When Troy Suzieeq went to traps for the final of the Premier Greyhound Racing Regency Final, the least concerned man about her 28-1 SP was owner Mick Gollogly. And he hadn’t even backed her. A reminder, this is what happened next . .
When we say that Mick hadn’t backed his bitch, that is only partially true.
He said: “I didn’t back her on the night, but I backed her ante post at 25-1 (!!!) and then in the semi finals at 22-1 so between and Paul Robson, who has an interest in her, we picked up winnings running into five figures. When people say they can’t get on I disagree, particularly if you take your time and do it in bits and pieces.
“Anyway, I thought the price was a disgrace after the semi finals when she beat Callmesteve. I admit the draw didn’t look good but I thought she was probably about an 8-1 chance.”
But then Mick has a bit of form for backing big priced winners including Prince Of Troy who won the 2021 Olympic at 25-1, Troy Zico won the Midland Puppy Derby at 6-1 and the apple of his eye, Troy Bella landed the Scurry at 7-1.
A Middlesbrough ‘Smoggy’, Mick bought his first pup back in the 1970s, a Westmead County bitch puppy who cost him a month’s mortgage when he made the long journey to Henlow to back her.
His dog connections have risen and fallen over the years. He once spent a whole year at the Newcastlewest schooling track in Ireland but soon returned to making a sensible living.
He said: “I was in the gas and oil industry for about 40 years, though I have retired now. I enjoyed my time in Ireland but it was then time to start earning real money again.”
Having spent his early years on the flaps, Dave then had dogs with the late great Norman Oliver and Dave Conway, famous for his ‘Gulleen’ runners.
The connection with the Mullins kennel goes all the way back to David’s time training at Sunderland (he didn’t have a tan back then – Ed), and the pacey Troy Tempest and Troy Nijinsky.
Troy Suzieeq was bred by Pat Reddan and from a litter than included Golden Jacket and TV Trophy runner-up Redzer Renae. Under her previous name of Fire Height Diva, Suzieeq was handled by Brendan Maunsell, the man who bred Troy Bella but also trained the brilliant Redzer Ardfert.
Suzieeq was a bargain £9K, which was still three times the cost of Troy Bella.
Mick smiles: “I saw him run over 525 and he didn’t stay. But I thought he had great early and if all else failed would make a decent sprinter, which is exactly what happened. Though Brendan never lets me forget that he only cost £3,000.”
Looking back on Saturday night, Mick recalls it to be one of his highlights in greyhound racing.
He said: “The atmosphere was sensational. There was a big crowds, lots of families, possibly helped by the nice weather. It reminded me of racing years ago. And I have to particularly thank the General Manager Lena Birch, she is a great find for Entain and could not have made us feel more welcome. Whatever the result, I loved every minute of the whole meeting.”
Two final points – why ‘Troy Suzieeq”?
Mick said: “The ‘Troy’ prefix came to me many years ago. I had picked up some pups in Ireland and was late for the ferry in Dublin. We were held up in an enormous traffic jam in Troytown in Kildare. For some reason it struck me that it would make a great prefix.
“As for the Suzieeq, most people assume it refers to Suzie Quatro. In fact, it goes back to my interest in boxing. Suzieeq was the nickname that Rocky Marciano gave to his right hand. He named it after his girlfriend, because in his words, she was a ‘knockout'”
That winning feeling: Mick Gollogly (centre) celebrates Troy Suzieeq’s Regency win with his best mate Paul Robson (right) and trainer Dave Mullins. Photo: © Steve Nash
