LORRAINE SAMS
A number of newly licensed Owner/Trainers have been in touch recently to express a wish to race at Perry Barr, and qualifying trials will begin in the next few days.
Ex-professional trainer and GBGB Stipendiary Steward Lorraine Sams is now based just outside Melton Mowbray and has taken out an OT licence to train and race her newly acquired bitch puppy at the Barr.
Stourbridge based Alison Hill used to race at Perry Barr many moons ago under the old permit scheme, has just applied for her OT licence and has decided to have another bash at training for herself. Alison’s kennels are currently being refurbished.
Moira Pattison has been an owner in the Midlands for many years, and has welcomed the opportunity to train a couple from her Hilton, Derbyshire base, headed by her bitch Milltown Lady.
Walsall based Lee Field currently owns dogs with Paul Sallis and Pat Rosney and is keen as mustard to try his hand training. Lee’s OT licence is already in place, and is having kennels built in his back garden.
On the Greyhound Trainer front, Whitby, Ellesmere Port based Ben Harding is currently an owner at Belle Vue, but has taken out his own GT licence to race his dogs under his own name. Ben used to run Winsford and Ellesmere Port independent tracks and will be trialling his first seven runners this coming Monday.
Craig Marston runs a new branch of the RGT in Dudley along with partner Debbie and has been an owner and kennelhand for a numbers of years, attached to the kennels of Mike Bandurak, Kim Billingham, Pam Burford and Sandra Ralph. Craig’s kennels are currently being modernised and he will start off with around four dogs, increasing to a dozen as the year progresses. Further down the line, Craig has ambitions for a Professional Licence and a racing strength in excess of 20.
Perry Barr RM Martin Seal said: “It’s a shot in the arm for Perry Barr and greyhound racing as a whole that there are still plenty of people with an unbridled enthusiasm for this great sport, and all at the Barr wish our newcomers the best of fortune in the months and years ahead.”
On the racing front, it was a welcome sight indeed to see Drumkeen Oyster make his second race back from serious injury a winning one, albeit slightly fortunate, with victory in a sprint open on 4th March.
Carla Hendy’s pride and joy arrived from Ireland in the Summer of 2015 with a 28.66 at Clonmel on his card, and after some fast sprint spins to qualify and a promising debut at Hove, Oyster rocked up at the Barr in late September for a 480m maiden. 27.93secs later the clock was his, and the ensuing weeks saw him rattle off a five timer at the Birmingham track, all in impressive fashion.
After an unsuccessful trip to Wimbledon on Leger/Puppy Derby Final night and a few more trials, Oyster was put away for the Winter and reappeared in February, looking as sharp as ever. However, a visit to Swindon for a trial ended in disaster with a badly broken hock, and Oyster was operated on by Daniel Doherty that same evening.
A full six months elapsed before the flying black reappeared at the Barr for a successful handslip, Doherty happy with the flexibility in the problematic joint, but four subsequent solo trials indicated that all was not well, and Carla decided to draw stumps mid November after a poor 16.74 effort.
Fast forward to February 2017 and here we go again….. Decent 225m and 275m solo spins followed, and Carla was happy enough to let Oyster take his chance in a race, a slow away fourth place in an average time, but more importantly in one piece. Just four dogs went to traps for the follow up, but it was no gimme with Master Lego and Kahuna Donal in the race.
After a tardy break, Oyster was forced onto the grass at halfway as the leaders came together, but gathered himself sufficiently to make a strong run up the straight and grab the win.
It has been a long road back, but massive credit must go to Carla for a terrific training performance, the dog himself for having the fortitude to survive such a serious injury and make a winning return at a good level, and to vet Daniel Doherty without whom none of this would probably have happened.
