Behind every champion there is a story. Behind every story, mixed in with the hard work, shrewd study and previous disappointments, there is usually a bit of luck thrown in.
The Ice On Fire story started with a bitch called I See You, who was from a Feb ’11 between Head Bound and the brilliant brood Cornamaddy Daisy.
Dave Spraggon says: “I really thought the world of the bitch. She was A1 at Newcastle but open class over the longer distance. I really bought her for breeding but in all the time she was with me, she never came into season. Then one day somebody told me that there was a bitch in the Hall Green Sales who was from the same breeding but two years younger.
“I made my mind up that I was going to buy her. Her names was Bigmans Grainne was only beaten about half a length in her sales trial after getting a big heave-ho at the first bend. She cost me about £1,500 or whatever it was in guineas. I remember the occasion quite well because when I went to look for her after the sales, they couldn’t find her.
“Eventually she turned up and when I went to pick her up, some of the transporter lads started offering dogs that hadn’t been sold on the day. There were some real bargains, £500 for three dogs and they all turned out decent. I ended up going home with eight dogs, which I sold on at cost to some of my owners at Newcastle.”
Bigmans Grainne became a regular A2/A1 winner at Newcastle with a best time of 28.80. She was injured with a gracilis problem at the time that Dave decided to retire from training. He asked Jimmy Fenwick to trainer her but she came into season before Jimmy ever had a chance to take her to the track.
Dave said: “I sent her over to Gerry McCusker who is based near Cookstown in Northern Ireland. Jerry came recommended by transporter Aidan McAllister and his place is an absolute picture. The paddocks are three acres each.
“I had been keen to have Grainne mated to Crash, but I think Jerry was owed a mating to Droopys Jet. Grainne wasn’t like I See You and didn’t really see out the distance that strongly. Sure enough, the pups were quite short runners though a couple (Glynalan Lad, Swabys Luciejane) have won (400m) opens at Romford.
“I said to Gerry that I really wanted the Crash mating because of the cross with the dam. (Crash’s mating to Cornamaddy Daisy had included Northern Puppy Derby winner Kneejerkreaction, plus Well Refreshed, Likeitalot, Johnny Vivaro, and Watch our Face).
“It has worked really well. I was entitled to two pup reared up to 12 months and I picked Ice On Fire and Irenes Hope just on their earmarks (Now THAT is luck! Ed). I hadn’t seen Ice On Fire until I was in Ireland for a funeral. He was probably about 14 months old when I saw him and couldn’t believe my eyes.
“I have been in greyhounds for 45 years and I can honestly say that I have never seen a better looking greyhound in all that time. He was absolutely magnificent.”
In fact, the cross has worked extremely well. There were four of each in the litter. All chased (Apparently Gerry McCusker has never reared a non-chaser). The dogs include open race winners Sonic Stormi and Ravens Burger. Irenes Hope has won two opens, two more bitches are running graded at Sheffield and Doncaster.
Bigmans Grainne has a third litter, by Droopys Cain, who have just started schooling and a younger litter by Holdem Spy who are still with their mum.
Ice On Fire’s dam line has been prolific over time. Bigmans Grainne’s littermates included Bigmans Daisy who has produced an excellent litter to Holdem Spy which included Doncaster Leger finalist Sonic Spur and open race winners Tell Us More and Nowhere Boys. Daisy also threw the decent middle distance dog, Aim For Glory (by Droopys Jet).
It would have been interesting to have seen what their older full sister I See You might have thrown, bearing in mind she is a litter sister to Golden Muzzle winner Wont Fall Behind, who then produced Leger winner Calico Ranger, plus littermates ‘Brandy’, Tiny and Blackjack from a mating to Holdem Spy.
Cornamaddy Daisy also threw (by Hondo Black) the Scottish Derby/William Hill Classic third Toolatetosell, who has since sired a very decent litter that includes Raise The Stakes and Down To The Felt.
Most of Cornamaddy Girl’s most successful racing offspring was Irish open racer Ardkill Star (by Ardkill Jamie) though she threw a couple more top dams. Cornamaddy Maid – a sister to Cornamaddy Daisy – threw Greyhound of the Year Cornamaddy Jumbo and Peterborough Puppy Derby winner Holdem Rio.
To Black Shaw, Girl threw Cornamaddy Tiny (dam of Gymacrack winner Stay Loose, Olympic winner Holdem Chico and Gold Cup runner-up Holdem Zidane).
