GRAHAM HOLLAND I have to say it was the day I met my wife Nikki at a drag hare meeting at Three Legged Cross in Dorset in the summer of 1991. She was leading out a dog in front of me and won the race. I was a bit shy and it was the following March before I asked her out. I remember it well, I was an hour late and she was on the point of going home. After that we used to go racing together, usually at Glastonbury. We have been together ever since, she even forgave me for making her pay for her first kennelhand’s licence! She has mentioned it a couple of times though. 25 years and three children later, I can’t think of a more momentous moment for me in greyhound racing.
PAT ROSNEY
Although the Sunderland Classic is the most valuable race we have won, seeing Swift Hoffman win the Scottish Derby is the racing highlight of my time in greyhound racing.
When you look at the history and prestige of the race, I feel so privileged even to have had a dog good enough to win it.
Swift Hoffman with L-R Pat Rosney, Julie McCombe, Christian Scott and his dad Paul Scott, owner. pic Steve Nash
Looking back, it probably wasn’t Hoffman’s greatest overall performance – one where he completely dominated the opposition – but I will remember the final for the rest of my days.
Julie had led Hoffman around and I waited at the pick-up on the other side of the track. Hoffman didn’t trap well and when he came past me at the second bend he still had plenty to do. He looked as though he was making some progress. Or at least I hoped he was.
I could see Save The Don in front but then coming off the last bend, I was struggling to see who was in front. It certainly wasn’t a black dog. Then I saw Julie jumping up and down in the centre of the track and I realised it was Hoffman. I was stunned!
It was an amazing night, the presentation in front of the Shawfield crowd; we even won the puppy competition with Vatican Gurkha.
I would have to say the whole Swift Hoffman experience has been a career highlight, winning three major titles (Scottish Derby, Select Stakes, Ladbrokes Gold Cup) during the same season, culminating in him being announced Greyhound Of The Year 2015. One of my ambitions realised.
MARK WALLIS It had been 10 years since Imperial Kennels won our first category 1 with Honky Tonk Girl in the Essex Vase in 1999 and Linda won two Trainer Of The Year awards and I myself had won two as well.
We had won just over 20 major titles but people were doubting our ability to win the ultimate gold, a Greyhound Derby. In 2008 leading owner Simon Wooder, whom we had some great winners for like Fear No One and Fear Robben was now spreading his string around with trainers like Carly Philpot and Charlie Lister. No problem to me as he kept two or three with us as well, Carly was with her partner Daren Keefe and they were making waves in the top class racing and won the Gymcrack with a brilliant dog Fear Haribo.
Suddenly, and I won’t go into details, the relationship went wrong and the greyhound side of their partnership had to be ended. Simon rang me urgently to say the dogs in their kennel had to be moved immediately and had I got space. Naturally with a few weeks to go to the classic I was getting excited that the current Derby favourite Fear Haribo was coming to our kennel and I quickly sorted out some space for the four dogs that were coming.
The next day sure enough a transporter turned up and I helped him unload 3 black dogs, putting the dogs in our paddocks I said to the driver where’s the white dog with the black patch over his eye (Fear Haribo)? The transport driver replied ‘ I dropped one off at Charlie Lister’s’,
I phoned Simon and he said politely these black dogs you’ve sent me are very average, one was injured, one had been disqualified and the other a nervous unraced dog, where is Fear Haribo, his reply was ‘well Mark your a good trainer but you will never win a Derby, Charlie is the Derby King so I sent Fear Haribo there!’
Wow that hurt!!! A year later enter Kinda Ready, a brilliant puppy for us and although only just two had run superb to make the final, my first ever Derby finalist in my own right. Favourite was the Simon Wooder owned Charlie Lister trained Fear Zafonic.
MARK WALLIS (centre) with his Derby winner Kinda Ready on the podium.
Wimbledon 30.5.09
Pic: Steve Nash
In a brilliant race our 25/1 shot miraculously turns second from a bad draw in trap 5, betting in running would have been ‘no offers’ as Charlie’s dog galloped 4-5 lgths clear but Kinda Ready hadn’t gave up and in a dramatic finish rivalling the great Westmead Hawks Derby wins Kinda Ready nails Fear Zafonic on the line.
Of course at first, the jubilation of winning our first ever Derby was overwhelming but as we was coming off the track after our victorious lap of honour one of the first people waiting to congratulate me was the sporting Simon Wooder, looking at me his words of ‘I know Mark, I know’ were all that needed to be said!
