The Blue Riband is a

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of th ...

competition held annually at Towcester Stadium.

History

It was inaugurated in 1981 at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

as a replacement competition for the Wembley Spring Cup which ended in 1980. Following the end of the

Wembley Greyhounds Wembley Greyhounds was the Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing operation held at Wembley Stadium (1923), Wembley Stadium in London. History Origins After the 1924-25 British Empire Exhibition Wembley Stadium was in liqui ...

the race transferred to

Greyhound Racing Association The Greyhound Racing Association was a UK-based private company founded in 1925 and existed until 2019. It was involved in the management of sports venues, notably greyhound racing stadia. The GRA was responsible for introducing Greyhound racing ...

(GRA) sister track

Hall Green Stadium Hall Green Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium located in the Birmingham suburb of Hall Green, which existed from 1927 until 2017. The track itself was a 412-metre long oval track with a sand covered surface. The capacity of the stadium was ...

in 1999. The race was discontinued by the GRA after the 2012 running despite being a category one race. In 2021, the race returned under the promotion of Kevin Boothby at Towcester Greyhound Stadium and has retained a category 1 status since.

Venues & distances

*1981–1998 (Wembley, 490 metres) *1999–2012 (Hall Green, 480 metres) *2021–2025 (Towcester, 500 metres)

Past winners

References

{{UK & Irish greyhound competitions Greyhound racing competitions in the United Kingdom Recurring sporting events established in 1981 Sports events at Wembley Stadium Sport in the London Borough of Brent Greyhound racing in London Sports competitions in Birmingham, West Midlands Sport in Northamptonshire

History

Venues & distances

Sponsors

Past winners

References