QUARE TIMES weighed in at 67lbs and, in the 1940s, was one of the fastest greyhounds ever to race at any track and the first to break 29sec over 525yds in a race, (Bah’s Choice had done so previously in a trial at White City).
By Ballydancer, an Irish 550yds National record holder, out of the dam Quite Welcome, and whelped in 1944, he first came to prominence when finishing second to Shaggy Lad in the 1945 Irish Puppy Derby. Then, in the second round of the National Puppy Cup at Clonmel, he clocked an amazing 29.75sec to set a new track record.
In the final of the 1946 Easter Cup at Shelbourne Park, he was second to the bitch Astra, having previously beaten her in the second round by six lengths.
Owned, bred and trained by Mr and Mrs Quinn of Killenaule, Co. Tipperary, Quare Times was the fastest since Mr Quinn’s star of earlier days, Brilliant Bob, but his early races set the pattern for his whole career. He had amazing speed but little in the way of track craft when compared with champions such as Mick the Miller, Wild Woolley, Ballynennan Moon and Monday’s News.
Coming to England in May 1946 after his Easter Cup run, Quare Times was placed with Sidney Orton at Wimbledon and entered for the Derby. It was in heat four of the second round that he clocked a new world record time of 28.95sec, but ran below his best in the semis and failed to make the final. In the Derby Consolation Stakes, however, he won by four lengths from Bah’s Choice in 28.82sec to improve on his own world record and ‘beat’ Monday’s News who won the Derby that night.
At White City, in an England v Ireland match against Bah’s Choice on Bank Holiday Monday for £500 a side, run over 550yds, Quare Times was the winner by three and a half lengths in the world’s fastest time for the distance of 30.38sec. Reportedly, Mrs Quinn was offered £10,000 for the dog but would not accept the offer and the Quinns never did part with him.
Instead he was retired to stud and, although he sired few outstanding greyhounds, his mating with Negros Fire produced Quare Fire who, from a mating to The Grand Champion, produced The Grand Fire who was to have as great an influence on the dam lines of generations of greyhounds. The Grand Fire was sire of Millie Hawthorn, dam of the English Derby winner Faithful Hope, who in turn was sire of another Derby winner, John Silver.