SAVVA – CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE – THE 1990s

 

By the early 1990s, Nick was growing utterly frustrated at the volume of injuries to his own and other people’s dogs as well as a large number of spoiled races.

He wrote a string of letters to the promoters of various tracks including those at Oxford, Milton Keynes, Walthamstow and GRA.

Typically, in a May 1990 letter to Charles Chandler at Walthamstow, Nick noted that of his 20 runners at the track in the first five months of the year, no fewer than six had sustained injuries including muscle pulls, broken hocks, toes and tendons.

A year later and frustrated at the number of letters he was being sent by the tracks offering sympathy without action, he wrote to NGRC boss Archie Newhouse.

The letter, dated March 7 1991, highlighted nine areas of serious concern:

+ Poor surfaces with bad maintenance

+ Inconsistency of track banking – many had none at all

+ Bad design of starting traps

+ Poor track fencing – very often also dangerous

+ No consistency in the location of pick-ups

+ Racing kennels

+ Kenneling times

+ Lack of suitable racing jackets at tracks

+ Race meetings held in hazardous weather conditions

Nick said: “I gave Newhouse my opinion that a lot of racing dogs were having their careers curtailed due to incorrect, or lack of, maintenance. I could already foresee the growth of welfare issues.

“He invited me to sit on a committee with Bob Rowe and Frank Melville but there were problems from the start.

“I soon clashed with Melville when I said the NGRC should insist on certain standards. He turned on me and said ‘how would you like it if someone came along and said he could improve your place?. I replied ‘I’d pay him to do it.”

After six months of virtually no progress, Nick decided it wasn’t worth continuing.

He said: “It was a pointless exercise and I felt I was being used to make it look as though they were trying, when I knew that the promoters had little intention of spending money on making the tracks safer.

“I suppose I also made a mistake when I stipulated that any work I did should have been done on behalf of NAGO. I don’t think the promoters wanted the owners and trainers association, to be seen to be forcing change on them.”

It was a wasted opportunity and Nick’s original concept was never adequately addressed or understood.

He said: “Over the years, I had observed that although injuries are an inevitable downside of racing, the level is always greatly influenced by other factors.

“To take just one example, when I developed my schooling track, I had to do so with a limited amount of space in a field that wasn’t squared.

“I started to experiment with banking. It took me three attempts to get it right but in the end, it made a significant difference. Dogs were able to retain their balance as they strode around the bends.

“The more I thought about it, the more I realized its importance, but the clues are there if you only look for them.

“Look at how the track records improved at Harringay once banking was introduced. More than half a second!

“Now compare the 480 metre track records at banked tracks like Monmore, Hove and Sheffield to un-banked tracks like Sittingbourne and Coventry. There is more than a second difference. Why?

“I formed an opinion, rightly or wrongly, that the dogs were better able to maintain their stride and balance, two major factors in the prevention of injuries.

“Years later, I read an article in the American magazine Greyhound Review where scientists had come to the same conclusions through their research as I had through observation and experimentation.

“I had similar experiences when experimenting with my sand and watering techniques for example. I managed to get the injury rate down to virtually nil, despite trialling some fast dogs on a very small track.

“I really wanted to see the governing body determine best practise, and then insist that all tracks operate to the same levels of safety and consistency throughout the industry.

“I realized that you couldn’t tell the promoter of a badly shaped track to level it and start again. In many cases, they simply don’t have the space to create the perfect track.

“But you should be able to demand that all possible improvements that could be made, should be made.”

In November 1992, the NGRC – on behalf of the Track Standards Advisory Committee – produced a fact sheet suggesting a set of guidelines for the staging of greyhound racing.

For anyone who had seen Nick’s original letter, it covered a stunningly familiar range of subjects from track design and maintenance, lighting, the sighting of the pick-up, etc etc

But instead of placating Nick, it left him dejected.

Despite covering more than two dozen subjects, the whole document was written in large print and covered only five sides of A4 paper.

It was a ‘Janet and John’ guide to greyhound racing. Starting traps should be positioned on a ‘level surface’, the hare driver should have an “uninterrupted view of the whole circuit” Track lighting should be ‘sufficient’ to prevent dark patches.

The entire subject of track maintenance was covered in one paragraph:

The racing surface must be kept constantly worked. It must be kept ‘alive’ rotorvating, harrowing, rolling, grading and watering must be applied to consistently produce a surface that safely accommodated the greyhound’s galloping action. How this consistent surface is arrived at will vary greatly depending on the materials used and the equipment available to track maintenance staff. With the right equipment and materials, maintenance is a simple task, however the human element always plays an important role in this programme and attitudes on this issue must not be ignored. Track design and correction, selection of track surface materials will be of little value if the maintenance and preparation programme is wanting.

So that clears that up then! No advice on minimum time and staffing levels, types of equipment, no detailed guidelines or quality control standards. And were we talking about grass or sand tracks?

