“From where we are based, there is no point going to somewhere like Crayford unless you have something you can win it with. Bellmoor Sally wasn’t just my first runner in the Golden Jacket, until I took her there for a trial, I’d never set foot in the place.”
If ever there was an example of ‘have (exceptional) dog, will travel’, Bellmoor Sally’s victory in the £20K Premier Greyhound Racing Golden Jacket Final would be an example of it.
The 5-4f following a fastest semi final win, the Neil McGregor owned, Jimmy Fenwick trained, bitch barely put a foot wrong with a box-to-beam performance in the final.
Her 23.07 sectional was only seven spots off the fastest 380m time recorded last year, despite slightly losing her balance in the first bend. She duly pulled away to win by five lengths plus in a flying 44.81.
For trainer Jimmy Fenwick, the victory was the fulfillment of an ambition going back a very long time.
He said: “Many years ago, I used to buy a lot of dogs off breeder Tom O’Donoughue in Ireland. Tom owned a bar called the Speakeasy in Killarney and on the wall was a picture of the 1997 Golden Jacket winner Broadacres Lad that he had bred.
“I looked at the photo and thought what a fantastic race it would be to win. So as much as the £20k prize money is fabulous, it was the history of the event that was really the inspiration for wanting to win it.”
BELLMORE SALLY (t4) is clear going into the final bend in the Golden Jacket Final as Droopys Senorita (t5) moves into the runner up spot ahead of Warzone Tom (t3). Photo: © Steve Nash
Jimmy was always confident that his Puppy Classic/Empress Stakes finalist would stay further, a fact confirmed when she landed a 680m maiden at Nottingham in December. But he decided to keep his cards close to his chest when it came to his Golden Jacket plan.
He said: “I had a few shrewdies ask whether the Golden Jacket was in my plans and I told a bit of a white lie by saying it wasn’t.
“My first thought was that the owner should get his money on at 40-1. Once he had had his bet, I phoned the other people back and said ‘there is still 40-1 available, I’ll leave it a week before I announce that she will be entered’. And that is how it happened.
“She had a tough run in the first round, but when she drew trap three in the semi finals I was quite confident of her qualifying. The thing is, she runs middle in the straights and rails at the bends.
“So although she is a railer, she doesn’t really want trap one which is what she drew in the two finals last year. I’m not saying she would have won either of those finals, but I am convinced she would have had more chance out of a middle draw”
Up at 4.30am on Saturday morning and on the road from Bothal at 5am, there were two stops en route before Team Fenwick arrived 344 miles later at 10.30am. So what about the draw?
Jimmy said: “In the Golden Jacket Final, my biggest concern was that Rab’s dog (Warzone Tom) would get up on her inside at the bend. But when she went two clear, I was confident that Sally would be stronger on the second lap. The way she drove the seventh bend was a joy to watch.
“I was delighted for Neil. He is based on Dunfermline and is a real greyhound fanatic. He would normally be racing at (the last track in Scotland) Thornton on a Saturday night. There are quite a few of these Scottish lads who love their racing and have to travel such long distances to be involved.”
Future plans for Sally are still to be decided (no really!).
Jimmy said: “There is a possibility that we will drop her down in distance and go for the Queen Mother Cup, but I haven’t really looked at the Celendar.
“It is possible that Sally will stay further one day but there is no rush. She is only just over two and hasn’t had a season yet. We will probably try to keep her around the 700-750 metre distances in the near future.
“It is inevitable that eventually you will be taking on some dogs that stay much further and that will give you a clue, particularly if it is over a tough six bends like the Towcester 712 metres. But there is plenty of time to think about that”
In the meantime, there is more excitement with the first of the Ice On Fire pups reaching the schooling tracks.
Jimmy said: “The first ever litter were bred by Liam O’Callaghan out of Rushmoor Tess. They are September ’20 pups. The first one of the litter, Outdoor Ice clocked 17.84 for the sprint at Newbridge. When you consider that the open race sprinters do around 17.50* that was a decent run.”
(* The fastest sprint in 2021 was 17.36. Only five dogs broke 17.50. Outdoor Ice has since recorded a calculated 29.47 in his first four bend trial at Enniscorthy).
Jimmy has two 2020 Ice On Fire litters who is schooling, they are both December litters, out of Do The Dab and Invincible Lady.
Jimmy said: “I’m really very pleased with them. We also have some twelve month old pups out of Dilly Dilly, Ashgrove Lisa and Supa Woman who look really nice. Ice On Fire has covered some quality bitches, including Jimmy’s (Wright) very good open racer, Velvet Juliet.
“Dilly Dilly has now just be mated again to Irish Derby winner Newinn Taylor and Supa Woman has been sent over to be covered by Lenson Bocko.
“I had a good look at Bocko when he came over for the Derby at Towcester and he is a beautiful greyhound. So yes, we’ve got plenty going on.”
