Well the Derby is over with out last three failing to make the semi finals. I was never convinced that we had another Blonde Snapper or Kinda Ready. It was nice to see the two Evanta bitches do so well to get to the quarters.
I hope to have a whole batch of runners on final night. Cornamaddy Jumbo is in the heats of the Champion Hurdle and I really hope he gets through. He clocked 24.30 over the Romford hurdles earlier this week, which was very promising. We also have Domino Storm in the heats of the Plate.
They will hopefully be joined by Evanta Evita in the bitch’s race, an event she won last year, Swift Whirlwind in the puppy race and Calco Flyer in the ‘British bred’, an event we have won three of the last four years.
I am very undecided about who will qualify for the Derby Final. Traditional thinking is that the strong dogs come through the semi finals by being the least inconvenienced by the three quick runs. I don’t think history supports that view though. In some cases, the stronger dogs seem to revert to their stamina side and show very little early pace leaving the sprinters to dictate.
I have various friends and colleagues with runners still in it, but I would suggest that there will be a lot of neutrals hoping Millwards Davy can get through. His owner, Mitch Millward, is a lovely man but is having a particularly tough time health wise. Fingers crossed Davy is the perfect tonic.
I read the Dogs Trust report with some annoyance. Most trainers I know are trying their absolute hardest in really tough times, but the buck always stops with us.
I had an assessment made of my kennels some time ago and the estimate for the improvements was just over £40,000. Much as I would love to have beautiful show kennels, I simply don’t have that sort of money. I would like to think that the condition and performances of my dogs would suggest that pristine kennels are not the key factor here. Healthy and happy dogs are my priority.
Lots of trainers are in a similar position to me. Yes, there are some kennels in poor state, but I would be more concerned whether the dogs are in good condition, and lets face it, they get checked by the vets often enough. If greyhound trainers ever received a significant lump of cash from the betting industry, the majority of it would be spent on the dogs and the kennels.
I don’t know why the welfare authorities keep giving the industry a hard time. Stories have circulated that the greyhound authorities have blanked the welfarists requests for discussion, but I find that hard to believe that they would be so stupid.
The other night at Wimbledon, I was approached by a couple of young girls to ask if I would help with their university dissertations which were about greyhound racing.
We chatted for ages about the nature of the breed, and why we love to be around the dogs. There was one question about gambling, which I answered honestly and admitted it was a significant part of the greyhound industry.
When I read how they had interpreted what I said, it read as though I was only in the industry for the gambling aspect, like most other people. I felt such a mug. I contacted them and told them I was disgusted with what was written and not to use any quotes involving me.
The stupid thing is, you then start to question yourself. Am I exploiting greyhounds?
But the more you think about it, the more you realise that greyhound trainers are the ones least exploiting the animals. I am not sure the same can be said for all the people who claim to be ‘welfarists’.
We are the people who really care!
