Waterloo Cup

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The Waterloo Cup was the biggest annual hare coursing event in the United Kingdom and was often referred to by its supporters as the blue riband event of the coursing year.[1] A hare coursing event of identical name was held in Australia from 1868 to 1985, at which point it became a lure coursing event.[2]

Run as a knock-out tournament between sixty four coursing greyhounds from Great Britain and Ireland, supporters described it as the ultimate test of a greyhound but opponents of hare coursing, such as the League Against Cruel Sports, saw it as a celebration of cruelty. The three day event was run annually at Great Altcar in Lancashire, England from 1836 to 2005 and used to attract tens of thousands of spectators to watch and gamble on the coursing matches.

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

The Hunting Act 2004 which came into force just after the 2005 cup made hare coursing events illegal in England and Wales, and the Waterloo Cup has not taken place since.