Banking of bends wasn’t considered worthy of mention.

Nick said: “They tried to prove that they had regulations in place, but most people weren’t even aware of them. What is unforgivable is that they didn’t even attempt to enforce them.

“To give a couple of examples. It says in the guide that racing circuits should be laid on a higher level than the surroundings. Good advice and vital to maintain correct drainage.

“Yet when the new Perry Barr was built, the track was at the same level. Before the place even opened, I warned them that it would be waterlogged. Sure enough, within the first month they had to abandon meetings.

“If the stewards had insisted on a elevated circuit on day one, it would never have happened.

“Then there was the pick-up issue which was virtually skimmed over in the NGRC report.

“For years we were happy stopping the hare between the first and second bend. Then during the 1980s, the tracks were putting the ‘drop’ halfway along the back straight or even, in the case of Walthamstow, at the third bend.

“To ask dogs who are clearly tiring, to run another 200 yards after the race borders on cruelty. These dogs have to be fitter than they would for long distance racing.

“Not only does the extra exertion cause dehydration, but it can also cause sourness with many dogs becoming jaded and losing interest

“That extra 200 yards plus also increases the severity of any injury sustained during the race.

“Yet the managements tried to claim it was a ‘safety issue’. We raced for 60 years with no one considering the original pick-ups a problem! Also, we now race on sand which is a lot softer and safer than grass when dogs are pulling up.

“The stupid thing is, while the old McKee hare had to be stopped with a break, or freewheeled to a stop, hence the need to use the back straight to slow up – the Swaffham hare could be stopped anywhere, including the ideal position, the second bend after the winning line.

“’Why did nobody consult the trainers’ – you might ask. Well actually they did. When I complained to Chris Page at Walthamstow about the location of the pick-up at the third bend, he agreed to send a letter to all trainers asking for a vote on where it should be located. They couldn’t be bothered to reply.

“Although Walthamstow was the worst of the culprits, Wimbledon wasn’t much better. Thankfully not everyone went down that route; tracks like Catford, Hall Green and Henlow continued to put the dogs welfare first.”

What about the actual size of the racing circuits?

Nick said: “It is a fact that greyhounds are bigger and faster than in the early days of the sport when the first tracks were built. But the circuits, on average, were actually getting smaller. Why not insist on a minimum circumference for any new track licenced?

“I know the NGRC’s Frank Melville believed that it could be interpreted as an admission that current tracks weren’t safe, but that was just a cop-out in my opinion.”

A year after the first draft of the guide was produced, Nick tendered his resignation from the Tracks Advisory Committee feeling entirely disillusioned.

He said: “I decided the only course of action was to boycott the tracks that I didn’t feel were safe. And that is what I did.”

But things would eventually improve, as we shall see later. . .

 

Nick visited the USA for the first time in the early 1990s. He attended a ‘meet’ at Abilene in Kansas, which is the home of the National Greyhound Association and the Hall Of Fame.

Nick said: “The meet is really a bit of a mix between a produce stakes and an auction. It is a very good concept and allows breeders to get the market value for their best young dogs.

“I found America very interesting, with different methods of running their industry, and always very professional.

“The stadiums are huge impressive places, though they are too big for the size of crowds.

“From what I could see, the American dogs take very little training because they tend to run around three times a week. They are also heavily schooled.

“They are kept in a very different way to ours, all the dogs are kenneled in a big air-conditioned room full of double tier cages – according to the climate. They are muzzled and when their kennels are opened, they all go into the paddock together.

“When they come back, they all know which is their kennel and jump straight into it. The big plus point is that the dogs are allowed to empty on a regular basis through the day. There is no need for them to soil their kennels which are spotless.

“In some English kennels the dogs are locked up late afternoon and not given the chance to empty themselves until the following day.

“The American system is very streamlined though many of our dogs would struggle to adapt to it, as I know from personal experience having sent dogs there.

“I found it all a bit impersonal, but the dogs appeared to be in very good physical condition and happy. It is all about what they grow up being used to.”

But the biggest single bonus from the trip to the States was a friendship with American breeding legend Herb (Dutch) Koerner, that was still going strong in its third decade.

Nick says: “Dutchy is a proper dog man, very knowledgeable and he genuinely loves greyhounds. His farm is remarkably similar to Westmead but on a much bigger scale with probably 200 dogs.

“Dutchy is also fantastic company. I don’t get to speak to him as often as I would like but it is always great fun and I will always treasure his friendship.”

 

In November 1997 Nick made his first visit to Australia and was hugely impressed by what he found.

Though as Natalie mischievously points out: “He must be the only tourist who ever went to Sydney and didn’t see the Harbour Bridge or the Opera House – he did manage to find the dog tracks and dog farms.”

He was accompanied by old pal Cecil Law and they drove thousands of miles visiting kennels and tracks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

They visited dog farms, racing kennels, country tracks, veterinary facilities, most notably Jim Gannon’s Sandown Veterinary clinic, and the biggest and best stadiums in all Australia.

