The 1976 Greyhound Derby Trophy won by Mutts Silver, a silver trophy cup & cover, hallmarked rubbed but looks to be Birmingham, 1973, inscribed THE SP

The 1976 Greyhound Derby Trophy won by Mutts Silver, a silver trophy cup & cover, hallmarked rubbed but looks to be Birmingham, 1973, inscribed THE SPILLERS GREYHOUND DERBY 1976, WHITE CITY, LONDON, WON BY MUTTS SILVER, the cover with a greyhound finial, height 33cm. on an ebonised base; sold together with Mutts Silver's Dog of the Year trophy for 1976, in the form of a silver plated model of a greyhound, set on an ebonised plinth set with a presentation plaque, 24 by 24cm.; sold together with The Reg Potter Trophy won by Westpark Mallard in 1979, a silver plated model of a greyhound set on a wooden plinth & base with presentation plaque inscribed WESTPARK MALLARD, WINNER OF THE REG POTTER TROPHY 1979, D. BLACKBURNE & M. HARRIS, TRAINED BY P. REES, 23 by 30.5cm. (3) Mutts Silver had been bought by a syndicate headed by Ray Lancaster, editor of the Sporting Life and had been chosen by the greyhound editor Archie Newhouse who had been tasked to find a Derby dog. As the traps rose for the Derby final Mutts Silver unleashed a stunning burst of early speed to slip round in front. Ballybeg Prim made some inroads into the leader's advantage, but Mutts Silver wasn't stopping and beat the favourite by a little over two lengths in 29.38sec. The battle for the accolade greyhound of the year was neck and neck between Mutts Silver and Westmead Champ. The Derby champion had claimed the Select Stakes and Silver Salver in addition to the big one whilst Champ had secured the Regency title alongside the two classic races. A new system of selecting the greyhound of the year was inaugurated; it involved thirteen members of the greyhound press voting for one greyhound each. Mutts Silver and Westmead Champ ended with six votes each and were declared joint winners.