There are a few dogs in the kennel who you might as well forget about if they don’t get their favourite trap – thankfully Evanta Evita isn’t one of them.
There were six railers in the draw for Wednesday’s Calne Racing Arc Final at Swindon and when Evanta Evita didn’t come out among the first three, I remember thinking, ‘in that case, I think I’d rather have six’
And that is precisely what we got.
She was the fastest heat winner and she is really back to her best after a short break.
Interestingly, she isn’t always a fast trapper but there was a mechanical fault in the semis and the runners had to be taken out of the traps and be checked over before going back in.
I suspect that it cost some of the runners their break, but it seemed to do her the world of good. I don’t think she has ever trapped better.
We also have Calco Flyer in the final from trap two. He started out in graded races at Yarmouth and has gone on to win a string of opens.
He trialled in 28.52 before the Arc got underway and it would be no big surprise if he did very well in the final.
I am one of the dog’s 24 owners. We all meet up to play a golf competition once a year and the group includes probably 19 or 20 people who have never owned a greyhound before. Flyer is proving a great introduction to greyhound ownership. He even has his own Facebook page!
As for the danger – surely Millwards Whitey in trap one.
1) Millwards Whitey, 2) Calco Flyer, 3) Loughteen Eoin, 4) Bubbly Gold, 5) Kippers Usain, 6) Evanta Evita
I hope to have a few more on the Arc supporting card including Billys Bullet who was just magnificent in the Regency Trialstake last week.
He has seven wins and two seconds from nine races this year including a couple of track records, and in my opinion, is the dog to beat over six bends.
How good is he? Well on Wednesday night, Evanta Evita won the fastest Arc heat in 28.60. Billy trialled before racing in 28.43 over the same course and distance.
I have been interested in the controversy over the Derby entry system as reported in the Racing Post.
Suddenly, with a month to go before the competition is due to close, somebody has realised that they may struggle to cope with a bumper entry.
Why should it come as a shock? It has a record winner’s prize of £250,000 which will probably add 50 to the entry. Secondly, after Salad Dodger’s exploits last year, you can expect another 50 entries from optimists with graders.
I’ve had a quick tally up and we could have as many as 28 runners in the event. They haven’t all got a chance, but some of the owners will just want to be part of it all.
In my opinion, there are two ways to resolve the ‘bumper entry’ issue. The first is to allow a fully open entry, and if necessary allow for another round.
It will make very little difference to the trainer who might end up racing their dog instead of giving it another trial.
The other option is to restrict the entry to 192 dogs, with the only the fastest 192 being accepted, based on any form over the course and distance in the previous five months.
What would be entirely unacceptable in my opinion, is to ask an owner to pay £250 and then see his dog drawn in a heat where only two qualify.
People are certain to be resentful, whereas if you had a ‘time restricted’ entry, everybody would get ample chance to qualify their dog.
What really irritates me though is that we have got this far with nothing sorted. It is unprofessional.
We often hear the question, ‘where are the next generation of trainers coming from?’ Maybe we should be asking the same about kennelstaff?
I am currently looking for a head kennel-hand and so far, it is proving a fruitless search.
I need to find someone to take the place of Pete Vernon who has been with me for 14 years and is a hugely popular member of the team.
Pete has had a few health issues and has decided to call it a day and head back to Leicester where he can watch his beloved Leicester City.
I think he is going to miss the dogs though. Pete has never been interested in names or reputations. He loves the dogs as dogs, not as top stars.
These greyhounds really get under your skin. They are an amazing breed, so intelligent but so gentle.
They are the reason that we are in this business. I was chatting to Rab McNair and John Mullins recently and we decided that we all have a screw loose to be doing this job.
But nobody makes us do it – and nothing else could ever be so satisfying.