Cecil was a huge admirer of Gannon, at that time considered to be the best hands-on greyhound vet in the world and they spent a considerable time talking to the great man discussing techniques and treatments as well as observing the impressive well equipped facilities.

Nick says: “Their tracks don’t compare to ours, they are so much better.

“Sandown Park reminded me of Hove. I was stunned by Geelong with its 460 metre sprint. All the tracks had huge radii, they were immaculately maintained.

“There was virtually nothing about Australian racing that I didn’t like.”

Indeed, but for the long queues around the Australian embassy, mentioned earlier, and a failed attempt to get a job on a ship heading ‘down under’, Nick’s life could have turned out so differently.

He said “If I had visited Australia earlier in my life, I would definitely have emigrated. By the time I saw how good it was, it was too late in my life.”

 

If the pups by Clonalvy Pride/Cricket Dance were the Westmead litter of the ‘70s, and the Whisper Wishes/Tania litter were the best bunch produced in the 80s, one litter stood above all the others in the following decade.

The five dogs and six bitches by Daleys Gold out of Westmead Move were born in January 1990. Although they hold an unwanted kennel record for earning the most ASBOs in the rearing paddocks – they could run a bit too!

Over four bends, two dogs dominated, Balligari and Right Move. The former, whose name translates to roughly ‘big and tough’ was one of the fastest pups of his year, but not the most consistent.

Balligari went to traps as a 13-8 chance for the Wimbledon Puppy Derby, only for his brother (14-1) to take the race. In the Sunderland Puppy Derby, the brindle started at 10-11f, only for history to repeat itself.

Not that Right Move had it all his own way. He was turned over at 1-3f in the Essex Vase, shortly after demolishing the Romford 400m clock.

But old scores were finally settled when Balligari led home his brother for a 1-2 in the 1992 Laurels Final.

Two of the bitches achieved a Classic forecast too as Westmead Surprise led home sister Spirit in the same year’s Gold Collar. Surprise also lifted the Champions Stakes and the Gold Cup and set a new six bend track record at Stainforth. Spirit won the Produce Stakes.

In fact, with ten members of the same litter all winning opens, it remains a record holder for Westmead litters.

Interestingly though, the 109 open race wins achieved by the 10 littermates would be beaten with ease many years later.

Also, the only member of the litter not to put her name in lights was the Dave Hawley owned Phantom Gold.

Only one of her progeny won minor opens in England but two of her daughters became prolific dams of AA winners in the USA.

 

Westmead Suprise’s victory in the 1992 Gold Collar was the highlight in the owning career of the kennel’s biggest supporter – barring Bob Morton – Paddy Dunne.

The Irish born small trainer began appearing at the kennel in the early days (“to see what the mad foreigner was up to” according to the mad foreigner himself).

Gradually though, the Aylesbury based CID officer became more hands-on helping with both the dogs and the maintenance of the kennel.

Nick says: “Paddy would be up here at least three or four days a week for a few hours at a time and was a fantastic help keeping the place in shape.

“But his greatest asset was working with the pups – he absolutely thrived on it and would take great delight in teaching them anything from basic ‘walking on a lead’ to one star pupil who Paddy trained to go swimming in the irrigation pool to help him overcome injury.

“But being Paddy, he didn’t just encourage him to swim, he taught him how to dive. The pup was eventually taking a 30 yard run and then diving headlong into the pool. It was the funniest thing you had ever seen.

“Paddy wouldn’t just teach pups to go into traps, he would train some of them so that you could take their leads off 30 yards away and they would walk to the traps and go in themselves.

“But everybody remembers Paddy for his bubbly personality. He was almost a celebrity in all the local pubs because of his sense of fun. You never saw him in a bad mood.”

There were many funny stories about Paddy Dunne. One of Nick’s favourites may have come about as the result of a story that another kennel stalwart, George Hunter used to tell.

George, a former amateur jockey, once related a tale of giving a whole bottle of whiskey to a hurdler that he was about to ride in a race.

The horse won for the only time in his career, a consequence, in George’s view, of his newly found Dutch courage.

Paddy, obviously impressed, chose to carry out a similar experiment on Westmead Pulse who was running in a stayers open at Wembley.

An unusually tight lipped Paddy Dunne arrived in the paddock and, as he put the racing muzzle on Pulse, squirted a mouthful of brandy into the dog’s mouth. (The ruse may not appear so novel to anyone who has been involved in coursing)

Nick says: “I knew nothing about it until they got home and Paddy was grinning like a child. He told me what he had done and the dog skated up. Unfortunately for Paddy’s great training breakthrough, he tried the same thing the following week and the dog got beat.”

 

When Nick and Natalie first began racing, many tracks staged their own Produce Stakes including Wimbledon, Catford and Leeds.

By the 1980s, we were left with two – one with its origins at Bristol before eventually moving to Swindon.

