The final British Bred litter figures are in for 2021*.
The good news is, they have shown some bounce from 2020 when breeding, among everything else, was hit by national Covid lock downs. There were 178 litters registered compared to 143 the previous year.
However, the overall trend is down: 2019-214, 2018-219, 2017-214, 2016-239, 2015-242, 2014-259, 2013-295, 2012-312.
The 43% decline in ten years compares to a 28% decline in Irish breeding over a similar period meaning Irish litters outnumber British litters by 12:1.
Breaking the British figures down further, there were 574 dogs and 560 bitches for a total of 1,134 pups and an average litter size – as always – at around six and a half – or more precisely, 6.37.
Covid and Brexit issues have though been a bonus for UK based stud dogs. 2020 Greyhound of the Year Ice On Fire produced 22 litters while Cambridgeshire based Hiya Butt was on the mark with 18. Top Irish sire Droopys Sydney produced 12 British bred litters.
The biggest litter was once again produced by the superbly fertile Banabane with 14 pup by Good News. Her previous litter of 12 included 11 different race winners.
(*Liz Mort, Keeper of the Stud Book likes it to be known that although there is a three month registration period for litters. Litters may be registered at a later date, subject to a possible fine)
The litters are listed in month order meaning that the first group, born in January 2021, would now be eligible to run qualifying trial
It was probably back in July 2016 when UK racegoers first started asking – Who is this Droopys Sydney?
The reason was a 22 month old youngster called Bubbly Bluebird winning his first open race.
In fact the Paul Young trained blue would win his next 10 opens going unbeaten through the William Hill Puppy Plate at Sunderland (26.72), the Coral Puppy Trophy at Hove (29.46 calc 515m), the Nottingham Puppy Classic (best 29.64) and the Kent Derby (best 28.77).
Bluebird was from the first litter by the virtually unknown (outside of Cork), Droopys Sydney out of the unproven dam Broadstrand Xola. Sydney had won his only race and looked ‘a million’ to make it at stud.
Until Bluebird!
Readers of the Greyhound-data website will be aware that Bluebird still head’s the table of Droopys Sydney offspring. Followed by: Deerjet Sydney, Coolavanny Aunty, Brookside Richie, Droopys Aoife, Coolavanny Bani, Knocknaboul Syd, Drumcrow Brent, Bellmore Sally and Coolavanny Kyser.
Surely he would be one of the most sought after young dogs at stud?
In fact, Bluebird only has one litter on the track, out of the Bubbly Club’s former A1 grader Bubbly Rose.
Like their dam, the best of the litter are top graders, though it remains to be seen whether her Apr 20 litter by the highly rated Magical Bale ultimately prove superior.
So why is Bluebird not at stud?
Bubbly spokesman Steve Fluin said: “There are two reasons really. The first is, as anybody who saw him at presentations would be aware, he is a particularly nervous dog.
“Secondly, he has a very low sperm count. We had to send him away about four times to have semen drawn. He hated it and we wouldn’t want to put him though it again.
“We do have one vial of frozen semen which will will use on one of the Bubbly bitches, though we haven’t decided which one.
“Ultimately though, we are a racing club, not a breeding club. Paul (Young) isn’t set up for rearing litters and it doesn’t really interest him.
“Ironically, as he has grown older, Blluebird has very much come out of himself. He is now Paul and Mim’s house pet and self appointed guard dog. He is happy and so are we. We were never interested in pursuing a commercial stud career with him.”
There is though one more interesting fact about the big blue.
Steve added: “If I remember correctly what Michael (Dunphy) told me. He wasn’t just from Droopys Sydney’s first litter, he was also the first pup born.”
