The kennel hasn’t been on a particularly good run in recent months but things started to pick up last week when we had six winners within a couple of nights, four at Belle Vue and two at Perry Barr.
That say it is an ‘ill wind’ with Belle Vue introducing Thursday night opens to replace Wimbledon on RPGTV, but it has been a godsend to us. Belle Vue is 30 miles from us, the next closest track is 100 miles away and in winter conditions, that is a huge unexpected bonus.
To see Azzurri Dino winning again was particularly pleasing. He was knocked over at Monmore back in August and had gone seven races well below his best.
We checked him over and could find nothing wrong. It was simply a loss of confidence after the fall and hopefully getting his head in front will turn the corner for him, so to speak.
Fearsome Phantom impressively won the stayers race for a second week in a row. I had considered running him in the British Bred St. Leger – but not at Sittingbourne in December. We will probably go to Henlow instead.
Charity Dragon was another of our Belle Vue winners and his next contest will be the Laurels, one of three possible runners for us, along with Newinn Louis and Newinn Blitz. Judging by some of the recent trialists though, it will take some winning.
2016 has been an ordinary year after an exceptional 2015 but we are already looking forward.
We have a full kennel of 26 greyhounds and the vast majority are young unraced pups.
We know that they won’t all make it, but we buy them from top breeders like Jim O’Donnell and Ian Greaves and take our chance. Realistically, it is the only way could we ever expect to get a real top dog like Newinn Yolo or Swift Hoffman.
We simply would never be able to afford dogs of that calibre if their abilities were already known. Every one of Ian Greaves’ dogs is for sale and you take your chance on getting a good one. Those that don’t make it are sold on as good graders.
Although it takes time for pups to come good, the outstanding ones usually give you a clue to their ability very early. I remember qualifying Newinn Yolo. I always give them four solos before a four-bend trial and Yolo clocked 16.04 for the sprint at Perry Barr.
Of this year’s crop I am very excited by Azzurri Genesis, who was also bred by Ian Greaves from a May ’15 litter by Superior Product.
He did 15.39 for a Monmore sprint and then checked very badly at the pick-up in his first 480 there and still clocked 28.50.
He then did 27.76 in a trial at Belle Vue was very unlucky when he was beaten on his debut by Newinn Louis. I plan to take him and probably three or four others to Henlow for their Puppy Derby in December.
I would just like to conclude with saying how sorry I was to hear of the death of owner Mandy McCarthy.
Although we never trained for them, Mandy and Alex were very popular figures on the open race scene and Julie and I spent a lot of time in their company over the years.
Lovely enthusiastic people and Mandy will be a great loss to greyhound racing.