The other, the Breeders Forum Produce Stakes, was inaugurated in 1983 at Harringay.

Nick had no appetite for the Bristol race and didn’t bother with Swindon until the ‘mid 2000s’.

The first serious Westmead presence was in 2005 where three Westmead kennelmates reached the decider finishing second (Swift), third (Eagle-8-11f) and fourth (Natasia)

A year later they made no mistake with a 1-2-5 thanks to Joe, Olivia and Max.

In 2008, there were five Westmeads in the final, albeit Oriole (6th) was trained by Graham Holford. Osprey, Ace and Zest took the tricast places – in that order.

However, that record pales into insignificance compared to the Breeders Forum backed event. It moved first to Wembley and then on to Hall Green and Nottingham before the decision to scrap the event was taken in 2011.

Seven greyhounds have made the journey from Cow Lane and returned home with the trophy: Westmead Cannon (’86), Phantom Flash (’90), Westmead Spirit (’92), Westmead Merlin (’94), Staplers Jo (’95), Westmead Hawk (05’) and Dilemmas Flight (’06).

There were also a string of near misses including three consecutive runners-up between 1987-89 thanks to Westmead’s Change, Claim and Havoc.

The most notable final was probably the ’92 decider where Westmead Move was the mum of four finalists from the kennel’s original entry of 23.

Westmead sisters Spirit and Surprise (9-4f) finished first and fourth, half brothers Next Move and Westmead Paddy finished second and fifth.

 

Although Nick rates many current and former owners among his closest friends, there are inevitably also times when it goes wrong.

One of the most high profile breakdowns was with David Hawley, owner of, most significantly, Phantom Flash.

Even Hawley’s closest friends would concede that he was at best, difficult. At worst he was short tempered, abusive and foul mouthed.

Before Nick agreed to have him as an owner he warned him: David, you criticize every trainer that you put dogs with. You are not going to do it to me are you?” Hawley was certain there would be no problems.

But things started going wrong when Hawley was refused free admission to Wembley to see Phantom Flash run.

He vowed that the dog would never run at the track again. Nick decided that the big black would benefit from another run at the Empire Stadium and entered him anyway. Hawley was furious.

Flash was then beaten in a couple of races and the grapevine was yielding stories of Hawley being openly critical of his trainer.

Eventually Nick decided to act. He confronted Hawley and told him he no longer wished to train for him.

The day that Phantom Flash headed out of the yard was distressing for Nick and head man Tom Prendeville who worshipped one of the finest greyhounds ever to draw breath at Westmead.

Nick says: “Tom even had a go at his close friend Pa Fitzgerald, who would be looking after the dog at Patsy Byrne’s kennel. I told him not to be so silly, it certainly wasn’t Pa’s fault.”

Flash’s career eventually came to an end and David Hawley was never again seen at Westmead. However, there was another side to David Hawley.

Nick said: “Several years later David phoned me up. He said he wanted to apologise for how he had behaved previously and asked if we could turn the clock back.

“I reminded him of our first conversation and said it was in his nature to behave that way. He couldn’t help himself and it would happen again. I said, ‘just remember the good times and we will remain friends.’”

Sadly, David Hawley died of cancer not long afterwards. Nick can still remember the good times, and the funny times, even if some were at the expense of his trigger tempered friend.

Nick said: “David owned Westmead Lodge who he sold to a kennel in Kansas. He asked if I would accompany the dog and offered to pay my fare.

“I agreed and took the dog out, along with another friend, Brian ‘Shelbourne Stud’ King.

“Unfortunately, Hawley was at his worst and I couldn’t stand his company any longer. I decided to pay my own way home, which cost £700, just to get away from him. Brian came with me.

“When we arrived at the airport, we were asked whether we wanted the ‘smoking’ or ‘non smoking’ section. We are both smokers and asked for the smoking section.

“The booking clerk apologized that the smoking section was full. Would it be okay to be upgraded? You can imagine the answer to that one! We had a luxurious flight home in ‘first class’.

“After we got home, Hawley phoned Brian who related the tale of being upgraded. So when he got to the airport, Hawley, who was a fanatical non-smoker, demanded a seat in the smoking section.

“To his horror, they were able to accommodate him. He then spent an eight hour flight in a compartment full of smokers. I could just imagine his reaction. He would have gone ballistic! That poor stewardess! I laughed for days when I heard about it.”

 

After more than 25 years of training, four finalists and at least one near miss, the English Derby remained an unfulfilled aspiration at Westmead.

However, Nick was relatively optimistic going into the 1998 William Hill Derby with two of the top three in the betting.

The sponsors had Larkhill Jo priced up at 7-1, Barrie Draper’s previous year’s runner-up He Knows was one point bigger, and Toms The Best next best at 10-1 (14-1 Ladbrokes).

The first round went to plan. Larkhill clocked the fastest time on the first night from kennel mate Lurig King with Annies Bullet completing a double.

