For man who is only weeks away from relinquishing his Champion Trainer title, Patrick Janssens could not be more comfortable with his situation.
The handler who sent out the Derby forecast is more than 300 points behind his old boss Mark Wallis with eight weeks of the racing year to go.
He said: “It was always going to happen. I don’t have a stayer in the kennel and you can’t win a Trainers Championship without a stayer. I had a few offered but they were too much money. You can’t justify asking owners for those kind of figures. What? So you can run at Romford on a Friday night for £250?
“I’ll be quite honest, after the six weeks of the Derby, which was just magical, I found it quite hard to be inspired when I went racing. On a couple of occasions I looked around and thought, ‘what am I doing here?'”
But even a man who is judging racing life through a more focused lens could not help but be excited when a 21 month old pup clocks 29.38 for the Derby course in the first race of his career.
Lautaro (T5) is owner by Patrick and long term overs Evan Herbert and John Porter.
Patrick said: “To be honest, it didn’t surprise me. We knew how good he is. To understand how much potential he has, just look at this trials. He came to us with very little done and that shows in his trials. 16.47 in his first trial which is rubbish. He then 30.37, 30.14, 29.69 and then 29.38 on Sunday.
“He is a 38 kilo pup who is improving with every run. I know it wasn’t the best race in the world but Paul Young had a 28.60 Shelbourne pup in the race and you can only beat what is in front of you. The plan is for the Puppy Derby and in the longer term next year’s Derby.
“He will be two years and two months old when it starts and coming into his prime. Kevin (Boothby) has said that no dog will break 29.00 at Towcester. If Lautaro stays sound, I am pretty certain that he will.”
Although the second half of the year is heavily weighted in favour of the stayers, Patrick hasn’t ruled out some more major victories before the end of the year.
Derby winner Thorn Falcon trialed in 29.31 before racing on Sunday and will head a team for the Olympic that will include Aussie Captain, Bockos Belly and another of Sunday’s winners Oneforthelake.
Patrick said: “I didn’t really handle Thorn Falcon in the right way after the Derby. I was planning to rest him but the Bockos Doomie race came up at Hove, and then the Select Stakes. In hindsight, he was tired and should have been rested. But I was really delighted with that run on Sunday. I was also pleased with the 16.02 from Bockos Belly.
“I am also planning to have at least a couple of runners in the Sovereign Stakes, Bockos Jon Jo and Crossfield Dusty. On that subject, isn’t it about time that they looked at the prize money for the Scurry?
“We had a brilliant time at Perry Barr. The racing office were fantastic, they couldn’t have been more accommodating. The racing surface was perfect. Yet there we are running for £3,000 for an event of the prestige of the Scurry. The National Sprint is the same – £3,000.
“The Scurry should be Category One and all Cat One events should be worth at least £12,500. Where is the incentive to buy those sort of dogs? Also, to run in the National Sprint you have to trial first which is another complication and expense.”
Like many trainers, Patrick is becoming weary of traipsing around the country for poor returns.
He said: “I absolutely love Towcester. I have always been a big fan of Hove and I plan to run my top dogs at those two tracks when possible. I will have other runners to suit me, possibly Crayford, but fewer and fewer as times goes on. I have cut the racing strength to 18.
“Greyhounds are a big commitment, I enjoy my holidays and although I plan to keep training, I am determined to enjoy it as much as I can.”
