Mitch, Bob, Billy and TV

The kennel has a great affinity with the Essex Vase. I have won it three times: Eye Onthe Veto (’06/’07) and Reel Trickyone, and previously when I was assistant trainer to Linda (Jones) with Honky Tonk Gal and Top Power.

This year will be even more special because it has been renamed after the sorely missed Mitch Millward.

Mitch had dogs with me when we were at Walthamstow, including a lovely bitch called Millwards Summit, who is pictured on his Facebook Memorial page.

In the following years, we bumped into each other on a regular basis, and I considered him a good friend. A very kind decent man who will be sorely missed.

For that reason, it would be very poignant if we could win the Vase again this year, and even more so because the competition will coincide with the retirement of at least one of our kennel stars.

I don’t think there can have been many more popular dogs at Romford than Adageo Bob.

Bob will be contesting his 85^th race at Romford on Friday and he has won 43 of the 84 to date. But his Romford record is even better with 25 wins from 37 races.

Personally though, I think his greatest feat will have been breaking 35.00 on 11 times as a winner and another three times when he was beaten. And of course he is the joint track record holder for 575 metres.

Bob has already won one category one race, the British Breeders Stakes, but it would be great to see him go out on a high at Romford where he finished runner-up in the Essex Vase two years ago.

Time is catching up with Bob now. He was four in July and is starting to look his age.

We have aimed him specifically at this event and he has gone very well in his preparation, running a close third to our other runner Clondoty Alex in his most recent open at Towcester.

Bob has quite a tough first round heat but we are hopeful he can come through it.

It would be great if he made the final. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t rule out giving him a race on final night, but that will definitely be it.

If all goes to plan, he will go to stud; I am sure he would get a few bitches.

Bob is owned by Dick and Ann Barfoot and another of their runners, Blonde Razor is also coming to the end of his career.

He is three months younger than Bob but he probably doesn’t have a lot more racing in him.

Razor is in quite a tough heat up against Jet Stream Sound and our other dog, Swift Whirlwind. It has been a race against time to get Razor ready and I would settle for a qualifying place now as he runs back to full fitness.

Whirlwind must have the best chance of our younger dogs. I thought he ran really well in defeat in the Gold Collar and I would expect him to go a long way.

But then, I fancied him to go very well in the Champion Stakes and he went out in the first round.

Garyglass Pixie goes in the fourth heat. She is not far out of season and really wants further than 575, but I would expect her to qualify.

Parkers Poison showed that she doesn’t quite get the extra distance when she was picked up in a 655 metre open at Towcester last week but a bit like Ferryforth Fran in the St.Leger, can keep qualifying.

This is a step up in distance for Reel Shirty. He was beaten in a decent maiden last week, but he is a Sussex Cup finalist and I would expect 575 metres to be his ideal trip.

On Saturday we send four runners for the ECC Timber Oaks at Belle Vue.

If I had to describe the condition of our Oaks team in one word it would be ‘fresh’.

Domino Storm is probably the most fancied of the quartet. She had a short break after going out of the Champion Stakes in the semi finals when she was only beaten three quarters of a length for qualifying place by Patchys Kerry who then won the final.

She was beaten fair and square at Newcastle by Graigues Diva, who she takes on again on Saturday, but has since trialled very well (27.70) and I would hope she could go close to winning it.

Even now, I think she must be in the reckon for Bitch of the Year.

Evanta Evita is also in the same heat and it is her first race back after picking up a problem in the Henlow Derby semis.

Aero Babooshka is having her first race since been pipped a short head in the Brighton Belle and will also benefit from the outing.

This is a step up in class for Saffrons Anna who has been representing Towcester in the Track Championship. I think she is good enough to compete, but will have to step up on her trial form.

I was delighted by Billys Bullet’s 28.29 (calc) trial at Towcester last week.

He is due to trial again on Friday and then, if all goes to plan, another four bend trial next week.

Normally, at that point, you would give him a four bend race to help get him back to full fitness.

However, I am concerned that he would have to come through his field and risk further injury. So the plan is to give him a six bend trial and then hopefully straight into a six bend race.

At the moment, we are looking at his return for the televised meeting at Towcester on December 17^th, or possibly a week earlier.

I am really disappointed in the way Towcester have been treated by the betting industry.

The claim is that there were too many winning favourites. They might not fit the ‘BAGS formula’ but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t great racing with minimal amounts of trouble in running.

Towcester are a great example that a lot of other tracks could follow and if SIS don’t want them, I am sure there are others who do.

My biggest concern is the loss of television coverage on a Saturday night. There are lots lf owners who don’t live near the track but can watch their dogs on TV.

The risk will be that those owners may want to move their dogs to tracks where they can see them run.