British breeding showed a minor bounce in 2021 following a Covid ravaged 2020. To date 159 litters gave been registered with two and a half months to go before the last of the 2021 whelps need to be registered. The final figure will probably approach 200.
Between 2017-2019, there were between 214-219 litters registered though that dipped to 143 in 2020. Ten years earlier, that figure was 462.
That decline has been reflected in the number of British bred greyhounds on the tracks. Thirty years ago, British breeders were producing almost 900 litters per year with a fifth of all racers being British bred. In 2021, the figure was roughly 1:7.
On the plus side though, British based stud dogs have reaped the benefit of Covid/Brexit issues. Ice On Fire has 19 litters registered. Hiya Butt has 18.
Butt’s handler Richard Devenish said: “There has definitely been an upturn. It is costing around £450 to get a bitch to and from Ireland, and that doesn’t include the stud fee, plus all the associated paperwork.
“With what is going on with prices now, I think a lot of trainers are thinking about breeding themselves to keep their numbers up. It wasn’t so long ago that you could get five racing dogs for £1,000. Now you only get one.”
The latest recruit to the stud team, the five time Cat One winner King Turbo, has made a highly promising start to his breeding career.
Richard said: “Considering he arrived at the worst time of the year, lots of people don’t want late year pups, he has done well. He has already covered four bitches and has one of Kevin Boothby’s – Savana Sasha – booked in this week. We is working well and very fertile. I couldn’t be happier with him.”
