Every Winner on the Roll of Honour
The English Greyhound Derby has been contested every year since 1927, with the sole exception of 1941 to 1944 when the Second World War forced its suspension. (Towcester Racecourse – Past Winners) That is nearly a century of finals, nearly a century of champions, and — for anyone who takes greyhound betting seriously — nearly a century of data that reveals patterns the market still underprices.
What follows is the complete list of Derby winners, organised by the three distinct venue eras: White City Stadium in London, Wimbledon Stadium in south-west London, and the modern era at Towcester and Nottingham. Each entry includes the winner, trainer, starting price and year. Beyond the names and numbers, this record tells a story about how the Derby has evolved — from the working-class spectacle of pre-war London to the internationally contested, heavily wagered knockout it is today.
Study the list not as a history lesson but as a form guide for the future. Patterns in trainer dominance, favourite performance and upset frequency recur decade after decade.
Complete Winners Table 1927–1984: The White City Era
The English Greyhound Derby was inaugurated at White City Stadium in 1927, and the venue hosted the final for fifty-seven years. Entry Badge won the first running at odds of 1/4 — the shortest-priced winner in Derby history. The early decades belonged to dogs like Mick the Miller, who became the first to win consecutive Derbies in 1929 and 1930, turning greyhound racing into a mainstream spectator sport in Britain. (GBGB – Mick the Miller)
| Year | Winner | Trainer | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Entry Badge | Joe Harmon | 1/4 |
| 1928 | Boher Ash | Tommy Johnson Snr | 5/1 |
| 1929 | Mick the Miller | Paddy Horan | 4/7 |
| 1930 | Mick the Miller | Sidney Orton | 4/9 |
| 1931 | Seldom Led | Wally Green | 7/2 |
| 1932 | Wild Woolley | Jack Rimmer | 5/2 |
| 1933 | Future Cutlet | Sidney Probert | 6/1 |
| 1934 | Davesland | Jack Harvey | 3/1 |
| 1935 | Greta Ranee | Albert Jonas | 4/1 |
| 1936 | Fine Jubilee | Mrs Marjorie Yate | 10/11 |
| 1937 | Wattle Bark | Jim Syder Sr. | 5/2 |
| 1938 | Lone Keel | Sydney W Wright | 9/4 |
| 1939 | Highland Rum | Paddy Fortune | 2/1 |
| 1940 | GR Archduke | Charlie Ashley | 100/7 |
| 1945 | Ballyhennessy Seal | Stan Martin | Evens |
| 1946 | Monday’s News | Fred Farey | 5/1 |
The above represents a selection of the early winners. The full White City era continued through 1984, with notable champions including Patricias Hope (1972 and 1973) — the first dog since Mick the Miller to win back-to-back Derbies — and the parade of favourites and upsets that characterised the competition through the 1960s and 1970s. The distance changed from the original 500 yards (1927) to 525 yards (1928–1974), then to 500 metres from 1975, when Tartan Khan won at odds of 25/1 — one of the era’s biggest surprises. (Towcester Racecourse – Past Winners)
The final White City Derby in 1984 was won by Whisper Wishes, trained by Charlie Coyle, bringing down the curtain on the stadium that defined British greyhound racing. Sponsorship during this era evolved from none at all to commercial backing — the Daily Mirror became title sponsor from 1983, reflecting the growing commercial value of the event. (Towcester Racecourse – Past Winners)
Winners Table 1985–2016: The Wimbledon Era
The Derby moved to Wimbledon Stadium in 1985 and remained there for thirty-two years. This era saw the competition develop into a properly televised sporting event, with rising prize money and increased attention from the betting industry.
| Year | Winner | Trainer | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Pagan Swallow | Philip Rees Jr. | 9/1 |
| 1993 | Ringa Hustle | Tony Meek | 5/2 |
| 1994 | Moral Standards | Tony Meek | 9/4 |
| 1995 | Moaning Lad | Theo Mentzis | 5/2 |
| 1996 | Shanless Slippy | Dolores Ruth | 4/9 |
| 1997 | Some Picture | Charlie Lister | 8/13 |
| 2000 | Rapid Ranger | Charlie Lister | 7/4 |
| 2001 | Rapid Ranger | Charlie Lister | 7/4 |
| 2005 | Westmead Hawk | Nick Savva | 5/4 |
| 2006 | Westmead Hawk | Nick Savva | 4/7 |
| 2011 | Taylors Sky | Charlie Lister | 7/4 |
| 2016 | Jaytee Jet | Paul Hennessy | 15/8 |
The Wimbledon era was defined by Charlie Lister’s extraordinary dominance. Lister won the Derby seven times — in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2011 and 2013 — a record that stands to this day and earned him the title of Derby King and an OBE. (GBGB – Racing Legends: Charlie Lister OBE) His dominance was built on meticulous preparation, an ability to keep dogs fresh through the five-week knockout, and an almost unrivalled eye for a Derby dog. Rapid Ranger’s consecutive wins in 2000 and 2001 cemented Lister’s legacy, and Nick Savva’s Westmead Hawk repeated the back-to-back feat in 2005 and 2006 — the last dog to achieve it.
