Waterloo Cup

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The Waterloo Cup is seen by its supporters as the Blue Riband event on the hare coursing calendar. Opponents of hare coursing, such as the League Against Cruel Sports see it as a celebration of cruelty. Run at Great Altcar in Lancashire, England since 1836, supporters say it is the ultimate test of a greyhound. The three day competition, which used to attract tens of thousands of spectators, saw sixty four of the finest coursing greyhounds from Great Britain and Ireland to contest the historic prize.

Sir Mark Prescott and the cups, February 2005
Sir Mark Prescott and the cups, February 2005

The 2005 event, held on February 14-16, was eventually won by a dog called Shashi. Shashi was bred by Ernest Smith, and owned by him with Albert Shackcloth and Michael Darnell. Trained at Malton, North Yorkshire, by the Teals, the winner managed to beat Hardy Admiral, owned by Diana Williams, in the final.

The Hunting Act 2004, which came into force just after the 2005 cup banned such hare coursing events, and the Waterloo Cup did not take place in 2006 or 2007.