Things didn’t go so well for Tom who was beaten at 2-5f by the fastest winner heat winner to date, Farloe Mac (28.79).

When the draw was made for the second round, Tom’s heat could barely have been tougher. Three of the top four in the betting – Tom plus Draper pair He Knows and Farloe Mac were drawn in the same qualifier.

It would prove a messy race after early trouble, Tom ran on gamely to win in 29.08 with He Knows scraping through in third and Farloe eliminated.

Larkhill Jo, meanwhile clocked the fastest time of the competition to date with a seven length 28.53 run. He was shortened to 11-4 with Tom second in the betting at 9-2.

Then the bombshell hit. Larkhill went to traps at 1-3f for his third round heat and ran well below form and was eliminated. Journalist Peter Meldrum labelled him ‘a Jekyll and Hyde Character’

However, a veterinary examination revealed calf and shoulder injuries that proved serious enough to exclude him from the Select Stakes a month later.

Thankfully Tom, who trapped in fourth, produced a powerful late run to win his heat in the fastest time of the round, 28.95 on .30 slow going.

With Annies Bullet and Lurig King both lame, all hopes rested on Tom who was now 9-4 favourite to land the prize.

But with the quarter finals just 72 hours later, thing were starting to drop into place for the powerful black.

Although badly hampered throughout his quarter final, he still came from fourth for a four length win in 28.77. However he still had time to find on Jaspers Boy (28.59) and Greenwood Flyer (28.68).

Rated ‘impossible to get a run’ by the press for his semi, Tom was two lengths adrift of the field going to the first bend.

He cut across to rail and proceeded to pick off his rivals along the backstraight before surging clear on the run-in to win in 28.74.

Unfortunately, the competition was overshadowed by the second semi final where Greenwood Flyer, with the race at her mercy, turned on Tullerboy Cash and became the first Derby semi finalist to be disqualified since Lively Band some 13 years earlier.

When the draw for the final was made, the bookies views differed widely. While they all had Tom, the innermost of the three wide runners, as favourite, in the week before the final he was trading at all odds between 4-5 and 11-8.

The biggest danger was Jaspers Boy (7-2), on his outside, 6-1 bar the pair.

The evening had started with a torrential downpour, thunder and lightning. Not the ideal preparation for a dog who didn’t like wet weather.

But as the night drew on, the clouds cleared to reveal a clear warm summer’s evening.

The kennel’s fifth English Derby finalist stepped onto the track with Tina Turner appropriately belting out ‘Simply The Best’.

As the traps opened, Tom, with an empty box on his inside came away reasonably but then clipped Jaspers Boy (T5) and the pair arrived at the first bend in joint last place.

The early paced Tuesdays Davy shot clear, but Tullerboy Cash and Honour And Glory collided at the first bend. Toms seized his chance and dashed through a big gap on the rails.

Off the second turn, Tuesday Davy was clear but within strides Tom had gone past on the inside. He reached the third bend with three quarters of a length advantage but the result was, metaphorically, already on the board.

The big black then pulled away for a four length win in 28.75 on going rated .40 slow.

It was a remarkable triumph for the kennel and also for owner Eddie Shotton.

Nick said: “Part of the enjoyment of winning is being able to make other people happy. Eddie Shotton had spent a fortune over the years without ever achieving the sort of success that he deserved.

“I originally thought he had paid too much for Toms The Best given his limited racing career, but maybe Eddie got the luck he was overdue.

“Eddie is a gentleman, who is a good loser, and his whole family were equally enthusiastic. It was nice that we also achieved some success with Sarah Dee.”

Indeed before the remarkable years was over, Sarah Dee had won the £10,000 Coldseal Puppy Classic, beating odds-on kennelmate Droopys Merson, the Wimbledon Puppy Derby, and the English Oaks.

 

Toms The Best of course began his racing career at Walthamstow. Nick had joined the track in June ’94 following a short spell at Hackney.

He said: “I quite liked Hackney but things finished on a sour note. I was given a time finding inquiry with a dog who had done nothing wrong.

“They cocked up the going allowances at trials and refused to accept it was their fault.

“When Chris Page announced that Walthamstow were about to scrap the grass straights and go all-sanded it was just too tempting to say no.”

Nick remained contracted for around four years bringing a string of top class dogs through the grades.

He said: “In the end, it didn’t make good financial sense. I didn’t want too many dogs and I needed more than I had to justify the costs of extra staff and vehicles. So I resigned.”

It would be Nick’s final position as a contract trainer.

He said: “I was never really comfortable working under that arrangement, even back as far as Wembley.

“The racing manager had too much power over when he would race your dogs, and against whom. So I went back to Milton Keynes and ran my dogs when I wanted to run them.”

 

Nick’s record in the Irish Derby is incredible. Although Toms The Best remains his only winner, Phantom Flash. Larkhill Jo, and Westmead Hawk were all unlucky finalists.

