If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.
It’s a mantra that has just secured Lee Craze his maiden win at the English Greyhound Derby… more than 40 years after racing his first dog at the capital’s iconic White City Stadium.
Lennies Eddie was the good boy who took the spoils at Towcester Racetrack earlier in June – landing his connections, including owner Craze, a handsome £125,000 payday.
Hero Eddie
Greyhound racing remains a popular sport and pastime in England almost a century to the day that the first tracks – including White City – opened their doors.
And, alongside football and horse racing, greyhound betting with UK licensed bookmakers has also retained its popularity. The English Greyhound Derby is just one of the options – Lennies Eddie was a 10/1 chance with some betting sites – alongside weekly meetings at the likes of Romford, Towcester and Sheffield.
The Derby is the flagship race on English soil, with a series of qualifiers all leading to Towcester, where a huge prize pool and a chance to join the greyhound racing hall of fame are on the line.
LENNIES EDDIE WINS THE 2026 STAR SPORTS AND ORCHESTRATE GREYHOUND DERBY! pic.twitter.com/aetbIplCIM
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 6, 2026
Conditions were atrocious at the Northamptonshire venue, with heavy rain and swirling winds playing havoc at trackside, but Lennies Eddie remained unperturbed to upset the formbook and defeat the favourite, Ballymac Deniro, with a strong front-running display.
The watch was stopped at 28.20 seconds; the third-fastest time ever recorded at Towcester.
Paul Hennessy, the man tasked by Craze to get his dogs in prime racing form, said afterwards: “What a dog! I was out in the middle screaming my head off like a madman. That’s what the Derby does to you.”
Craze-y Days
Craze named his Derby winner after his grandsons, Lennie and Eddie. His is a long love affair with greyhound racing, which began back as a youngster in the 1980s watching the major races on home soil.
London also has a proud place in the legacy of the sport. The English Greyhound Derby was first run at White City in 1927, where it would remain almost uninterrupted for more than 50 years.
A former host of the Olympic Games, White City was demolished in 1985 – its site is now inhabited by the likes of BBC Television Centre, Imperial College and Westfield shopping centre.
White City Stadium, for most of its existence primarily a greyhound stadium, but in an earlier life the main venue for the 1908 London Olympic Games. pic.twitter.com/5AetO4arog
— Vince Taylor (@Groundtastic) April 22, 2020
The Derby then moved to another greyhound racing venue in the capital. Wimbledon welcomed the richest prize in English greyhounds for more than three decades, before it too was closed and demolished in 2017 – the home of Wimbledon AFC taking its place.
Greyhound racing has a long and storied heritage then, with Lennies Eddie adding his name to the hall of fame with his famous Derby win. He’ll next be in action across the Irish Sea, contesting the Dundalk International.
As for Craze, you suspect it will take a little longer for his own slice of history to sink in. “This Derby was supposed to be part of building his experience – but he’s gone and won it! This is the dream of all owners.”
