No matter how long I am in this game, I don’t expect I will ever come to terms with the ups and downs.
It doesn’t get much worse than having Farran Heaslip die in my arms at Nottingham on Monday.
He had run a brilliant trial and I was washing him off when he suddenly gave out a cry and then just collapsed. I couldn’t believe what had happened . He had just died.
It was so so sad telling owner Kevin Heilbron and my partner Julie. I am just glad that she wasn’t there when it happened because she would have been very distressed.
We are waiting for the reports to discover what had happened, though I suspect a heart problem.
It had been a bad few days for Kevin because we trialled a cracking young pup of his called Newinn Rod at Perry Barr on Friday.
It was his first trial over four bends and he did 28.68 for the 480 metres but came off the track with a broken metacarpal
So, all things considered, we have been under a cloud for the last couple of days. But realistically, there are people out there who have lost family members during the same period so we have to try to keep some perspective.
On the brighter side, I have been delighted with the progress of Swift Hoffman and Newinn Yolo.
Hoffman did 17.53 in a Nottingham sprint (fastest of the year is 17.43) while Newinn Yolo did 28.13 last week over 480 metres at Perry Barr.
The plan is for Hoffman to run on Tuesday’s supporting card at Nottingham along with Camp Joker, Peerless Trio, Aero Inferno and Khag Yolo.
I will keep trialling Newinn Yolo until, if all goes to plan, the first round of the Eclipse.
The owners of Khag Yolo had a successful night at Perry Barr on Friday.
The pup is owned by Kevin Heilbron and a new owner to the kennel Alan Green, who I met for the first time at Newcastle last week.
I told him that I thought the dog had a great chance at Perry Barr and he ran really well to win by four lengths.
Both owners helped themselves to some 7-2, and he returned at 3-1.
Alan will think this owning game is easy!
There is nothing more exciting than having some good young dogs in the kennel and, without tempting fate, we seem to be in a very strong position for next year.
We have a promising young dog called Expresso Blue who hasn’t learned to trap yet but clocked 16.48 in a trial at Perry Barr.
Blue is a litter brother to a pup who we bred and have just bought back after his schooling trials.
I won’t give too many details about him at this stage, but on his form to date, he is the fastest pup we have ever had in the kennel. Put it this way, on the schooling track he was half a second faster than Camp Joker.
Newinn Blitz has also just arrived. He is the half brother to Fiery Splendour who I mentioned previously after he clocked 16.52 at Clonmel in only his third time in the boxes.
His breeder Jim O’Donnell was right, the dog is an absolute stunner, albeit he isn’t old enough to run a qualifying trial until December.
If I don’t sell him, I will possibly syndicate him. The ‘Greyhound Star Syndicate’ seems to have a nice ring to it. . . .