Perhaps his least celebrated runner was his 2001 entry, Tinys Bud.

A winner of the consolation Irish Oaks in 28.43 (two lengths quicker than final winner Marinas Tina), the daughter of Larkhill Jo and Perrys Pusher had been beaten a short head by brother Droopys Kewell in the Champion Stakes prior to the €100,000 to winner senior classic.

While most eyes were on Late Late Show in the final, it was Bud who led the field around the first two bends and along the backstraight. She was impeded at the third bend and finished third in a three way photo behind Cool Performance and the favourite.

Nick said: “I think she could have won it. Droopys Vieri was probably the fastest in the final but he was a clumsy dog when he was behind, he almost cost Sonic the Scottish Derby final by running into him

“He clawed Tinys Bud down the back of the legs and cost both of them their chance which allowed Cool Performance to scrape though.

“She was a true Shelbourne specialist, nowhere near as effective anywhere else.

“I thought she would have a chance of making it as a brood. She threw a couple of decent litters, I had Westmead Oak out of her, but she died of cancer while still quite young.”

 

Although the 1990s started badly, Nick believes it is the decade when some of the more enlightened promoters started to realise the significance of adequate track safety.

None embraced the subject more passionately than Ladbrokes’ Gordon Bissett.

Nick says: “Gordon came to see Westmead and was very interested in how we do things. In fact, he was tireless, traveling to tracks all over the world as well as studying just about every scientific study that had been written on the subject.”

“In all my time in greyhound racing, I have never seen someone learn so much in such a comparatively short time.”

It was following the complete renovation and upgrade of the Monmore racing circuit that Bissett’s efforts were rewarded by the Greyhound Writers Association with the 1998 Services to the Greyhound Industry award.

The significance of the award was not lost on the man who had spent so long trying to convince the racing authorities of the importance of welfare. Like Bissett, Nick Savva tried to learn from the best and worst that the greyhound world could offer.

None of the four major racing nations, Australia, Ireland, the USA or Great Britain have all the answers. But some have more than others!

So en route to reaching his conclusions about the best and safest possible tracks and method of racing – what were his international sources of inspiration?

He said: “I very much liked the Australian tracks for the size of the circuits and radius of their bends. The American tracks are similar and are all built to identical specifications.

“The Irish tracks are generally very decent though even they vary. Although it is good, I don’t think Shelbourne is the best running circuit in Ireland by any means. The straights are too long for the radius of the bends.

“I was very impressed with Longford when I visited it. It is supposedly a replica of the old White City. I haven’t raced dogs around Longford but I’ve watched a number of trials and was impressed.

“When it comes to hare systems, I much prefer our style of hare, either the old McKee-Scott, or the newer Swaffham lure to the inside hare that they use in the USA and Australia.

“Although the inside hare can be driven closer to the leading dogs, it can result in crowding on the inside – though much of that bumping might be attributed to the larger eight-runner fields, a lack of seeding, and automatic grading.”

“The Swaffham lure is cheap and efficient. I know why Walthamstow went for the more expensive Seally hare – because certain trainers fell in love with the furry lure and persuaded them to buy it. It was unnecessary in my opinion.

It will be a surprise to many, but when done correctly, Nick also favours the British method of track preparation.

“I have watched them prepare the tracks in Australia. They deep-harrow it and then keep plating it until it is very firm; far harder than we would think acceptable, and then they water it.

“Although the track runs very fast, and I consider them less safe than ours, they get away with it, to a certain extent, due to the sheer vastness of the bend radius.

“Ireland also run their tracks fast – too fast in my estimation. I think the main reason is because everybody, the breeders and the managements, like to see fast times.

“I think they also all feel that if every track runs as fast as possible, at least they are consistent when comparing one track with another.

“Yet the tracks, which are generally superior to England, do not have such big radii as the Australian circuits. As a result, I am sure there must be unnecessary injuries.

“I like the way the Australian, Irish and American tracks have such short runs to the pick-up, or catching pen, immediately after the race. They are always between the first and second bends.”

Nick is not generally in favour of dogs being strapped up with injury supports as is allowed in Australia and Ireland.

He said: “I think strapping up of hocks and tendons leads to restrictions of movement.

“But I do support the use of the soft rubber pads that some countries allow for the protection of dogs running with a track leg.”

However, on just about every other issue, Nick believes Australian racing leads the world.

He said: “Their racing kennels and procedures, were all infinitely better than ours.

“The Australian racing paddock system is particularly well thought out with the kennels for each race in its own confined area, like a designated room with no access to the other kennels.

“Not only is security so much simpler to contain, there is less noise and aggravation for the dogs in the neighbouring kennels who may not be due to race for another two hours.

“With bad kennellers, that can be the difference between a dog performing at its best or coming out of his kennel acting as though he has already raced.

“Even the racing muzzles are better. Ours, with straps, can be improperly fitted by inexperienced staff, either too tight or too loose. I remember having an argument with a track vet who wanted to muzzle far tighter than I thought was in the dog’s best interests.