Dolores Ruth’s victory with Shanless Slippy in 1996 was notable, though she was not the first female trainer to win the Derby — that distinction belongs to Mrs Marjorie Yate with Fine Jubilee in 1936. (Towcester Racecourse – Past Winners) Taylors Sky’s 2011 win for Charlie Lister set the track record at 28.17. And Jaytee Jet’s win for Paul Hennessy in 2016 was the final Wimbledon Derby, as the stadium closed its doors the following year.
Winners Table 2017–2025: The Modern Era
Since 2017, the Derby has been held at Towcester (with a two-year detour to Nottingham in 2019 and 2020 following Towcester’s temporary closure). The modern era has seen a shift in power towards Irish-trained dogs and international trainers. (Star Sports – Greyhound Derby Roll of Honour)
| Year | Winner | Trainer | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Astute Missile | Seamus Cahill | 28/1 |
| 2018 | Dorotas Wildcat | Kevin Hutton | 2/1 |
| 2019 | Priceless Blake | Paul Hennessy | 6/1 |
| 2020 | Deerjet Sydney | Pat Buckley | 11/4 |
| 2021 | Thorn Falcon | Patrick Janssens | 7/2 |
| 2022 | Romeo Magico | Graham Holland | 5/2 |
| 2023 | Gaytime Nemo | Graham Holland | 9/1 |
| 2024 | De Lahdedah | Liam Dowling | 5/1 |
| 2025 | Droopys Plunge | Patrick Janssens | 10/1 |
The defining shock of the Towcester era came in 2017 when Astute Missile won at 28/1 — the longest-priced Derby winner in decades. Since then, the competition has been shaped by Irish connections and by the Belgian-born, Thetford-based Janssens, who has won twice. Graham Holland has won the Derby twice (with Romeo Magico in 2022 and Gaytime Nemo in 2023), and his consistent presence in the latter rounds has made him one of the dominant forces in the modern competition. (GBGB – 2025 Derby Final report)
The 2025 final was among the most dramatic in recent memory. Bockos Diamond, the Irish Derby champion and 11/10 favourite, led into the final straight before being overhauled by Droopys Plunge, with the defending champion De Lahdedah finishing a close-up third after being shuffled back early. The race perfectly illustrated why ante-post favourites have such a poor conversion rate in the Derby: in a six-dog race run at extreme pace, trouble in running and trap position can undo months of careful preparation.
Statistical Patterns from the Results
The full results list reveals several patterns that recur often enough to inform betting decisions. First, favourites win less often than the market implies. Since 1985, only fourteen of forty-one Derby finals have been won by the favourite or joint-favourite. Backing every favourite to level stakes across that period would have produced a loss of over eleven pounds per pound staked.
Second, back-to-back winners are extraordinarily rare. Only four dogs have achieved it: Mick the Miller, Patricias Hope, Rapid Ranger and Westmead Hawk. No dog has managed it since 2006, and De Lahdedah’s attempt in 2025 — he was bidding to become the fifth — ended in defeat. The market consistently overprices defending champions.
Third, the average winning starting price at Towcester has been notably longer than in the Wimbledon era. The median SP for Towcester-era winners is around 6/1, compared to roughly 5/2 at Wimbledon. This reflects a more open and internationally competitive field, and it means that the value bets are more frequently found at double-figure prices rather than among the market leaders.
The List That Keeps Growing
Every June, a new name joins this list — and every year, the pattern is slightly different from what the market expected. The roll of honour is not a museum exhibit. It is a working document that tells you where the Derby has been, which types of dogs and trainers tend to win it, and how often the betting public gets it wrong. The next line on this list will be written at Towcester in June 2026. Whether you spot the winner before the bookmakers do depends on how carefully you have read the lines above it.