(one of them being Romford) had BAGS contracts at this time. Lauries Panther (owned by Laurie James and trained by Terry Duggan) won the 1982 English Greyhound Derby, providing Romford with their greatest moment and both Ballyregan Bob and Scurlogue Champ appeared at the track. The former won the 1985 Essex Vase going through unbeaten and breaking the track record in the final. Three new major events were introduced; the Coronation Cup became Romford's third major trophy in 1986 following the closure of Southend Stadium, the Golden Sprint was inaugurated in 1987 followed by the resurrected Champion Stakes in 1988. In 1996 former Bolton boss Peter O’Dowd became Racing Manager taking over from Steve Daniel who had himself only recently replaced Ray Spalding. Leading Trainers have included Linda Mullins, Peter Payne, Kenny Linzell, Linda Jones, David Mullins and Peter Rich. 21st Century In 2006 the stadium underwent a £400,000 refurbishment of the main grandstand restaurant. Trainer Paul Young (who joined the track in 2000) won the 2014 Trainers Championship. In 2018 the stadium signed a deal with SIS to race every Monday afternoon, Wednesday evening, Thursday afternoon, Friday evening and twice on a Saturday (morning and evening). During 2019 a multimillion-pound renovation took place, which included the demolition of the main stand to create more car parking space, a modernisation of the reception area and office buildings, the construction a grand stand and a new track was laid down. The venue remained open throughout with the exception of four day closure in the August. The official re-opening was on 6 September 2019. In 2020 the Cesarewitch competition was brought back after an eight year dormant period, the event was sponsored by stadium owners Ladbrokes Coral as a category 1 race. Popular culture Several Underworld tracks are named after greyhounds that ran at the stadium, including Born Slippy, Sappy's Curry, and Pearl's Girl. Track records Current Former (post-metric) Former (pre-metric) References External links Official site Information site Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Havering Greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom Sports venues in London Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Havering Greyhound Stadium Sport in the London Borough of Havering