Poole report a significant increase in attendances in 2015, with a particularly successful Christmas.
GM Shaun Spencer-Perkins said: “The year itself was a bit up and down but Christmas trading was phenomenal. We seem to have a pretty good marketing package now, but I think we were just building on previous years which were also pretty strong. We had over 1,000 here on Boxing Day alone.”
Looking ahead, the track’s main open race attractions are the Golden Crest and the Dorset Classic. They will retain their four-meeting per week format until the end of March when Saturday afternoon BAGS ceases.
Spencer-Perkins said: “The Crest will once again be our main event. It is scheduled for February but with questionable weather, it could easily sip back to April/May.
“We sponsor the event ourselves, though hopefully we can attract sponsors for the supporting events. Carslberg stepped in for the Classic late in the year and were delighted with how it went. A good December competition certainly attracts interest.
“We could do with more trainers, but then who couldn’t? We lost June Harvey to Wimbledon last year and we are delighted that things have gone so well for her. We have also had a couple of trainers pass on. Things get a bit easier when we return to the Tuesday-Saturday-Sunday format, but owners and trainers never miss out. If we have enough dogs for 13 or 14 race cards, we always run them, because it is financially viable to do so.”
Like most track bosses, Spencer-Perkins studies the weather forecast closely at this time of year, but he is not too concerned about the expected drop in temperatures.
He said: “Being close to sea level, we can be a little vulnerable to flooding from high tides, but otherwise our location near the sea works in our favours. The sea breezes mean we very rarely loose a meeting to fog, and they tend to keep the temperature a little higher than the track based more in-land.”
Poole’s top trainer of the year for the third consecutive year is the fascinating Dave Mitchell who trains from a kennel with six acres just outside Langport in Somerset.
Now 80 years old, Dave is one of the great characters in West Country racing. Around animals since he was a child, he spent a few years working for Westland Helicopters, expanded a farming hobby into a lucrative business, and then became a quarry owner. He ‘retired with a few pounds’ aged 59 and is down the kennel with his dogs at 6am every morning.
It is his third consecutive year as the top trainer having landed the first title when the track re-opened in 2001.
He said: “I have about 27-28 dogs on the strength and I own all of them bar one, who I leased out to a syndicate for a year. I don’t want owners, I want to decide what is best for my dogs without any interference.”
Dave is actually as much breeder as owner/trainer and he first made his mark with an 11-strong ‘Firpit’ litter by Lenson Billy out of Glenroe Vision. The entire litter of ’99 whelps went on to win races at Poole including three open winners.
Two years later he produced a litter by Frisby Fright out of Lisnakill Lizzie. Not only did all 11 win races, many in top grades, their durability was incredible including ‘Firpits’ Freddy (160 races), Foxy (156), Micky (134), Daleboy (125), Rocky (119) and Rover (114).
In more recent times, Dave bred a cracking litter by Fletcher out of Westmead Penny. It features six pups with more than 100 races each with Firpits Robbie due to contest his 142nd race this weekend.
So what is his secret?
He said: “Lots of good food, with a few minerals and bits that I like to include. Also, if I don’t think they are quite right, I withdraw them. My animals all come before me, whether it’s the greyhounds or the ducks outside, they all have their breakfast before I do. And I feed them consistently at the same time. Animals like routine.”
Not only does Dave own all his dogs, he re-homes them all too.
He said: “I always have done, even before re-homing became such a big thing. It has never been a problem to me. The last two were re-homed this week.
“One of them is quite interesting, she went to a nice lady called Vicky in Honiton. The bitch’s name was Firpit Muffin, and we had four of them in the kennel. They were bred by a friend of mine in Scotland.
“The first one fought so badly in schooling that we re-homed her without even trying to race her. Since then, the other three have all fought too including Muffin who had her card marked in her 36th race.
“The funny thing was, my daughter and I looked at them when they first arrived, and separately we both said, ‘they look like fighters’. There was just something about them. But then you pick these things up when you have lived around animals for 80 years.”
Final winners: 193-Dave Mitchell, 184-Phil Chatfield, 178-Alma Keppie. Julie Cheshire had the highest percentage of winners at 31%.
The percentage of winning favourites was 28%
Trap 3 was the most prolific box at Poole in 2015 with 355 wins. They were followed by T1-33, T2-328, T6-324, T4-296, T5-270. One interesting anomaly was over the 640 metre trip where only three of the 70 races were won by T2.
Our Black Dream (Ace Hi Rumble-Coolykereen One, Apr 13) was Poole’s most prolific winner in 2015 with 14 victories. The Bill Black trained black began the year in A5 and went to traps on 53 occasions which included three A1 victories and a best of 27.07 for the 450 metres.
13 wins-Ide Luca, Whitemount Rocky, 10 wins-Athboy Lucy, Droopys Heidi, Farran Toner, Kebab Katie, Leonas Ace, Miss Royal, Renegade Master
Roxholme Ted (26.36) clocked the fastest 450 of the year; Loggies Lad (26.45) clocked the fastest graded time of the year.
Number of races in each grade: A1-247, A2-234, A3-249, A4-275, A5-273, A6-250, A7-119, A8-64, S1-28, S2-7
Average winning time of each grade: A1(27.00), A2-(27.20), A3-(27.32), A4-(27.43), A5-(27.57), A6-(27.72), A7-(27.88), A8-(28.15), S1-(39.53), S2-(40.06)
PUPS TO FOLLOW
MEENAGH CHAMP bk d (Kinloch Brae-Cortnamaddy Glam, Jun 14) Owned and trained by Dave Mitchell, the youngster arrived unraced from Ireland and won his A4 debut in 27.29 (+10). Has been beaten his next five but never running badly and will surely break 27.00 before he is much older
FIELD PANTHER bk b (Milldean Panther-Definitelyamaybee, May 14) Trained by Bill Black, she has two wins and six seconds from her 10 races to date. Has a best of 27.12 and now up to A2 but her future surely lies in S1 or beyond?
