BREEDING GROUND

Droopys Sydney – gone but living on

– by Floyd Amphlett

The obituaries have long been written for Droopys Sydney but his influence will remain as long as greyhounds continue to race and be bred.

Droopys Sydney Irish & British litters

We can trace modern greyhound pedigrees back to the 19th century and while there may be a question mark or two about the accuracy of the contents, which reader can be 100% confident in the veracity of their own pedigree?

In recent months, Sydney pups finished first to fifth in the Produce Stakes. Five Sydneys contested the Birmingham Cup Final. He sired the winners of the Northern Flat, Regency, Sussex Cup, Juvenile Classic, Monmore Gold Cup, Select Stakes, Empress Stakes, Irish Laurels and so many more. . .

So what are the numbers behind the success?

These (right) are our calculations of his litters produced in the Irish and British stud books from those first two early litters – Bubbly Bluebird was from his second batch – and his eventual retirement.

A mere 15 litters after three years at stud – how could he possibly make it!

This is NOT the final total. There are more litters to be registered following his death, but as the figures show, they will be at the fag end of his career. The youngest crop included are a Nov’ 2013 British bred litter out of Singalong Sally.

I haven’t had the time and resources to examine the Irish data in minute detail, though there is one fascinating nugget of data for all of us breeding nerds.

On various occasions, I have trotted out a figure suggesting the average number of greyhounds born per litter as, 6.8. Droopys Sydney has 43 litters registered to date in the Greyhound Stud Book. That amounted to 145 dog pups and 148 bitches. Total 293. Average 6.81 pups per litter.

Cat 1 wins:

2016: Bubbly Bluebird (Puppy Classic, Kent Derby)

2017: Bubbly Bluebird (Eclipse)

2019: Droopys Aoife (Essex Vase)

2020 Goldies Hoddle (Golden Sprint), Bower Luke (All England Cup), Kingsbrook Glynn (Stayers Classic), Deerjet Sydney (English Derby), Surprising (English Puppy Derby)

2021: Brookside Richie (Juvenile Classic, Romford Puppy Cup), Drumcrow Brent (Sussex Cup), Coolavanny Bani (Stayers Classic, Empress Stakes), Pocket Lola (Produce Stakes), Prince Of Troy (Olympic)

2022: Coolavanny Bani (Essex Vase), Bellmore Sally (Golden Jacket), Coolavanny Aunty (Grand Prix, Three Steps To Victory), Distant Podge (Puppy Classic), Brookside Richie (Select Stakes), Slick Sakina (Oaks, Eclipse), Fromposttopillar (Cowley Puppy Collar, Olympic), Clongeel Ozzie (Ballyregan Bob Mem.)

2023: Cochise (Cesarewitch), Watchall Sid (Brit Bred Puppy), Bellmore Sally (Golden Jacket, TV Trophy), Coolavanny Shado (Winter Derby), Fromposttopillar (Kent Plate, Stayers Classic), Brookside Richie (Northern Flat, Birmingham Cup), Betsys Bullet (Brighton Belle), Distant Emma (Three Steps To Victory), Gaytime Nemo (English Derby), Coppice Fox (Grand National), Watch The Limo (East Anglian Derby), Queen Joni (Produce Stakes, British Bred Derby), Crafty Shivoo (Empress Stakes), Romeo Crusade (Romford Puppy Cup), Longfellow (Cowley Puppy Collar), Churchfield Syd (Kent Derby), King Memphis (English Puppy Derby, Olympic), Newinn Syd (Eclipse)

2024: Romeo Cypher (BGBF Puppy Cup), Clona Curly (Northern Puppy Derby), King Capaldi (Winter Derby), Front Alice (Golden Sprint), Queen Joni (Kent Plate, Brighton Belle), Wicky Ned (Gymcrack, Northern Flat), Kilwest Ranger (Laurels), Queen Georgia (Three Steps To Victory), Baywatch Bullet (Regency), Newinn Benni (Sussex Cup), Churchfield Syd (Monmore Gold Cup), Unanimouspanther (Select Stakes), Avongate Venus (Empress Stakes), Druids Say Go (East Anglian Derby), Southfield Poppy (Produce Stakes) . . .so far