We have nine penciled in for the English Derby, the five there on Saturday and four due to trial next Wednesday.
The Saturday trialists are Millbank Stevie, Riverside Pat, Clares Wonder, Sidarian Blaze and Vans Viking.
The Wednesday trialists are Gaytime Hawk, who won the Derby trialstake at Cork, the Easter Cup finalist Coran Sky, who really didn’t track to the quiet hare at Cork, Sidarain Vega who has been off with a stress fracture and will have a sprint, and a new dog in the kennel Hoffs Nephew (formerly Holycross Jaybee).
I don’t plan to come over until the Friday before the Derby starts and I won’t trial the dogs again.
Eric (Cantillon) has built seven new kennels in a separate block from his other dogs, and they will be staying there.
I’m quite happy with the arrangements. Providing they are in good kennels and surrounded by friendly faces, I expect them to settle in very quickly.”
I’ll be quite honest, I was surprised to see Ballydoyle Honey become the first bitch to break 28.00 at Shelbourne last week.
After she won the stake at Clonmel, we sent her for the Kirby Memorial at Limerick. It isn’t a great first bend and she was bumped every time she ran. Although she qualified through a couple of rounds, I think it knocked her confidence a bit.
We took her back to Shelbourne and she won, and then gave her a month off. She needed the first run back but then we galloped her every second day and she went to Shelbourne last week just so fresh.
We always knew that there was a fast time in her if she trapped, but then she came out and did her best ever sectional. The track was in good order and I thought she was capable of probably a 28.10 – but 27.86 really shocked me.
We still have three in the Puppy Oaks semis: Honey, Tolpuddle Mist and Skywalker Pearl. I hope we can get at least one through to the final.
We have been so lucky with so many great bitches in the last few years: Rockburst Pearl, Handy Princess, Cabra Millie though Honey could be as good as any.
One of the other great bitches, Newinn Expert, who won the Munster Oaks is just coming back after producing a litter to Kinloch Brae.
She is running at Cork on Saturday but it is her first race back and she is highly tried. She is real quality though, and a sister to Newinn Yolo.
We also have another interesting runner at Cork, a very good sprinter from Scotland, Bellside Jon.
He has 18.59 (350) on his card at Shelbourne and 17.42 (330) at Cork. I would expect him to go well and then hopefully we can look forward to the Peggy Kelly Sprint at Harolds Cross.
I was sad to hear about the injury to Billys Bullet. The thing is – these dogs aren’t just racing machines, some of them have incredible personalities.
Sidarian Rhythm was one of the fastest dogs I have ever laid hands on. He did 28.25 at Shelbourne and was onto a ‘God only knows what time’ when he broke a hock when six clear at Shelbourne Park. He would easily have broken 28.00 in my opinion.
Rhythm was such a nice dog that we brought him into the house and now he thinks he runs it. He is incredibly intelligent and one of those greyhounds who will offer you his paw when you meet him.
He just wants to be around people. He doesn’t even like sleeping on his own. During the day, he gets fed up in the house and wanders down to the paddock and inspects the pups.
When he gets fed up with that he starts singing to them by howling. Everyone thinks the world of him, he has even sired a few litters.
