Alex Hopkins is a young trainer who should have represented the future of the sport however on Friday evening she presented her final group of runners the last of which Imokilly Wildcat finishing second in A3. After a lifetime of involvement and learning her trade under experienced father Craig she took over the family license in her own right in January 2018. Initially providing runners to Sheffield from that point through to the end of that year. It was a successful first 12 months of training which got underway on the winner front when Queensland Flyer landed an A2 on the 12th January. The year ended with 102 graded winners for the kennel from 565 runners giving a strike rate of 18%. Throw in a few open race wins from kennel favourites Thornwick Lad and Nowurlaughing and it was an extremely promising start to a career which suggested plenty of future success. A move to Doncaster took place at the beginning of 2019 with more success following before a switch to Nottingham midway through 2021 until the present day. All the while the kennel maintained a very healthy graded strike rate of around 20% whilst a fair amount of success on the open scene kept the kennel ticking along very nicely indeed.
A young Alex with father Craig pups from their first home bred litter (Top Savings x Prospect Sammie May 2005)
From the outside looking in this was a young trainer enjoying plenty of winners and with realistic hope of a bright and successful future in the sport. Like many in similar positions though the pressure of maintaining a well run kennel comes at great cost both to the individuals personal life and also financially.
Alex explains “Quite simply the kennel has been subsidised to a large degree by my father Craig. We’ve been lucky we’ve been supported over the years by some great owners who have stuck by us through thick and thin and without them we’d have been finished a long time ago but at other times when a dog has needed to be bought in order to maintain a contract or other costs associated with running a professional set up then the responsibility has fell upon my dad’s shoulders. The costs involved in running a kennel to good standards simply aren’t reflected by the money coming back to you from the track’s. This isn’t simply a criticism of the tracks which we’ve been attached to but this unfortunately is a sad reflection of the sport as a whole. There is plenty of money coming into this game but at some point the flow of cash seems to stop and only a small trickle ends up with the people who dedicate their lives to the sport and most importantly the dogs. The media companies receive a hell of a lot of money from the bookmakers but do they feed enough of that down the line ? Do the bookmakers themselves pay enough in the first instance ? Looking at the amount of kennels going out of business in recent years and the loss of relatively young people like myself from the sport you would have to say no”.
Alex parading Kilara Scottie at Newcastle her first Cat One Finalist (2023 Northern Puppy Derby)
Despite not training Kilara Lion at the time after the birth of son Niall , Alex gained great pleasure from the success on the track of Kilara Lion.
Alex said “He really was a phenomenally fast greyhound and Patrick Janssens handled him brilliantly for owners Chris Crampton , David Priestley , Nigel Thomas and Harry Crapper. Some dogs just take a place in your heart and he certainly was one who did”.
Alex with Kilara Lion after his 2020 Yarmouth Derby success
So what next for Alex who at 31 years old still has the majority of her working life ahead of her ?
“I’m lucky to have been offered a job working in the fire safety industry. It’s something totally new to myself but the role will allow me a couple of days off a week which just isn’t possible working full time with the dogs. I’ll miss it greatly as they mean the world to me but at some point you have to say enough is enough. I wish I could recommend becoming a greyhound trainer to young people looking to make their way in life but realistically the career is financial suicide which results in zero long term security. I hope at some point the role can become viable for the majority working in the sport and not just a lucky few and if so then who knows maybe I might at some point make a return. For the dogs sake I’d love that as there is simply no greater pleasure than working with the most beautiful animals in the world”.
“In the short term my dad will take back over the license but with the kennels now on the market that might not be for too long. After encountering his fair share of financial difficulties brought upon by his own dedication to the game it’s only fair that he gets a bit of well earned retirement in the sun”.
