's Trip To Dublin reached the English Derby final. The Nationwide Leisure Company took over the stadium in 1963 with Bill Francis becoming Racing Manager and the Golden Muzzle would be introduced as the tracks premier event.
George Curtis claimed his first win as a trainer when Bad Trick won the 1964 Puppy Derby. In 1968 Curtis left Portsmouth for Brighton replaced by his brother Charlie and leaving Hugo Spencer and Greg Doyle as the other resident trainers. Sadly Charlie Curtis was killed in a car crash just one year later.
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