The professional Greyhound racing has had a lot to answer for, and substantial improvements have been made, but our post isn’t to discuss the racing world, it’s to talk about an icon in racing history. He was born in Ireland, but he was celebrated as the first great racing greyhound to compete in England. His name was Mick the Miller, and by the end of his career after three short years, he was known around the world. He’s still considered one of the greatest sporting heroes in the UK.

Mick was smallest in a litter of twelve puppies born in the home of parish curate, Fr Martin Brophy. He was somewhat sickly as a pup (some sources say it was distemper), but with constant attention and regular exercise, his health improved, and he developed into a racing machine. His first forays were only on local coursing fields, but his real talent was on the track where he won 15 of his first 20 races. In 1929 in his first trial-run, Mick equalled the  track record. In his first heat, he broke the world record and became the first greyhound ever to run 525 yards in under 30 seconds.

From mickthemiller.com: “Over the course of his English career he won 36 of his 48 races, including the  Derby (twice), the St Leger, the Cesarewitch, and the Welsh Derby.  He set six new world records and two new track records.  He was the first greyhound to win  19 races in a row. Several of his records went unbroken for over 40 years. He won, in total, almost £10,000 in prizemoney. But he also became the poster-dog for greyhound racing. He was a celebrity on a par with any sports person, muscisian or moviestar. The more famous he became, the more he attracted people to greyhound racing.  Thousands thronged to watch him, providing a huge boost to the sport. It is said that he actually saved the sport of greyhound racing.”

Mick enjoyed retirement as a stud dog, but also appeared in the movie, Wild Boy, based on his life. He was in huge demand on the celebrity circuit, and rubbed shoulders with royalty at charity events.

Mick died at the age of 12 in 1939, and in 1981, he was inducted into the International Section of the American Hall of Fame. In 2011, a monument was erected in his honor by the people of his birthplace, Killeigh. To this day, many greyhound racing stadiums still have facilities named after him