We are now at the penultimate stage of the ‘Great Moments’ in racing for our three trainer columnists. Here are three more highly treasured memories from Pat, Graham and Mark.
Back in 1998 Pat and Julie were concentrating on the breeding operation. They are pictured at the Breeders Festival at Milton Keynes with stud dogs Ratify (left) and King Oscar
PAT ROSNEY: In the early days, Julie and I were living in a semi-detached in Warrington with kennels for eight dogs and had enquired about buying Ronnie Coulton’s kennel near Southport. The sale was dragging on and then one day, we got a call from Jimmy Gibson asking if we were interested in his place near Leyland.
I knew Jim from the flaps, but not very well. Julie’s dad, Pat came to see the property with us and he encouraged us to buy it, so we decided to go ahead. Jim had health issues and was desperate to sell.
Even at that stage we had no idea how things would work out. We had room for 40 dogs but a lot of empty kennels. Julie was still working and I was running the kennel. We took in anything and everything including bitches in season to help pay the bills.
Jim still lived five minutes walk away and would still come down for a chat. One day I asked if he would be prepared to approach Belle Vue and ask if they would think about renewing his contract. He could front the operation, working as little or often as he felt able.
It was all above board, and Belle Vue General Manager John Gilburn played a major role. He had always said that there was a place for Jim if he ever wanted to come back, and was prepared to give Julie and I a chance. John has followed our career ever since and was one of the first people to ring and congratulate us when we won the Scottish Derby.
It meant we were able to run the kennel on a full time basis. Julie came home to work here, and it was a major turning point in our lives.
GRAHAM HOLLAND: Our three children share some interest in racing though Timmy, who is 17, is absolutely besotted with racing and coursing. He would go racing seven nights a week if we let him, and then coursing during the day. He wants to work in the industry, but I would like to see him get his qualifications, and then work for someone else before I would want him working for me. When you are young, you need to learn about life away from your family. One of my fondest memories was the night Timmy led around our first Irish Derby finalist, Cabra Buck. Timmy had prepared the dog himself and made a great job of it. Buck ran really well in the final and finished second. Just watching the two of them on parade brought a lump to my throat.
SLIPPERY ROBERT (t6) wins the ETS Irish Greyhound Derby from Cabra Buck (t5). Shelbourne Park September 2013. Pic: STEVE NASH
MARK WALLIS: I won’t lie I was always disappointed with Charlie Lister’s comments after Kinda Ready won the Derby in 2009 where he said we only won because Fear Zafonic went lame. I’m not saying Fear Zafonic wasn’t lame or sore the next day but if he was it wasn’t in the race, he done his best time in the whole Derby campaign in the final by some margin.
He could have perhaps over stretched himself after the line or towards the pick up but at no point did he under perform in the race, this always left a sour taste and had people thinking my first ever Derby winner was a fluke, step up Blonde Snapper, in 2011 our brilliant tracker had a great puppy career and was made almost Derby favourite but incredibly got eliminated in the first round in a 5 dog heat where the first four qualified! he got left in the traps and came out eight behind the 4th placed dog and just couldn’t get back in the race despite a valiant effort
Mark Currell his owner decided to run him in Ireland in the Puppy Derby at Harrolds Cross the year before and he sadly fractured a wrist and though we had done brilliantly to get him back and in great condition for the Derby the first round elimination had also seen him come off badly lame again, miraculously 2 months later a brilliant victory at Sunderland in the Classic in a track record had us thinking 2012 might be his year, a light campaign for the rest of 2011 we thought he could come back in 2012 a more older and more experienced race dog, after a winters rest and a series of fast trials at Romford we took the unusual step of running him in the Golden Sprint at Romford which he duly won in brilliant style, no Golden Sprint winner had gone on to win a Derby.
Also at the end of 2011 my friend and assistant trainer Patrick Janssens had decided to leave us with a view to setting up a business and maybe at a later date realise his dream of being a trainer himself one day. His departure from Imperial Kennels had the usual idiots shouting Mark Wallis will go downhill now he’s lost his right hand man and stuff like that so when Blonde Snapper stunningly made the final even though he was still coming off sore for a day or two after every run we had a lot to prove. Never has that week.s rest in between the semis and final been more important for Blonde Snapper.
With two days to go he still wasn’t right but I worked on him constantly and on the day of the final I felt he was spot on, the way he rode a bump at the first bend proved that he was physically sound and showing the balance of a true athlete he galloped to a stunning victory, the emotions poured out at the finish as there was no fluke about this win! And yes there’s two fingers up to those idiots who said some hurtful things about myself, their silence was deafening !
In fact 2012 was an incredible year where we won the St Leger, T.V Trophy and many more big races winning the Trainer of the Year title by an absolute mile and Blonde Snapper was rightly Greyhound of the Year!
