Geoffrey De Mulder (1930 – 11 December 2009) was an English greyhound trainer. He was a two times champion trainer of Great Britain and was regarded as the leading trainer during the 1970s and 1980s. De Mulder won the Greyhound Trainer of the Year twice in 1978 and 1979.

Early life

He was born in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

and grew up in a greyhound racing environment because his father Joe De Mulder was a prominent trainer during the 1950s and 1960s.

Career

After learning his trade with his father he took over the

National Greyhound Racing Club The National Greyhound Racing Club was an organisation that governed Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom Greyhound racing is a sport in the United Kingdom. The industry uses a parimutuel betting tote system with on-course and off-course be ...

licence in 1967 and he made the Gold Collar final in his rookie year. His father retained ownership of several greyhounds in the kennel. The majority of his kennel were open race class greyhounds but he held attachments throughout the Midlands at

Oxford Stadium Oxford Stadium is a Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway, speedway venue in Oxford, located in Sandy Lane, Cowley, Oxford, Cowley. As of 2024, Greyhound races are held on Monday, Friday and Saturday ...

, Nottingham Stadium, Coventry Stadium,

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 ...

and Norton Canes Stadium. His first major result was getting Little County into the 1970 English Greyhound Derby final where he finished runner-up. Training out of kennels in Meriden in the West Midlands, he gained the nickname 'The Wizard of Meriden' and consistently won major competitions during the 1970s and 1980s. His biggest successes were the two

English Greyhound Derby The English Greyhound Derby is the most prestigious race on the British Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing calendar, with a history stretching back to 1927. It was first held at White City Stadium, but moved to Wimbledon ...

wins in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

with Jimsun and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

with Sarahs Bunny, a

Scottish Greyhound Derby The Scottish Greyhound Derby was an original classic greyhound competition held from 1928 to 2019, at Carntyne Stadium and then Shawfield Stadium. History The competition was introduced at Carntyne Stadium in 1928. It was held until 1968 at ...

and four times winner of the Consolation Derby. He sent out 14 English Derby finalists. De Mulder won the Trainers Championship twice in 1977 and 1987. De Mulder was responsible for the greyhounds with the 'Fearless' prefix' and was well known for being eccentric. His protégé Tony Meek went on to win two English Greyhound Derby finals. After a long illness he died in 2009 leaving a wife and two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Mulder, Geoff Sportspeople from Yorkshire 1930 births 2009 deaths British greyhound racing trainers