I must admit to be looking forward to this year. We’ve had two very good years but I am the sort of person who gets excited about the next winner – not the last one.
We have 52 dogs in the kennel and I am trying to free up kennel space for some new dogs waiting to come in.
We keep around half a dozen retired dogs and I am trying to get some of them re-homed. We have others that will be here for the rest of their days.
I have just put our Laurels winner Sevenheads Bay on the re-homing scheme. He went to stud but was infertile and has been with us ever since. We also have Broadacres Turbo who is getting on a bit now but is very precious to us.
He threw some decent dogs but didn’t really make it at stud. He means a lot to the family because he traces back to the breeding we brought over from England with us just under 13 years ago.
He is a great grandson of One For Tarbert who was with us until she died at 16 and is buried in the garden.
We also have Knockglass Billy at stud though he has been quiet for three months and will probably go home with his owner, at least until he has some runners. Our other stud dog Leeview Jet did very well but was sold to Hong Kong.
On the racing side, we have a couple of runners in the Red Mills Unraced at Clonmel.
We were away before the event got underway and then lost a trial session due to frost so they are both a bit underdone at this stage.
Ballydore Honey is a promising young bitch who maybe lacks a yard of early pace but runs on very well. She finished a decent second and should improve.
We also have Riverside Gold who probably has the better chance of the two. He didn’t break in his heat but has great early pace and like Honey should improve for the run.
I am also about to start work on my runners for the Tote Gold Cup at Shelbourne. It will be the first event for Vans Viking who reached the Laurels Final last year and really needs a competition.
I will also bring the Tralee Derby winner Clares Wonder and Elevenerife, a dog named after one of his joint owners Sean Gresham.
Sean is a popular guy and a big supporter of racing but we have a bit of fun with him. The story is, if we had all been to Tenerife, Sean would have been Elevenerife. He just takes the banter in his stride.
I am also thinking of taking a young dog called Coran Sky, owned by a very nice guy from Cork.
He is an interesting story. I had him in the kennel and he was all over the place, very hyper.
I changed his diet by cutting back on the raw meat and started giving him a gallop on the day before the race and it has turned him inside out.
He has won his last two at Shelbourne over the 550 and 575 (29.77, 31.16) but is showing such good early, I reckon he is capable of a decent run over the 525.
We also have a dog qualified for the Coursing Derby at Clonmel in early February.
He a 100lb dog called Chubbys Charmer and is owned by three Englishmen, Brian Holder, Peter McMahon and Graham Howson and bred by Seamus O’Meara.
We had a couple of setbacks with him but he won the trialstake at Mooncoin .
I don’t normally have coursing dogs but my family and the connections are thoroughly enjoying the experience.
Looking further ahead, we are already thinking about the English Derby. It is a lot of work and hassle but the prize is so big, you have to take part. I will start thinking about my team in the coming weeks.
