trained by Phil Rees Snr., won the Derby; Rees handed his kennels to his son Philip Rees Jnr. just two years later after retiring. 1980s Wimbledon was chosen to host the sport's premier event, the 1985 Greyhound Derby, following the closure of White City in 1984. Industry support for Wembley to be given the premier race was inconsequential, since GRA owned the rights to the competition and would not allow a non-GRA track to have the race. Bob Rowe, Chief Racing Manager for the GRA, was Racing Manager at Wimbledon when the track was handed the Derby, and trainers Tom Foster and David Kinchett both joined from White City. The first Derby at Wimbledon was held over a new distance of , and ended with a seventh success for the track. Pagan Swallow won the competition, and the Rees family became the second father and son to each win the Derby. Arthur Hitch joined the tack in 1987 when Slough Stadium closed, and following the closure of Harringay Stadium the prestigious Oaks for bitches was relocated to Wimbledon. 1990s In 1990 a greyhound called Druids Johno was given to Prince Edward; the half share of the black dog had been given to the Prince by Patsy Byrne during a charity meeting at Kingsmead Stadium, Canterbury. Byrne joined Wimbledon as a trainer in 1991, and sponsored the long-running International in the process. This appointment brought about the last Derby triumph for the track, with Ballinderry Ash taking the 1991 title to bring the total to eight, just one behind Wembley. In 1992 GRA parent company Wembley PLC announced losses of £8 million, despite a £13 million profit in its UK operation. Simon Harris arrived from Hall Green to become Racing Manager, with Bob Rowe remaining at Wimbledon in his role as Chief Racing Manager of the GRA. 1996 saw the introduction of the Intertrack betting service, which enabled race-goers at other tracks around the country to view racing and place bets directly into the Wimbledon tote. In 1998 the Laurels relocated to sister track Belle Vue Stadium, and a new Paddock Bar extension costing £500,000 opened; the kennels were moved to the first bend to facilitate the change. The next year, Sky Sports screened their first greyhound meeting at Wimbledon, which included the Springbok final. The GRA switched the Grand National to Wimbledon from Hall Green in 1999. 2000–2017 Rapid Ranger