“I threatened to withdraw the dog until the racing manager intervened.”

“When I think of the expenses paid trips made over the years by our industry leaders, I wonder why they haven’t managed to bring back any ideas for improvements.”

 

For some reason, not only were the British tracks unwilling to copy countries with better systems, they weren’t even willing to copy each other’s better ideas.

Nick says: ““The secret to so many of these problems is standardization. Decide on the best example in all the different areas – and make them widespread.

“Going back all those years in my letters to the track promoters and the NGRC, I urged them to prioritise standardization – and stick to it.

“As a starting point, the authorities should at least insist on a minimum bend radius for all new tracks and mandatory banking.

“They should only be allowed to use approved sand that was shown between recognized perameters in terms of its consistency and ability to adapt to weather conditions.

“I would insist on a standard hare system. Thankfully we have one in the UK with the Swaffham, though that came about as a result of cost, not specifically with the greyhounds in mind.

“I would also want identical starting traps, fencing and racing kennels.

“The hare would always start from an identical distance from the starting traps at all tracks and over all distances. It would always start within a set time of the last trap being shut and pass the traps at the same speed.

“The distance between the leading dog and the hare should be universal. The pick-up should always be in a position just entering the backstraight after the winning line.

“All track staff should be trained to a high similar standard working to proven techniques.

“The net result? Injuries would be minimalised. Dogs would be able to adapt to different tracks without a trial – like they do in other countries – and there would be greater consistency of performance.

“All this could have been done so easily years ago – had the NGRC not been in the promoters’ pocket.”

 

Unfortunately, even given the best equipment and attitude, track maintenance is an on-going battle with the elements and natural deterioration over time.

Over the years, Nick has been called in to advise tracks when things have gone wrong. Almost always, his visits have been unpublicized. So what sort of problems has he encountered.

He says: “First of all, I should point out that I am not a civil engineer, nor do I consider myself an ‘expert’. My knowledge has simply been built on my observations of my own track, and an interest in the subject in general over many years.

“When I was asked to advise, I encountered different problems at different tracks. For example, I was asked by the Romford management to solve a problems when the track kept running almost a second slow for the 400 metres and half that again for the 575.

“There were two immediate issues. The first was that the racing surface needed to be raised to improve the drainage. Also, the groundsman was harrowing too deep.

“At Nottingham they had problems between the inside and outside of the track. I concluded that it was caused by incorrect watering.

“A powerful hose was pushing the sand up from the inside towards the hare rail. The clue was the amount of small stones being exposed on the inside. It also caused a bowling of the surface.

“Sheffield had been having injury problems and Dave Baldwin asked me if I would check the track over.

“It soon became obvious that the level of sand had dropped on the inside and it was holding too much water. I recommended that they could either raise the level of sand to make it level with the inside drainage wall or they could cut slits in the wall to help the water drain away.

“There was also an issue with the sand being contaminated with the shale from the speedway track. It was all comparatively easy to fix and the injuries soon dropped back.

“The important thing to remember with sand is that it is susceptible to change and must be constantly maintained to an expert level. With weather conditions so variable, you must be flexible in your preparation and avoid complacency slipping in.

“In fairness to many of the tracks, including those that I attended, there was no lack of care from the managements, they were simply out of their depth and had often been given conflicting advice as to how to solve the problem.”

 

So – is there such a thing as a perfect track?

Nick says: “In an ideal world, all tracks would be the size of Sheffield’s 435 metre circumference with its 50 metre radius. Injuries and race baulking would be reduced to a minimum.”

Unsurprisingly, the Yorkshire venue occupies the joint ‘top circuit’ award with Hove and Monmore.

Nick says: “It isn’t just about the size of the circuits, banking is key as I originally pointed out to the NGRC. There is no doubt in my mind that it must be incorporated on every single licensed track.

“I have read a lot of studies from around the world about the optimum use of banking and it seems that they have all come to the same conclusions – it should be no more or less than 10% irrespective of the size of the circuit and it is of greatest benefit on small tracks.

“However – although the track circumference is important, as is banking, there are other factors.

“For example, Romford is a better circuit than many people realise because the radius of the bends, pro rata, is quite large. They just have short straights. Sheffield’s straights are very small but they are huge bends.”

“I would like to make it clear that I am not opposed to small tracks. Many dogs are ideally suited to them and aren’t as effective on larger tracks.

“Romford is a good example. Due to its conformation, it remains suitable for many Derby dogs over 575 metres.

“The proof is in the number of big race events, such as the Essex Vase or Champion Stakes, that have been won by Derby class dogs.

“I have run many dogs there including Right Move, Westmead Keawn and Westmead Merlin and even used it to bring Sonic Flight back from injury.

“I just wish there were fewer small tracks in proportion to the bigger circuits.

