Allan Britton
Years involved in industry: 50
Category: Trainer
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Winning Trainer 1991 Laurels
- Winning Trainer 1996 MGRA Sprint Championship
- Winning Trainer 1998 National Derby
- Winning Trainer 1997 Sandown Cup
- Winning Trainer 2000 WA Interstate Challenge
Allan Britton is involved in greyhound racing on a minor scale these days, however it was a different story in the 1950s-1990s when he was a powerhouse trainer despite only ever breeding and training a small team of greyhounds.
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Even today, the Britton name continues to play a prominent role in the sport with sons Robert [from Lara] and Jeff [Anakie] plus daughter Linda [Western Australia] all champion trainers in their own right.
Asked who the best greyhound was that he ever trained, Britton said.
“I’ve never had a champion but I’ve had a lot of good dogs. The first good dog I ever had was Pinetion, who won the Geelong Cup in the late 1960s.”
Some of Britton’s other top class greyhounds over the years include The Apprentice, McGuane, Barb’s Tune, Shannen’s Storm, Applaud, Mepunga Spark, Limburg Lass and Bear Creek.
Britton and wife Margaret spent two years in Macau in the 1980s assisting fellow Hall of Fame inductee, veterinarian Dr. Jim Gannon in educating Asian greyhound trainers on the art of training greyhounds.
Robert reflected on his dad’s Hall of Fame induction.
“When he was at the peak of his training career dad was one of a handful of trainers that left no stone unturned when it came to preparing a greyhound to win. If it meant travelling with just one greyhound all the way to somewhere like Wangaratta two separate times to trial before returning there to race he would do it.”
Any dog dad had entered in a race got respect from everyone, because he only ever raced his dogs when he knew they were primed to win”, Robert said.
When asked what some of the most important things Robert learnt from his dad in relation to greyhound racing, he said…
“Dad’s integrity and the way he has always put the welfare of his greyhounds at the top of his priority list have been the two things I have always admired most about him.”
“Right from the early 1960s we always had a litter in the backyard and it was dad’s ability to win races with virtually every dog he bred that made him so well respected in the greyhound industry.”
After starting his training career in Portland, Britton has made a name for himself in the Geelong suburb of Lara, where he continues to assist Robert, Jeff and even Linda with the training of their dogs.
