The photo shown below is of Listoke Invader, winner of the Wimbledon Gold Cup in 1948, along with owner Freddie Blackall and trainer Stan Martin. The photo has been supplied courtesy of Freddie’s son Ken. I am also grateful to Tony Nash who has provided further background information.

In 1948 Freddie Blackall owned two dogs, both with Stan Martin. One was Happy Midnight, looks like he was a grader at Wimbledon, however, he did finish third in an open at Reading in March that year. Listoke Invader ran on the flat as well as being a hurdler. In March 1948 he won an open competition at Slough (worth £50), heats & final were on the same evening. In May he won the Wimbledon Gold Cup, a 500yards hurdle competition, which was worth £225 to the winner and is likely to be the trophy shown above. Later that year he was a finalist in the Hunt cup at Reading, a flat race, before being a beaten favourite in the Wimbledon Perpetual hurdle challenge, ending the year second in the Christmas vase (500yards hurdle) as the 11/10f. That year Stan Martin, as a trainer, won £1167 in open race prize money for his owners. Listoke Invader was responsible for winning £482 of that total. At that time Stan Martin was flying high, having won the first Derby after the War with Ballyhennessy Seal and winning it again in 1950 with Ballymac Ball. The previous year, when he owned Listoke Invader, it appears the dog ran in just one open. That year (1947) he owned a good sprinter called Ten Derry’s. Apart from winning several open sprints he also won the Scurry Gold Cup consolation final. Mrs E. Blackall, possibly his wife, also had a dog with Stan Martin called Barney’s Rejected.