“The loss of circuits like Wembley, Hackney and White City has left us with no stadium fit for champions in the south of England and I wish that could be redressed.”

So is it possible to improve an existing racing circuit?

Nick says: “Within reason, you can make decent improvements. Walthamstow was a good example.

“The worst time was when they had grass straights and sanded bends. The track staff would stand there between races having a chat and pulling rakes around. It was a disgrace.

“The combination of grass straights and sand bends was the worst of all options because it was virtually impossible to service the sand with the right equipment.

“Switching to a complete sand track was the first priority but then they pulled down the old inside fence and reshaped the bends. It made a huge difference and was much easier for the dogs to run.

 

Old enough to remember the many injuries that occurred on grass tracks, Nick’s spectacles remain un-tinted about its suitability for racing.

He says: “It would be impossible to race on grass these days. The tracks couldn’t even cope in the winter when we only raced twice a week on them, and only eight races a meeting.

“I ruined three good litters at Wembley running pups on mud. It absolutely pulled the guts out of them.

“Nor do I think that any of the plans to replace sand with an artificial surface will work. At least not on what I have seen and with current preparation methods.

“There are two major types of sand currently in use, ‘Leighton Buzzard fine washed’ and Leighton Buzzard 26a.

“At their best, they are both more than adequate though the 26a contains more clay and requires more maintenance. It can also get very sloppy in very wet conditions.

“In my experience any sand surface will naturally become dangerous over time. It has to be harrowed on a regular basis.

“Once it has been dug up, it needs to be plated immediately and then watered. The big danger is when it gets harrowed but then the rain gets in before they can plate it.

“At that stage there is nothing you can do. If you put the tractor around, it simply makes things worse. The great example of that was in the 2008 Scottish Derby when it ran around a second and a half slow for the 500 meters.”

“However sand remains the best option I have seen, if it is properly maintained. Overall, thanks to the greater emphasis placed on its preparation, and the fund paying for the additional machinery required to work them, racing surfaces have improved massively over the years.

There is a theory that soft tracks are safe and that fast tracks are dangerous. Nick believes the scenario is a little more complicated than that.

He said: “The most dangerous tracks often look the safest. This occurs when the track has not been harrowed and it has gone hard underneath.

“If they just scuff the top half inch of the surface, it becomes soft, yet just below it the sand is solid. The net result is the dog’s foot does not make a solid contact.

“It is the lack of purchase that causes the movement within the foot that leads to injury.

“The clue is in the footprint. Research has shown that the depth should be one inch on the straights and an inch and a half on the bends.

“Of the four main going variations: fast, normal, slow and very slow, a disproportionate volume of injuries occur on fast going in my experience.”

So which track has consistently the best racing surface?

“For most recent years it had to be Wimbledon. John Forster, who has now retired always did a fantastic job.

“The track was always watered to perfection, which is vital. There was a time when tracks experimented with sprinkler systems but I have never seen one that works correctly.

“John doused the track with water by hose. Considering the length of the meetings and the excellent drainage, he did well to keep it so consistent.

“I would have liked John to stay in the industry as a track inspector and trainer for track staff. All groundsman should be taught by John and then have to pass an exam.

“No track should be allowed to race without a qualified groundsman. It is a job with a huge responsibility.

“I also have a lot of respect for Mick Large whose abilities first came to light when he managed to transform Milton Keynes after a huge blunder in their track preparation made the circuit unraceable.

“He has continued to learn and has helped various tracks in difficulties or in laying improved circuits including Henlow and Sheffield.”

 

 

To conclude the 1990s- from a racing perspective, the third decade at Westmead remains the most successful to date.

Technically, the early successes were down to Natalie. It wasn’t until January 1 1997 that her long standing kennel lad took over the trainer’s licence.

Thankfully, the winners continued to flow – and the role of honour bulged with major victories and awards.

Westmead Harry (’90), picked up the first of four Greyhound of the year titles followed by Westmead Chick (’94), Staplers Jo (’95) and Toms The Best in 1998.

During the ‘90s, the kennel picked off an English, an Irish and two Scottish Derbys, four Produce Stakes, two Arcs, two English Oaks and around another 90 decent stakes.

Interestingly, although the decade’s early successes were from Nick’s own stock, they were strongly supported by non-Westmeads.

While the likes of ‘Tom’ ‘Joe’, ‘Merlin and ‘Staplers’ dominated over the standard distance, two bitches Elbony Rose and Tralee Crazy were prolific over six and eight bends.

Rose was bought on the North East independents for £50 but went on to win the ’96 Cesarewitch, and Boxing Day Marathon.

The following year it was the turn of Tralee Crazy, a bitch bought by Nick for owners Mim and Dennis Slark for a mere £3,000.

Not only did she repeat Rose’s successes in the Cesarewitch and Boxing Day Marathon, she also ran away with the ’97 St Leger.

 

Surely the ‘noughties could only prove an anticlimax?

Some more memorable moments of the 1990s: