Drumscraw Kennels

Bucks Teddy

2008-10-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

The first runner from the maiden litter that was bred at our new kennels in Drumscraw made his debut on Monday night past in Limerick. I can confidently say that you will be hearing a lot more about this lad. A bang railer with explosive early pace he left the traps with great authority and every post he went he was further clear before stopping the clock in a sensational 16.11. This is the fastest ever debut by a dog in Limerick, indeed he is the now the fastest ever pup over two bends in Limerick.

I spoke to Ger after the race and he was delighted. Large offers will be on the table for this lad but he will be kept for a while and schooled out, he hasn't been in the traps 10 times yet! Four bends wont be a problem for him which should make him a serious player in all the puppy competitions if he improves as a 16 month old pup should.

Exciting times ahead and a great boost for the staff here to see our hard work producing the results. I still have a dog pup from the litter for an English client who is being schooled at the minute. Very little has been done with him to date due to the kennel cough that is doing the rounds but we are hopeful he has the same ability as his brother.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1520896

A long awaited arrival

2008-10-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

On the 16th of September at 1.35pm our beautiful baby daughter arrived. Sarah and Colette are now well settled in back in Drumscraw and everyone is doing fantastically well. Sarah was so excited about coming out that she arrived a few weeks ahead of schedule and weighed a very healthy 6lb 14. Many thanks to the staff at the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen who treated us all with great kindness and professionalism. But I owe the biggest thanks to Colette for the wonderful daughter she has delivered. That's kennel hand number one sorted out!

Duneden Grover AKA See You

2008-10-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.greyhound-data.com/db.php?i=1492431&time=1224085291

This lad, like his sister has come good of late. He won a nice stake final on the Friends of Africa Benefit Meeting night in Lifford recently, having won the semi final and first round on route to the final. He is now open class and will have to play with the big boys but he is more than capable of doing that after a short break to get over a few sore spots.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video2/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-09-19-HT07.mp4&name=THE ARMAGH FRIENDS OF AFRICA S1 350 Round 1

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video2/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-09-26-HT06.mp4&name=THE ARMAGH FRIENDS OF AFRICA S1 350 Semi-Final

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video2/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-10-05-HT01.mp4&name=THE ARMAGH FRIENDS OF AFRICA S1 350 Final

I think this can now be classified as a successful litter. The next litter ex Maureens Angel are now schooling. There are two in particular who are catching the eye and will be at least as good as their half brothers and sisters.

Turn Out Yard

2008-08-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

The turn out yard that we put in during the spring has worked very well. It has kept the kennels cleaner and the dogs seem to appreciate it. They are turned out 5 times a day from 7am to 10pm. The concrete surface has left it easily kept as it can be powerwashed every week.

The double kennels open directly onto it via the sliding hatches in the picture which are perfect for saplings being kenneled for the first time as they can come in and out as they please and the double kennels are actually big enough to easily accommodate 3 dogs.

Its also very handy to bring a litter of pups into for working with as its a small space without being to confined for them.

Video Uploaded

2008-08-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

The video of the bitches race is now online and makes for good viewing. It was never in doubt from the rise of the lids.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-08-02-HT04.flv&name=THE LIFFORD A6/A7 525

Its very pleasing to see our hard come to fruition.

Drumscraw Bullet

2008-08-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Bullet is just coming right after her season and has had a couple of gallops to trim the excess weight that she was carrying. I had intended to qualify her on Thursday past but she was off colour that morning and will be confined to the sick bay for a few days.

Near Home Almost

2008-08-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

After the best part of 30 months this lady raised the flag in the style we knew she was capable of last Saturday night in Lifford. http://www.igb.ie/Trainers-Landing/Results/view-results/?track=LFD&date=02-Aug-2008&racenumber=4 Some of the money that went astray on her in HX was taken back of those nasty bookmakers, she split her web that night. I think this girl has a bright enough future ahead as she is coming to her prime.

I can only hope her brother comes sound as he has a good couple of lengths up his sleeve over her. We will know the answer to that question soon enough. Boss has been swimming for the last 3 weeks and has had a couple of spins up the gallop this week. A handslip is the next step and will probably happen towards the tail end of next week, fingers crossed.

Relations Prospering

2008-08-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

It took a lot of research and legwork before I could assemble my new team of broods at Drumscraw. It will take a few years before I can be sure if I choose well but the early signs are good and the blood relations of my broods have been excelling of late on the track.

Mineola Di

Her two brothers, Farloe Reason and Ninja Jamie are raced very sparingly by the maestro Charlie Lister. He is as they say a man with a plan. Both have tasted group success this year and I feel will have a massive say in next years classics. Big sister Farloe Mirror also won a group race recently, the prestigious Brighton Belle.

Half brothers Fear Zafonic and Farloe Merlin have also been making the news. To put it simply "Zafonic" is the best pup in the UK and if he stays sound will win a classic next year. That's a bold statement but he has the ability and when fully mature will be a serious dog. He has already won the Group 2 Graphite Puppy Derby at Walthamstow beating two big profile Westmead dogs on route. His times for a pup are unheralded, 2838 for a pup around the Stow is crazy fast. "Merlin" has been a little less high profile but none the less is proving himself to be a very useful dog in his own right. A Group 3 winner at Stainforth he is being aimed at the big puppy stake which starts next Monday in Nottingham. He should go well as he has won his last two races there in very useful times.

Very interestingly for me, a full sister of the dam of Di, Farloe Reserve, has a litter to Hondo Black which have just commenced their racing career. If mine turn out like this then I will be a very happy camper. Farloe Tico already holds a track record at 20 months of age and is also now with Lister, a runner in the Nottingham Puppy Classic as well. I think he will be very special over 6 bends, although could be a little short of early pace for classics over 4 bends. Sadly a brother of "Tico", Farloe Cyclone suffered a nasty injury when grading in around Oxford, according to local reports he was every bit as promising as his brother. It looks like a litter to follow, especially over longer distances.

Blue Amarillo

Belle's immediate blood relations are nearing the end of their racing careers but it appears there is a kick left in them yet as her sister, star bitch Handy Princess, ran a great race to finish an unlucky second in the final of the Youghal Oaks last Friday night. Half Brother Firshill Boy qualified for the second round of the Irish Derby last night when finishing second. He is a little short of the class required for a Derby winner but I wouldn't be surprised to see him going a few rounds, he did already reach a Group 1 final this year.

Line of Fire finished a disappointing last in the Classic St Ledger final at Limerick a while back and appears to have lost a few lengths through injury. It will be interesting to see if they retire him and try him at stud, although I wouldn't put it past Owen McKenna rekindling the old spark in the dog.

Half sister Cleenas Lady continues to defy her advancing years and was very unlucky in the Seniors Derby Final at Peterborough last month. She was odds on after winning her heat and semi-final but a big bump at the first bend ended her chance over a trip slightly short of her preferred distance.

Belle's first litter to Boherduff Light are now 10 months old. In another 5/6 weeks they will be brought into the schooling kennel. They have already had one spin up the gallop and I'm satisfied with what they are showing so far. Their sire is doing himself no harm of late and I will definitely be returning with a bitch to him next year.

Droopys Rosari

Sparky is now well settled into her new home at Drumscraw. We called her Sparky because she is a real live wire, original I know. It has been an exciting time of late for her littermates and half brothers and sisters. Full brother Droopys Carvalho won the Group 1 Sussex Cup at Hove last month, undefeated and beating some top dogs along the way including Ballymac Under and Barnfield On Air. It will be interesting to see what he is aimed at next as I think a big galloping 4 bend trip is perfect for him but he could really clean up over the shorter 6 bend trips with his electric early pace.

Litter brother London Walter is a pup going places. He has a 50% strike rate, all in open class, and was a little unlucky this past week in the final of the Group 1 Puppy Derby at Wimbledon when his chances where wrecked by a first bend bump, taking nothing away from a very worthy winner. I hope they campaign him sensibly as he will need a little more time before he is able to see out a strong 4 bend trip.

Sparky's illustrious three quarter brother Si Senor has been retired to stud. He will stand with Christine at Merefield Stud. I think he will be well supported and stands a good chance of proving himself at stud.

Of particular interest to me is that the first two half sisters of Sparky to be bred have both produced useful pups. Droopys Cheala has thrown a very useful litter to Yeah Man. A few of these are racing around Lifford where I have seen them in the flesh. Whilst lacking a little pace to the bend they have huge motors and are very pacey dogs. Droopys Betty has a litter on the ground to Kewell and the first two to run have both raised the flag in pretty good times for Novices around Newbridge so exciting times lay ahead.

I have been doing a little research into what sire would suit Sparky best and I'm swayed towards Boherduff Light at present but that could change over the course of the next 6 months or so as I don't intend mating her till next spring at the earliest.

Exciting Times

2008-08-08T03:19:00.000-07:00

Our most eagerly awaited litter for this summer arrived safely last week. Mineola Di whelped 2 dogs and 6 bitches to Hondo Black. I would have liked a few more dogs in the litter but all are very healthy and doing well at the minute. Its funny but I have had a lot of enquiries for bitches, it goes to show the strength of the damline. In fact two bitches are due to travel to America at 14 weeks to our friends at http://www.blocksporthounds.com/

Di took to motherhood like an old professional and is very protective of her brood of pups. They where way above average size when born, one bitch tipped the scales at 575g! I hope they continue in this vain as I had hoped that Hondo Black would add some size to the mix as well as his renowned chase and durability.

Little Maldini's

2008-08-08T03:14:00.000-07:00

Our May litter of Droopys Maldini's are coming up on 12 weeks of age. They are fine well boned pups with plenty of life. Its nice to see a good even litter with them all thriving. I couldn't be any happier with them. Mum Belle is back to life in the kennel block where she is keeping the other broods in order and showing the saplings a clean pair of heels up the gallop.

Jigsaw Complete

2008-06-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce a new arrival at Drumscraw, Droopys Rosari. I have been trying to acquire a brood from the Maythorn Pride/Millies May for a while with two particular strands of interest, Gilded Mirror and Wise Memory. Grand daughters of these two broods are amongst the very top producers in the paddocks at the minute, Airport Express and Wise Beauty.

Sparky, is a beautiful long bitch who unfortunately injured her hock whilst schooling. She was trialing exceptionally well and according to Michael Dunphy had a very bright future ahead of her. Indeed the lads in Portlaw think there are one or two very "special" dogs in the litter.

A cursory glance through the offspring of Droopys Beauty has the names of some of the top racers of the last 5 years flowing off the lips. Si Senor, Droopys Tobey, Calzaghe Frisby, Droopys Lomasi etc. Also of importance is that several of the daughters of Droopys Beauty have made fantastic starts to their brood careers.

I will leave her until next year when she is fully mature before she commences her time in the breeding paddocks.

http://www.igb.ie/Trainers-Landing/Greyhounds/?gid=1C3C7DE4-D928-4B44-82BC-BD59372EEE3E

Mineola Di

2008-06-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Di has been mated to Hondo Black this week. I have been patiently waiting for this lady to come into season and she came in last Friday. The only downside is that she had brought all the other bitches on season along with her! Fingers crossed she has come home with a bellyful.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=529018&damid=1434411

Her litter mates had been performing exceptionally recently as has her half brother Fear Zafonic. He appears to be the cream of the puppy crop running in the UK at present.

Litter Announcement

2008-06-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

We are proud to introduce to the world the latest arrivals at Drumscraw. Belle delivered a healthy litter of 3 dogs and 5 bitches, all Blue like their dad Droopys Maldini. Mum and pups are doing very well and are very big for their age.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=720266&damid=1217814

Belle's old part owner Neil Duggan was lucky enough to be there to witness the first five of the eight arrivals before sneaking off to bed and leaving me with the night shift!

Visitors

2008-06-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

We have had a few owners over to stay recently. Neil Duggan was over the weekend that Faraday raced, we had two good nights at the track. Neil has a full update of his visit on his excellent blog. Take a look, there are some great pictures on Neil's blog.

http://zigzagwookie.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-05-25T07%3A15%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=7

Racing Strength

2008-06-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Very mixed fortunes on this front recently. Moneyline ran in the first round of the sweepstake and put in a blinder of an effort. He paced up very well from a horrible trap 6 draw and went to sweep the corner, another 5 yards and he would have been clear but the trap 3 bumped the 4 and he shot across into the Boss and turned him sideways. He regained his momentum and was motoring into the 3rd bend when he was forced to check again. At the line he finished a closing 4th and qualified for the next round as a fastest qualifier.

The second round was the following Friday and I was confident of a big run. I got him checked over mid week by Tony Collins and he pronounced him sound and said that he had took the race and bumping very well. The draw was slightly better, trap 5 for a railer! Boss was in great form on raceday and putting him into the traps I thought at worst he would finish in a place and if he trapped would put in a top run.

For some reason that I have yet to work out he got very agitated in the traps and according to the Steward tried to turn in the traps. The hare was only 50 yards from the traps at this stage so there was no chance of stopping it. There was an awful commotion coming from the boxes and a distressing yelping noise.

At trap rise he was slowly away and ran even worse after that to finish a bad last. I couldn't understand it but when he came into the pickup it was evident that he was badly lame. I think he caused the initial injury in the traps and running 700 odd yards on it didn't help. The upshot of it all is that he has a very badly damaged toe that may have to be removed. After consulting the vet we have decided to let it heal naturally and see if it stands up before considering amputation, as he put it "once its off I cant stick it on again".

Video of the first round is below

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-05-09-HT10.flv&name=THE AN-CU A3 525 Round 1

Faraday had her first race since her return from the Uk on the Sunday night of the same weekend that Moneyline was injured. She was well drew in T3 in an open sprint. She broke well and showed good pace for 50 yards before going wrong. She finished a bad last and was sore on her wrist the next morning. The winner ran a cracker for Terence McCroary stopping the clock in 1859 which is top open class.

Patch will be off for 3/4 weeks and will have to be brought back slowly. A frustrating time with the racers.

Fantastic News

2008-05-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

We have had some good news here at Drumscraw on a few fronts lately and are very happy to share it with our readers. Belle, Blue Amarillo, is expecting a big litter and is doing fantastically well but of more importance myself and Colette are expecting our own arrival in September! We are both thrilled and cant wait for the happy times ahead.

Below is a picture of the two ladies in question.

A Welcome Change

2008-05-08T15:41:00.001-07:00

The weather over the last week or so has been fantastic and we have finally had some growth which will help the paddocks as they where very bare from the wet winter. Working with the dogs is a pleasure in this weather.

Moneyline

2008-05-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Boss is on the card in Lifford tomorrow night in the first round of the An Cu Veterinary stake, it would be a little ironic if he progressed as he is nearly on first name terms with Brian Jones! He is housed in a far from favourable Trap 6 and I would be happy to sneak a qualifying spot in second or third in what looks a very hard race. He is a little short of 100% fitness and will come on a mile for the run.

http://www.igb.ie/Upcoming-Events/Upcoming-Race-Cards/Upcoming-Race-Summary/view-race-form/?Track=LFD&Date=09-May-2008&RaceNumber=10

Weekly Roundup

2008-04-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

Its been a fairly quiet week for once at Drumscraw with nothing much to report. The weather has taken a turn for the better and the grass has come well in the paddocks, makes a change from walking through the muck everyday. The only downside with this is that the ground has got fairly hard and there isn't much of a covering of grass at the minute.

The pups are all doing well and are making the most of the fine weather by sleeping outside at night and doing a bit of sunbathing. I lead trained 10 saplings on Saturday, I slept like a baby on Saturday night, and the majority took to the lead immediately. In particular the three Yeah Man x Express Wish walked like lambs as soon as the lead was strapped onto them, they impress me more every day. Their breeding got another boost this week when their dams's half sister won the Cork Oaks and half brother won the Munster Dash on route to a crack at the English Derby.

Patch, race name Faraday, continues to respond well to treatment for her injury and may make a sooner than expected comeback as her back is nearly right again. The swimming pool is really working the oracle with her as not only is it helping her back but its keeping her fitness levels up. Bullet is entered for next weekend in Lifford, she was slightly off colour last week but appears to be coming back to herself so will take her chances in either a 525,550 or 575 race on the Friday or Saturday. I'm currently scanning the upcoming sweepstakes to see if I can find anything suitable for the Boss but I have drawn a blank so far.

At this stage I'm 95% sure that Belle is in pup but after being caught out with her in the past i cant be 100% until she is scanned at 40 days but fingers crossed. Maldini is going well at this stage and he looks to be the natural successor to his sire who cant go on forever.

Family Ties

2008-04-13T05:46:00.001-07:00

I take a keen interest in the progress of the offspring from the bloodlines that I breed from and there has been plenty of good news on that front lately.

Di's litter brother's, Ninja Jamie and Farloe Reason, have been going well in the UK and both have live chances in the English Derby which is due to begin at the start of May. In particular Farloe Reason set Hall Green alight in a heat of the Blue Riband this week. He stopped the clock in a sensational 28.11, tr is 28.04. That time is fantastic but when the going allowance of -10 is taken into account it ranks as one of the performances of the year for me. That took his race record to a very nice 10 wins from 14 with 3 seconds and one third, including a track record in Nottingham.

Also going well at present is Farloe Mirror, Di's big sister. She was one of the fastest winners in the first round of the Produce Stakes in Clonmel and I would think she should go a long way in the stake.

Mineola Di

2008-04-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

Di has been on the easy list since she picked up a niggle in a trial. I have took the decision to retire her to the breeding paddocks. She is due in season shortly and there would be no sense in regrading her with a mating to Hondo Black planned. There is no hurrying mother nature but I'm really looking forward to what the future holds with her.

Faraday

2008-04-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

Patch has returned from the UK to Drumscraw. Things didn't work out as well as we had hoped for her but that's greyhounds! Her early schooling for me was very promising and I was pretty confident she was a bitch who as a minimum would pick up opens on the UK circuit.

I took her straight to Brian Jones from the boat and he has diagnosed a nerve problem in her back which will require careful rehabilitation if she is to race again. If she doesn't make a successful return then she is assured of a happy retirement in Drumscraw and I may take a litter from her at some time in the future.

The Boss

2008-04-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

Moneyline is now qualified to race over 4 bends after clocking 2933 in Lifford on Thursday afternoon. I'm happy enough with the time and he will be graded A3 for middle distance races now. Hopefully there will be a confined sweepstake coming up shortly to suit. Hopefully he will come on for the run, he certainly stayed the trip which is encouraging.

Money Line

2008-04-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

The "Boss" made his debut on Saturday last on a very hot novice open sprint in Lifford. By my reckoning we would have to be breaking 19.00 to have a chance, which would leave the winner graded as open class!

We where drawn in a favorable trap 3 and I thought we had a sneak of a chance, however, I had to regrade him on Thursday just 48 hours previously and I had a nagging doubt that would have taken the edge of him that he would need over a shorter trip.

My worst fears where confirmed when three other runners where bet for very good money with the trap 4 in particular bet as if it couldn't be beaten. We opened favourite but drifted out to 5/2 at the wiping of the boards.

The traps went up and it was encouraging to see Boss quickly into his stride. However, the trap 2 showed some great early to get first run of the bend and scooted clear. He chased valiantly up the home straight closing the gap all the way to the line to be beaten a length in 18.97, I wasn't wrong with the time, and he was in front at the pickup.

Walking off with Boss I was reasonably satisfied with his run. I got him washed off and watched the rerun in the kennels. I was even more pleased after that as Boss and the trap 4 rubbed against each other for the first 80/100 yards which really ruined the winning chance of either of the two. We live to fight another day and he will be stepped up to 4 bends for his next race as he came home with a real rattle.

I will be keeping my eye on the Trap 4, Six Pillars. She is beautifully bred, Droopys Maldini ex Ogillvie Teresa ,who won the NW Oaks, and has some very nice qualifying trials.

The link to the race is below.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-03-29-HT03.flv&name=THE LIFFORD NO 350

Works Continue

2008-04-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

We have completed the installation of a layer of insulation to the roof of the main kennel block and it had left it noticeably warmer, which will help cut down on the heating bill. Also on the agenda is a ceiling at a height of 2.1m above the floor to close the roof off.

Go Wild Teddie's

2008-04-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Pictured above with Drumscaw Bullet are the two dogs from the Go Wild Teddy x Mottos Friend June 07 litter. Their half brother Mottos Star is now with Charlie Lister and big things are expected from him. I have these two fellas trained to the lead and they are also being kennelled at night to get them into the habit.

They wont be big dogs, 65lb or so, but they are quick into their stride. It wont be to long before they hit the schooling tracks, probably when they are 14 months.

More Yeah Mans

2008-04-05T08:35:00.001-07:00

On my advice and on the opinion that we all have formed on our first experiences with Yeah Mans pups the same connection have purchased another three from a different litter, all black dogs. They are around 7 months old and I'm really very impressed with them. To frank the breeding a little more their grand dam picked up her second consecutive brood bitch of the year award last week, Airport Express for those who don't follow breeding.

These pups have serious potential in my opinion. They have been reared to perfection to this stage and I feel a burden of responsibility to finish them off to let them produce what potential lays in them. Good eaters, quiet in the kennel, aggressive but not bullies I really could go on all day about them!

The test mating for the litter is below.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=1026715&damid=1421964

Filling Up

2008-04-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

Over the Easter Weekend we had some welcome visitors to Drumscraw, one returning and two newcomers. Dave, Mick and John had come from Thurles and they brought the pups they had bought with them to be reared along with the Boherduff Light x Blue Amarillo pups they had purchased previously.

We had a good nights craic at Lifford on Easter Sunday night and say some high class racing, all the hotpots got turned over though, including Droopys Robinho and Forest Scholes. Farloe Black really caught the eye with a pre race trial where he clocked a very useful 2845 in his first trial since his injury.

The breeding of the pups the lads delivered, a dog and two bitches, is Yeah Man x Coppeen Flyer. This was my first experience of Yeah Man pups and everything they have done has impressed me.

The boys must have been busy around Tipperary before they came to me as they bought four more pups out of two different litters! A dog and a bitch from Yvonne Harrington's nicely bred Rum Pusher ex Droopys Scolari and a dog and bitch from fellow blogger John Moyles's Bantiss Jymmi ex Droopys Vieri. The test mating of all three litters is below.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=1026715&damid=1260655

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=1076867&damid=1025132

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=65365&damid=1125170

The remainder of the pups followed up the round the following Wednesday along with Belle and all have settled in perfectly. I will be very disappointed if some of these do not go onto very good things.

Belle Returns

2008-04-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Blue Amarillo returned from Portlaw in perfect order, hopefully with a litter of pups on board. I'm very happy with my choice of Droopys Maldini as he is really starting to produce the high class of winners that I had hoped he would. Its nice to note that a large proportion of the dams who have produced to Maldini are sired by Top Honcho. Thanks again to Lenny and Seamus for their reliable transportation.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=720266&damid=1217814

Drumscraw Bullet

2008-04-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Bullet made her step up to four bends on 15/03 over 525 in Lifford and it was a case of mixed fortunes. Drawn nicely in trap 3 she opened odds on but good money came for trap 2 and at the bell our girl had eased to 4/1 with the jolly going off at 6/5.

At trap rise my hopes raised as she came out in front level with the nicely bred Minnies Svetlana with the favourite getting a nice tow in behind the Bullet. A nice turn of early pace saw our girl a length or so clear going into the first bend. At this point it all started to go wrong!

Either the trap 5 clipped her heels or she slipped but Bullet lost her action and at one stage I thought she wasn't going to get round the second bend. This cost her the race as the eventualy winner trap 2 bolted up the inside to take charge going into the back straight with trap 5 second and Bullet third about 4 lengths adrift. We made good progress down the back side but the same problems occurred at the third and fourth bend and more ground was lost.

However, the Bullet is made of very stern stuff and she put her head down in the home straight to catch Minnies Svetlana in the shadow of the post to steal second finishing 4 3/4 lengths behind the winner Stratus Faction in a time of 29.44, which leaves us with an estimated time of 29.77.

On returning to the paddock it was evident all wasn't well as she was trailing her right back leg although she wasn't visibly lame. The next morning told the tale as she was very sore on both her right shoulder and right hip. A trip to Declan McCambridge confirmed my thoughts and she has been on the easy list since. Two weeks on the lead coupled with daily massage appears to have done the trick as I gave her a couple of gallops and a handslip since and she is sound as a pound. I will give her a spin over 4 bends before re-entering her. Hopefully a nice sweepstake will turn up for her in the mean time.

Below is the link to the race courtesy of greyhound-data.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-03-15-HT06.flv&name=THE LIFFORD A5 525

Belle Departs

2008-03-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

After a last minute change of plans Blue Amarillo will actually be travelling with Aidan McAllister on the way to Portlaw and her date with Droopys Maldini. It will mean a very early start tomorrow as the pick up is arranged for 6.30am and it will take a good hour and a half to get there! Such are the joys of being a greyhound breeder.

You are what you eat

2008-03-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a firm believer that you can only get out of your dogs what you put in. You could go to the Dunphy's or Dessie Loughrey and take the best bred pups from there at 12 weeks but if they don't get the correct feeding they will turn out to be expensive graders. The feed preparation area that we built has proved to be a godsend. Its a compact area where everything is to hand and has cut down on the time spent on food preparation.

I have very few hard and set ideas about greyhounds but only feed the very best that I can source.

New Walker

2008-03-04T02:40:00.000-08:00

The weather of late has been very poor, on Saturday over 5cm of rain fell and it was very cold on Sunday which turned the rain to snow and we had a good heavy covering. This has made it impossible to get the dogs walked. Its times like this that I'm glad we invested in a 3 dog walking machine. It didn't take long for them to get used to it, in fact some of them really enjoy a spin on it. It certainly has saved the hassle of coating up to get them outside and to be honest they don't enjoy walking in the bad weather.

I'm a firm believer that dogs need to be walked, both for physical well being but also for some mental stimulus. Dogs in large kennels that only see the light of day to be turned out couldn't be running to their full potential.

Belle in Season

2008-03-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?d=blue+amarillo

I noticed a little swelling and a spot of blood on Belle's hindquarters at lock up time last night and this morning she was noticeably swollen with plenty of blood in evidence. I think it was the couple of gallops that hurried mother nature along as I was expecting her to come back in season around 3/4 weeks ago.

Choosing a stud dog at present is no easy task, especially for a brood with Head Honcho in her pedigree through Top Honcho. That ruled out a large number of sires and has directed me towards the Larkhill Jo/Droopys Kewell sire line. In fact it came down to a decision between Droopys Kewell or his two sons Droopys Scolari or Maldini. Now all the smart men are saying Scolari is a better sire, basing this on the fact that he is slightly more expensive than his full brother, but I have looked hard and deep and Maldini is throwing classy animals.

The Farloe Oyster litter are all top class, Di included, but there is another litter that is starting to make a name for itself out of the Dunphy's own brood Droopys Beauty. There are a couple of these running around Monmore where they are expected to figure strongly in the upcoming Puppy Derby. Indeed one of them was highlighted by fellow blogger Neil Duggan as one to follow, http://zigzagwookie.blogspot.com/2008/02/barnfield-beaten.html .

The Larkhill Jo sire line is a well proven cross when mixed with Top Honcho bitches and this mix also contains a nice cross double of Daleys Gold and Im Slippy appears three times on the fifth pedigree line, hopefully a nice injection of early pace will result.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=720266&damid=1217814

I had considered using Larkhill Jo but I have reservations about subjecting my stock to unnecessary anesthesia when other options are available.

The transporter is booked for next Tuesday. All that remains is for Belle to have her booster shoots before she sets off.

Fitness Work

2008-02-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

Bullet, Boss and Di are being put through their paces at the minute in preparation for a spring racing campaign which will start in around four weeks time, depending on what suitable races are available. Ideally I would like an unraced 350 for Boss and an unraced 525 for Di, the only obstacle could be if they are age restricted as both will be just turned two at around the date I would like them to run.

I took Belle, Blue Amarillo, with us to the gallop on Sunday as she really likes to get out for a trip. I used her as the lead dog up the gallop for the others to follow, I don't use a drag lure as a rule, and she really stretched her legs to show them all a clean pair of heels, much like her big brother did the night before in one of the hottest races of the year in Shelbourne Park.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/SPK/2008/SPK-2008-02-23-HT10.flv&name=E 60,000 Shelbourne Tote Gold Cup Round 2

Sand Paddock

2008-02-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

After a very wet Winter we decided to lay a sand paddock for the small puppies. It will be used as a stepping stone from the whelping kennel to the the rearing paddocks. So far it has proven to be a success with the Boherduff Light litter making the most of the space.

Puppies Hunting

2008-02-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

After an exceptional wet December and January
we have been blessed with some good dry weather over the last fortnight. We have been able to get all the puppies out hunting for the first time in 5 weeks, it was the first time that the Boherduffs have got out over the farm and the pictures show how much they enjoyed it. They took to it very well and soon where hunting the hedges for prey. It was fruitless on this occasion but long runs the fox!

An exciting addition!

2008-02-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Before I discuss the new brood who has joined us I ask you to click on the lick to her pedigree below and consider the possibilities!

http://www.greyhound-data.com/db.php?i=1434411&time=1203552745

Di has settled into her new surroundings with the minimum of fuss and is a real professional. I have a very difficult decision to make regarding her immediate future. Her breeding potential is unquestionable but neither is her racing ability. Its a nice problem to have so I think I will keep her in training until such times as nature takes its course and then she will be mated. Myself and Seamus have been considering sires to get the best possible match and are probably edging towards Hondo Black.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=529018&damid=1434411

This will try and exploit two very proven nicks. The crossing of Hondo Black over Top Honcho blood and the crossing of the sire over the Farloe Dingle line which is very proven, check out the Hondo Black x Farloe Dingle litter.

To say that Di's siblings and half brothers have been making the headlines is an understatement. Their names roll of the tongue like a who's who of the top open racers currently on the UK scene.

Farloe Niall

Farloe Hurricane

Farloe Reason

Farloe Mirror

Ninja Jamie

The above will figure heavily in the latter stages of the UK classics this year barring disaster.

However, potentially the most exciting has yet to come. A couple of weekends ago I witnessed a puppy trialling before racing on a Sunday night in Lifford. What the Oct 06 pup by Premier Fantasy x Farloe Oyster recorded was nothing short of sensational. He scorched around and stopped the clock in an astonishing 28.60. I have never seen a pup with so much raw pace. Unsurprising he has been sold for a huge sum and has joined the kennel strength of the maestro, Charlie Lister. I wouldn't expect to see him running for a good while as Charlie is renowned for giving his dogs a good spell to settle. His name? Final Zafonic.

I have uploaded a video of Di schooling at Hurley's track.

A Kennel Visitor

2008-02-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

We had a visit to Drumscraw from our friend Dave Yanez towards the end of Janurary. Belle, AKA Blue Amarillo, was owned by Dave in partnership with Neil Duggan for her racing career before she came to the breeding paddocks here on a pup deal. The lads have selected Socks to represent them from the Oct 07 litter by Boherduff Light that included two dogs and three bitches, he is pictured below with Dave. To be honest it was a hard decision to make for them as both dogs are fine specimens, although very different types of pup.

Over the course of Dave's week visit we managed to cram in two nights racing in Lifford, one night at the Brandywell in Derry, a days trialing at Hurley's plus a days trialing at Lifford. I nearly forgot the trip to the muscleman to get the dogs in training checked over!

Encouraging Debut

2008-02-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

Drumscraw Bullet made a satisfactory introduction to racing in Lifford a few weeks ago. She paced up with the leader to the bend from trap 3 where the dog on her outside cut the bend and took her racing room. She regained her momentum and galloped home very strongly to be beaten a diminishing 3 lengths in 19.13. She opened favourite at 5/4, do the bookies know something I don't?, and was returned 7/4. The winner was bet in a fashion that would have you believe it couldn't be beaten and was returned 1/2.

Bullet will come on for the experience, she is still a puppyish Oct 06 whelp, and with a bit more work over the next few weeks should go close next time out.

Below is a link to the race video.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2008/LFD-2008-02-03-HT01.flv&name=THE LIFFORD S8/S9 350

Kennels Complete

2008-01-07T14:59:00.001-08:00

After much hard work by myself and Colette, the main kennel block is now complete.

We have 8 single kennels, 4 double kennels and a double whelping kennel.

An outside concrete turn out yard capable of handling 6 dogs at a time.

A fitted kitchen and food preparation area with freezer storage.

3 dog walking machine and various injury treatment machines, portamag and ultrasound etc.

We are in the process of installing a hydrotherapy/swimming pool and hope to have it up and running within the next week or so. I will upload some pictures of it once it is complete.

In the incoming year the plans include the construction of a state of the art all weather gallop to include traps, drag and possibly a ray-timing system. We hope to add another 2/3 small paddocks and to built a brood/puppy kennel in each of these so as to separate whelping bitches completely from the older dogs.

Goodbye to our Christmas lodger

2008-01-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

YPOM is leaving for the green grass of home in County Kerry tomorrow morning. She has given no problems to us during her 3 week stay in Drumscraw but I think she could have been an awkward bitch to train as she is a little on the nervous side and wouldn't be suited to a large scale kennel.

Thankfully Colette has a great natural affinity with shy dogs and "Foxy" soon settled in.

A Busy Day

2007-12-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a hectic day as I sit down to write this post on the blog. The weather has taken a turn for the better with a dry spell in place and the ground starting to dry up somewhat after the recent deluges of rain. All the dogs- pups, broods, schoolers and saplings where wormed and I have the scratches to prove it!

I qualified Drumsraw Black and Drumscraw Bullet in Lifford this afternoon. Bullet won her trial in 18.38 while Black was second beated 2 lengths in 18.60, she checked very badly at the first bend and lost the guts of 10 lengths but showed plenty of pace which is encouraging.

Back home the kennels got a good wash down and a general tidy up to leave things right for the weekend when I will be busy lead training the litter of Go Wild Teddy pups.

I weighed the GWT litter when I was worming them and they are going to make a nice size. At the minute the bitches range from 44lb to 52 lb and the dogs from 52lb to 58lb. Also weighed where the pair of Alex Revenge pups that I'm rearing for Ray McGuiness, his brindle bitch would want to stop growing anytime soon as she is tipping the scales at 57lb at six and a half months!

The Boherduff Lights had there first venture outside after I gave them there puppy jabs and they seemed to enjoy themselves! It will be good to get them outside for good but I will probably wait another couple of weeks yet as I'm going to sand a paddock for them to ensure they have a dry footing.

Ready to Rumble!

2007-12-07T02:24:00.001-08:00

Moneyline has now qualified to race. Yesterday he won his three dog qualifying trial by 5 lengths in a smart 17.82 which puts him into N0. I'm glad he didn't go any quicker as he would have found himself in open class straight after his puppy race.

There is a 24 dog unraced stake starting next week in Lifford but it has probably come a fortnight too soon for the "Boss" as he has a belly nearly as big as my own at the minute and needs a lot more fitness work. I will get him checked over this weekend as he lost his footing on the bend and his trapping was a little tardy, although he was in the coffin box T6 which is nearly impossible to break from for some reason.

I'm still unsure of his best trap as he was outside yesterday and moved to the middle, previously he was put inside and moved out to wide, but he is still very inexperienced and this will become evident with time.

Once his fitness improves he will move up to 4 bends, which will suit him a lot better. He done all his running in the home straight yesterday and looked to be galloping stronger the further he went. The ground is currently waterlogged and galloping is not an option, the all weather gallop in Lifford is even closed the weather has been that wet.

Schooling update

2007-12-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

I took both Bullet and Black to Lifford on Wednesday for another schooling trial. Both impressed and where well inside qualifying time. I will give Bullet a public trial next week to qualify her and then put some work into her to see what the future holds for her.

Drumscraw Black will be leaving us next week for her new home in England where she will race around Crayford. Her schooling is now complete and although she is still a little puppyish she should take a racing career in her stride. I will follow her progress with great interest.

Saturday Schooling

2007-12-02T03:19:00.000-08:00

I took 3 dogs to Joe Hurleys Schooling track in Gulladuff on Saturday morning and all pleased. The two pups where a mile inside grading time and the Premier Fantasay dog really impressed. Another spin next week and then a qualifying trial will be the next step.

I was very impressed with the condition Joe had the track in. We have had heavy rain all week, monsoon like at times, and although the track was running slow it was neither sloppy or too soft.

Terrible Weather

2007-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

I had hoped to take some pups for qualifying trials today but all plans where put on hold due to the horrible weather. Heavy, prolonged showers that would have soaked you inside seconds lasted all morning and have left a soggy mess behind. It was even impossible to get any dogs walked this morning. The paddocks are holding up fairly well but I would like to see a good dry spell, even a bit of frosty weather!

The sparks where back today and fitted the rest of the outside lights. Its made a great job of the place as the outside turnout yard is now bright at anytime of the day. The kitchen was delivered yesterday, it came flat pack, and I hope to get it thrown together over the weekend, although joinery was never my strongpoint. I have also secured a hydrotherapy pool which will be a great acquisition when its up and running. All I will be missing will be an all weather gallop which is the last part of the jigsaw, I'm hoping to have progress on that in the middle of the springtime.

Moneyline

2007-11-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

I handslipped this lad yesterday from about 50 yards back off the 1st bend as he is returning from a little niggle. He flew around and galloped really well, in comparison to his last trial when I noticed his problem, stretching out all the way into the pick up.

I clocked him from the first sectional mark to the 325 line and his time was pretty good, 3 lengths quicker than what he would need to be doing to win a good sprint. So its all systems go with this lad to get him race fit and ready to make his debut. His a Feb 06 so its time the cotton wool came off. If he fulfills his potential he could be the one that every dog man dreams about!

Its funny, the only one of this litter to race, Premier Fantasy x Maureens Angel, has already won in England. Between seasons and immaturity none of the other 5 have hit the track yet.

Faraday

2007-11-27T03:54:00.001-08:00

By all accounts she has settled into her new surroundings very well, I thought she would but you can never be too sure with bitches. She has had three grading trials and all involved are happy with her progress to date. All being well she will make her racing debut within the next couple of weeks.

Drumscraw Bullet

2007-11-27T03:49:00.000-08:00

Elite State x This is Mine.

I think I have named this lady correctly, at least I hope so! She has made up into a beautiful racey bitch who tips the scales at around the 59lb mark. I got her marked up two weeks ago after public trials in Lifford where she showed a keen interest in proceedings. She has had two handslips since then and I am very happy with the times clocked to date. Its early days yet but I will put her through the traps and then give her a public trial. If she shows what I think she is capable of then I will hold her back till the spring as she is still a baby.

A few goodbyes

2007-11-27T03:42:00.000-08:00

A few friends have left us in Drumscraw for pastures new this week, with another due to leave shortly.

The Brett Lee x Winetavern Mini bitch has come under the ownership of Sammy Nicholson and will be trained by Terry Rafferty. A few of the litter have started schooling and all have graded in easily first time in the traps.

Mottos Friend has returned to Tipp back to the care of Ger O'Reilly. She leaves behind a beautiful litter of 7 pups by Go Wild Teddy who should provide us with some great excitement next year, fingers crossed.

Drumscraw Black, Bond x Droopys Kidman, is having her final schooling trials this week and will then be going to England and will join the racing strength at Crayford. She is a bitch with obvious 6 bend potential going by both her breeding and her schooling to date.

Puppys Thriving

2007-11-27T03:32:00.000-08:00

Our litter of Boherduff Light x Blue Amarillo pups are doing very well as they approach 8 weeks old. I'm very tempted to let them outside for the first time as the weather is very mild this last few days but I will resist the temptation until they have had all their shots. At the minute they are tearing around the whelping block and will soon have outgrown it.

The breeding of both sire and dam has been doing well lately. Boherduff Light is starting to get a few very high class winners, all showing good early pace, and Belle's big brother was looking majestic in the Golden Jacket in Galway until injury forced his withdrawal.

It puts it all in perspective

2007-11-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7092925.stm

Omagh has suffered its fair share of tragedy over the years and it returned with a vengeance last night. A whole family wiped out, Mother, Father and 5 children who where stepping stones from 9 months to 13 years old. The McElhills are from Ederney, just a stones throw over the hill from us here in Drumscra and our thoughts go out to those they leave behind.

A Genius at Work

2007-11-13T02:58:00.000-08:00

Its not often that I can say that going to get a greyhound checked for an injury is an enjoyable experience but this was the case yesterday. I took two Premier Fantasy pups down to Tony Collins as there was something amiss with them. I could have spent all day talking to Tony and watching him at work. Thankfully he has found the problem with both dogs and cured the cause of the pain in their wrists. I have never seen a shoulder being rolled before and to say that I was impressed was an understatement, once it was done all pain was removed from the wrist. From this day on there will never be another muscleman who lays a hand on one of my dogs except Tony.

He has done it again!

2007-11-04T05:40:00.000-08:00

Last night in Galway Line of Fire was given his debut at the College Road venue ahead of the upcoming 575 stake. He ran from trap 1 in a fairly hot race, which included the 2006 Derby finalist Bar the Devil, and romped home in a very impressive 31.26 setting a new track record along the way. He turned a handy second into the back straight and it was obvious there was only going to be one winner as he glided past BTD and really came home well winning by 3 lenghths. I would think the new track record will not last long as there will be a very high class entry for the stake but maybe he can lower it himself again as the track didnt look to be running fast last night.

http://www.igb.ie/view_results.aspx?track=GLY&date=03-Nov-2007

A Day Off!

2007-10-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Colette is currently off, as the schools are closed for Halloween holidays, so we set off for a day trip to Murvagh Beach with Ben. It is a beautiful unspoilt cove off the Donegal Bay about 45 mins drive from home. Sometimes I think we don't appreciate the fantastic scenery on our own doorsteps as we are spoilt by seeing it so often. It was great to get a day away from home, many thanks to my cousin for keeping an eye on things back at the kennels. We came home tired but in great form. Its great to feel the salt spay and smell the sea air, it has a great revitalising quality.

Amarillo Update

2007-10-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that over three weeks have past since Belle delivered her litter as the time has flown in. Its been very pleasing to watch their progress as everything has went like clockwork. The weight has piled on and they are a good size now. There is one bitch in particular who I am very taken with, she is pictured above nearest the camera, and the two dogs are very impressive at this stage.

Belle has taken to mother hood very well and is doing a great job feeding the pups. She still has plenty of milk so I will hold of on weaning the pups for as long as possible. She has regained her sparkle and I take her out into a paddock every day to stretch her legs and relieve the boredom.

Elite State x This Is Mine

2007-10-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

This lady just turned 12 months a couple of weeks ago and has now been lead trained and brought into in the main kennel block. I have to say I like what I have seen from her to date. She walked like a pro within 10 mins and hasn't let a yelp out of herself since being kennelled.

She has been hunted and she definitely has a nice turn of pace so fingers crossed it can be transferred to the track. I would think "brownie" will race at around the 60lb mark and she is very easy on the eye with a sleek racy physique. You never know she could be the female Catunda Harry.

Kennel Cough

2007-10-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

When I went into the kennels for roll call this morning I heard a noise all people involved with dogs dread to here, a dog coughing. I checked all the dogs over and although there is only one coughing there appears to be a few who are below par as tonsils are swollen etc. I have separated them from the general population as best I can and fingers crossed it wont spread to all the dogs. It's surprising that the dog who is coughing hasn't left the yard for 2 months but he could have caught it off one of the saplings who went for schooling this week. Fingers crossed that its not too severe a strain.

Frustration

2007-10-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

It was a case of less said easier mended last night. There was a runner out of the home kennels on the card in Lifford last night. He had been entered for a Sprint, he is a doubtful stayer, and much to our surprise when the card was published he was in an A3 525. This was more than a little annoying but I began to question the intelligence of those involved when I rechecked his form and saw that he doesn't have an official 525 trial in his form. This meant that he was ineligible to run and it was going to be a wasted journey. I have yet to here what was said when he was presented at the weigh in last night but I would think it was "colourful" to say the least.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories as I understand that the RM has a difficult enough task, however, that's the last three greyhounds entered by connections who have been put on the card over a different distance to that which they where entered for. Keeping the dogs sound and running can be a difficult enough task without them running over unsuitable distances but if you don't show when on the card you are stood down for a fortnight, unless the dog is trained by a "high profile" trainer but that's a story for a different day.

Bond x Droopys Kidman

2007-10-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

I sold a nice unnamed black bitch from this litter to a Crayford based syndicate headed up by Les Meridith a few weeks ago as an unschooled sapling. She has been moved into the kennel block and been put in training since then and has took it all in her stride.

She has had 2 handslips to date and was put through the boxes for the first time at Lifford yesterday. She stopped the clock at 18.72 which is 4 lengths inside the grading time and there appears to be plenty left in the tank yet so she looks to be a nice buy for the lads. Judging by her style of galloping, and her breeding, she will have no problems seeing out a stiff 4 bends and with a bit of patience her future could be over extended distances.

A sprint trial in company is next on the agenda before stepping up to 4 bends. I will keep you all posted on her progress.

A return to blogging

2007-10-23T14:35:00.001-07:00

After a fairly hectic period I have returned to update the Kennel Blog. Please take some time to read my rambling posts and if you have any comments or suggestions then feel free to write away. I have included a picture that Colette sneakily snapped, I'm very camera shy, that she says shows me at my happiest and I cant say I disagree.

Faraday

2007-10-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Patch as she is better known to the team at Drumscraw left last week for her racing career in the UK. Anyone who I talk to regarding the dogs knows how high a regard I have for this lady and I think she could do big things if she progresses from her schooling as she should.

I have entrusted her to the care of Lance and Pam Burford and the team at iceman racing. She has been leased to Neil Duggan of yoursitedesigned.com for her racing career and will return to Drumscraw for a breeding career in the paddocks along side her dam Maureens Angel. She will get the very best of care at the Burford's fabulous kennel complex and I'm looking forward to paying her a visit once she has settled and found her feet.

Below are links to a few sites where Patches progress can be followed.
http://www.icemanracing.co.uk/
http://zigzagwookie.blogspot.com/

Boherduff Light X Blue Amarillo

2007-10-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

We whelped a lovely litter of 2 Black Dogs, 2 Blue Bitches and 1 Black Bitch on the 05/10/07. Belle initially struggled with milk production but with a little help via supplementary feeding the pups thrived. By day 5 there was sufficient milk available to feed all the pups and I could catch up on the lost sleep, relax and enjoy a litter that I had been looking forward too for a long time.

The pups are now marching on for 3 weeks and I couldn't be happier with their progress to date. They have gained weight at a great pace and it would be very hard to choose between them at this stage, although I have a very soft spot for one of the two blue bitches who will definitely be staying at Drumscraw! There eyes are now open and this is where the craic begins.

The weekend that the litter was born Belle's big brother scorched around Lifford at the gala meeting in aid of the Zambian Orphanage Project smashing the track record in the progress. Below is a link to the video of the run and I will never tire of watching it.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2007/LFD-2007-10-07-HT08.flv&name=DERRYSLTDOPEN575

I had more than a few interested in a pup that night!

GWT Pup update

2007-10-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

The litter of GWT pups x Mottos Friend are now just over 4 months old and I have to say I'm very pleased with them. They have everything you could ask of pups of their age and I really like their spirit. They run all day and are great eaters which is always a big plus for any pups. I have sold a dog to Andy Marsh from Bristol, he is staying on a Drumscraw to be reared with his litter mates and I hope he is the first of many that Andy entrusts to our care.

Reports have reached me of Mottos second litter who are just starting to school. Two in particular are scorching round and have been put away for the winter to mature which is a positive sign on its own. Fingers crossed.

Works Finished

2007-10-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have finished the first phase of the my plans for the kennels. I now have the following facilities.

8nr single kennels
4nr double kennels
2nr whelping kennels
4nr turnout yards
A fitted kitchen and food preperation area
2nr large rearing pens
1nr medium rearing pen
All hardstandings and outside yards have been concreted to allow for regular cleaning and washing.

I'm very pleased with the quality of finish of the works to date and will sit tight with what I have until the spring time. Then, weather permitting, I will construct an additional 2/3 medium rearing pens/brood pens and convert an existing building into a covered turnout yard.

I will shortly be investing in a new 3 dog walking machine, I would prefer to buy second hand bu they are like the proverbial hens teeth. I have been pricing around for them and hope to have one fitted by the end of next week as the dark evenings have closed in and the winter weather is fast approaching. Fingers crossed I have managed to source a second hand swimming pool and if so will have it fitted asap. Also on the wish list is a Portamag box and an Ultrasound machine, are you reading Santa Claus?

I have grandiose plans for phase two of my facilities but will be keeping my cards close to the chest until I see how the scene in the UK plays out.

PS. Photos of all the works will follow in due course

Crack Commando

2007-10-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

This lad left us after doing the business first time of asking and left to further a career over tracks in England that better suited his style of running.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?l=1340168

He duly did won first time up at Mildenhall and has had very little luck since, including a nasty fall. Hopefully he can regain his confidence and get back to winning ways.

His litter sister won first time up over 4 bends in Lifford in a very promising 29.31 at outrageous odds of 6/1. She had been entered for a sprint which explains why she ran friendless in the market but she is a nice bitch none the less and this was only her second attempt at the distance. Her race can be seen on the link below.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2007/LFD-2007-10-05-HT04.flv&name=THELIFFORDA8525

On the same card Pernicious, another litter sister, was an unlucky loser in a 350. She had been entered for a 525 and I think the racing office got the two mixed up as they both ended up in the wrong distances. She will win over 4 bends in the right grade but will be harshly penalised for her sprint time now. The link to her race is below.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/play.htm?video=/video/IE/LFD/2007/LFD-2007-10-05-HT01.flv&name=THELIFFORDS8350

Bower Venus

2007-10-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

Venus was mated to Premier County on 13/08/07. It was a mating I had high hopes for as it doubled up on supersire Slaneyside Hare and also included two rock solid damlines in Wise Plan and the Minnies line. I was 100% sure that she was in pup, even getting her innoculated, but her due date came and went.

I took her to the vets two days after just to be on the safe side and they confirmed that she hadnt carried a litter. I am left with either one of two outcomes, either a phantom pregnancy or an aborted litter that was reabsorbed. Its all very puzzling.

Finishing Touches?

2007-08-16T02:02:00.000-07:00

The concrete for the yard and the turn out pens is going down today so fingers crossed for a dry day. I would say we could get a shower or two as the sky is threatening but hopefully nothing too sever. It will be good to see it done as its a sign that the building works aren't far from an end. All that's left to do is fence off the turn out yard into sections for each kennel and hand the new kennel gates, but I'm sure to have another brain wave before then and start into something else!

A Happy Man

2007-08-15T14:01:00.001-07:00

The dark cloud that was hanging over the kennels lifted today in Lifford. Going by what I saw Boss has the makings of an exceptional dog and his little sister Patch isn't too far behind him. I put the two of them in together in a sprint trial, I had intended to give them a 525 but the track was heavy looking.

The result of the trial saw Boss winning by 1 lengths in 17.76 for the 325 and 19.02 for the 350. This is only his 3rd time in the traps, 5th for the bitch, which makes the run unbelievable, indeed they both lost a couple of lengths which was my mistake as I put the dog inside and the bitch outside when it should have been the other way around. I can safely say I have never schooled a pup as promising as this lad. He looks like a proper dog and its always nice when they can run as well as they look.

I feel like wrapping him up in cotton wool after what happened to the Honcho Classic pup but deep down I know what will be will be. A 525 will be the next step for this lad, if he stays he will be a truly special dog.

Another kick in the teeth

2007-08-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

I galloped the Honcho Classic dog yesterday afternoon and on him pulling up it was obvious that something serious had gone amiss. He wouldn't put his front left foot to the ground and his wrist was starting to swell like a balloon. I got him back to the kennels and ran it under the cold water tap to try and control the swelling. It was obvious to me that he had either broken a bone in his wrist or fractured the wrist.

I jumped into the van and took him straight down the road to Brian Jones. The diagnosis was as I thought, a fracture of the wrist and serious damage to the ligaments around it. On Brian's advice Johnny was pts. The injury would never have healed properly and Johnny would never have made a pet as he was very nervous and had a tendency to snap at strangers. He was a hard dog to work with but nether the less one who we were very fond of. Colette was very upset when I came home on my own and it was a quiet house last night. He was only 14 months and unfortunately we will never know what he could have become.

RIP Johnny

What a week

2007-08-10T02:17:00.000-07:00

This has been the strangest and busiest week I have had with the dogs in a long time, and hopefully the busiest for a long time to come. Something had happened nearly everyday and that on top of trying to keep the builders busy around the yard as well as the normal daily grind has had Colette and myself chasing our tails all week.

I have wrote in detail about this past week in a few postings in the blog and I hope you take the time to have a gentle read through. All comments are welcomed.

Bower Venus

2007-08-10T01:53:00.000-07:00

Now this is a strange one.

I was walking Venus the other morning when I noticed she was quite swollen behind. I put my hand on her hind quarters to lift her tail and she held her tail over to the one side, a sure sign that she was ready for mating! I was shocked as there was no sign of any blood from her and a close eye has been kept on all the broods as they are coming in season in a rush at the minute.

Anyway, off to Brian Jones in a rush on Thursday morning where her progesterone test came back with a reading of 9. So it will be a couple of days, probably Monday, before she would be ready for a dog. She also has an infection which she is being treated for so hopefully it clears up ASAP.

I'm undecided on what to mate her to. She had thrown a couple of fairly tasty dogs and is from an outstanding damline but there is going to be pups coming out of the cupboards at this rate of going!

Playing around with testmatings on data these are a few I like.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?sireid=182092&damid=494552

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?sireid=65287&damid=494552

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=675014&damid=494552

Premier Fantasy is yet to get that elusive big dog but I really hope he does as he was a favorite of mine and I would like to see him do well. He has had every chance at stud so if he isn't a success within the next year he wont be.

Droopys Kewell is a sire who you either like or not. He seems to get a big number of winners but he gets a savage number of bitches. My opinion is if the bitches pedigree works then fire away and Venus definitely matches well being by Vieri and off the Minnies Nikita line as both have had great success with D.K.

Finally, Premier County is another sire who looks a good cross. It was pointed out to me, thanks Dave, that its a very similar cross to the first litter Venus produced and it was a litter of a good standard. I'm going to take the weekend to think it over and will have to discuss it with the boss.

Crack Commando

2007-08-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

This lad won well for us a couple of Fridays ago. It was his debut and he didn't waste time in leaving his mark as he blasted clear from the trap 2 and it was never in doubt from there to the line, it was a Novice open to boot. He stopped the clock in 19.04 which was slightly disappointing as i expected sub 19 at worst but a win is a win and we took a few quid out of the bookies satchels. He is the first of the Droopys Kewell * Pablos Jewell litter to win a race and hopefully not the last, just goes to show what a bit of patience can do. He was sold to Gary Hamilton and will be running at Henlow I think. Good luck to Gary and I hope he wins a bucketful for him.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?l=1340168&z=kN-JFg

A nice addition from Lifford is all races being uploaded and available to view on the Greyhound-data website. This will definitely help with the marketing of dogs for sale and hopefully more people will get to see what a fantastic track it is.

Belle is Home

2007-08-10T01:37:00.001-07:00

Got the call from Len McKinney on Wednesday morning that he was collecting Belle from the Dunphy's and would be back in the north in the afternoon. So after being in Lifford in the morning I had to come back in the afternoon to meet him. It worked out fine as I had another dog who was heading on the U.K. run.

Belle has settled straight back in and is her usual exuberant self. I have to say I missed having her about the yard as she is the sort of dog that always puts a smile on my face. Never any bother and always full of beans, I'm not keen on sulky and huffy dogs. It was the perfect pick me up after losing the bitch in Lifford that morning.

Hopefully she has brought a big litter of pups home with her. Interest in her pups is sure to be high as I have a feeling he litter brother Line of Fire will have a big say in this years Irish Derby, he runs tomorrow night and barring trouble should qualify no problem.

Finally a word of thanks to Len. A top man to transport a dog and always is on time and never lets anyone down. Any dog he has ever transported for us has been delivered in first class condition.

Update on Patch

2007-08-10T01:30:00.000-07:00

I took Patch, the white and black Premier Fantasy bitch, back to Lifford for her final sprint trial on Wednesday. I didn't take Boss, her litter brother, as he had a bit of scour on Tuesday morning and it was a very warm day. If she keeps going in the same direction then I will be a happy man. She won a 2 dog trial by a 1 1/2 l in 17.89 for the 325.

Taking all things into account, only 4th time in the boxes, this is nothing short of fantastic. If she stays she will be a good class of bitch, hopefully open class. The bitch she beat is no slouch either having recorded 19.03 for the 350 in Hurley's the week before. What really caught the eye was the early pace, she broke level but was 2 lengths in front in the space of 50 yards. I wont get too excited just yet as what happened the Top Honcho bitch in the trial straight after goes to show how hard a game this is.

Disaster Strikes

2007-08-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

We had a van load in Lifford on Wednesday morning for schooling trials and it was a very disheartening experience. A lovely black and white bitch owned by my Grandmother shattered a hock and we had to have her put to sleep to save her from suffering. The hock was literally in pieces and if there had been any chance of her recovering to have a good standard of life then she would have been operated on but the vet was of the opinion that the humane thing to do was to euthanize her.

Its always a chastening experience to have to come home with a dog less than you left the yard with but its the downside to this wonderful game that tugs at the heart strings daily.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?d=nothings+changed

She was a lovely bitch to have in the kennel and never gave a days bother. A season every six month stopped us from getting the best out of her as suppressing a bitch is something I don't agree with. We managed to get one good win from her in Lifford but the best was definitely to come yet as she was a 29.00 bitch every day of the week. A bang tight railer who wouldn't run till she got onto the rail which was to prove her downfall. Swinging out of the 2nd bend she went to move back onto the rail and actually struck the running rail. This caused her to check and the damage was done at this point.

It was a very long and sombre drive home.

The Waiting Game

2007-08-04T02:29:00.000-07:00

We had a few pups entered for racing this weekend but unfortunately they aren't on the card. I know from speaking to a few friends in England that this is a very common phenomenon at NGRC tracks and to a lesser extent this side of the water, especially with lower grade dogs.

I'm not sure what the solution to our problem is as at the minute there is far more racing than 20 years ago where two night a week maximum for each track was the norm, and a ten race card to boot. Taking Lifford for example there are an average of 42 races a week, times six gives 252 dogs which is a lot of dogs but there seems to be plenty still not getting a run. This leads me to the conclusion that we are breeding far to many dogs.

As pointed out by John Moyles on his excellent blog, http://bantissgreyhounds.blogs.com/ , the number of matings has fallen sharply, however, the number of pups is at a steady level due to vast improvements in pinpointing when a bitch is most fertile. I wont quote the exact figures as I prefer to refer you to John's blog as he has down the leg work in finding the stats.

I have talked to a few other breeders and they have suggested putting another nights racing on. This wont work in my opinion. Again, using Lifford as an example. They race Fri, Sat and Sun. Their neighbours at the Brandywell, Derry, race on Mon and Thurs which rules those nights out. This leaves Tuesday and Thursday, neither of these two nights will attract non-dog people, by this I mean those that will fill the restaurant and bars. It has become reality that unless the hospitality facilities are being made use of then the race night will fail to turn a profit and I for one wont condemn any business man for throwing good money after bad.

It is approaching the stage where a limit on breeding will have to be set. I'm not sure how this could be achieved without massive upheaval and fallout but the way the market is for pups at the minute it may become more and more self regulating. The major problem as I see it is owners who have a nice bitch that they are very attached to. They think they want a litter of pups out of their pride and joy. Many of these bitches would be better served laying on the sofa beside their owner that breeding a litter of pups that in all likely hood will be filling the lowest grades are not even grading in. This experience can actually drive owners away from the game as breeding a litter is a very expensive undertaking and their money would be better spend on buying another race dog or a better bred pup. I could well be slated for this opinion but its the harsh reality of the game at the minute that far too many unsuitable bitches are being bred from by people who have neither the facilities or the experience to do it.

Nearly There

2007-08-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

The next couple of weeks should see the end of the building works to the new kennel block. I original intended to be finished for the end of April but things have dragged on but they will definitely be finished by the end of the month. The plans are a lot more grandiose than originally intended but I will be happy with the finished product.

When complete we will have 4 double kennels, 8 singles, 2 whelping kennels all of which will have access to a concrete turnout yard and a kitchen and food preparation/storage room. Out in the paddocks there will be 2 pens at 125m x 25m and 3 pens at 40m x 15m. All the pups will also be able to get out onto the rest of the farm for hunting and exercise everyday.

I have plans for another series of paddocks in a nice 10 acre field but I will wait and see how things develop with what we have for the mean time.

Promising Pups

2007-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

I took my two Premier Fantasy x Maureens Angel pups for a schooling trial in Lifford this afternoon and they confirmed to me that they are pups of real potential. Patch, the white and black bitch, beat Boss, the black dog a length in 18.04. This was the bitches third time in the traps and the dogs second time through. I would say Boss lost a good 3 lengths on Patch at the lift of the lids and couldnt get past her on the bend but at the 350 finish line he swooped past and chased very hard into the pickup.

I couldn't be any happier with them as Boss is around 3 pounds over weight and Patch could do with losing a pound or two as well. If they stay 4 bends then they could be very special, here's hoping. A couple of weeks galloping will do no harm before I maybe try them over four bends. But they are definitely shaping up to go in the same direction as their flying mother.

Nice Winner

2007-07-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

After nearly two years of hard work the first of the Droopys Kewell X Pablos Jewel litter raised a white flag on Friday night in Lifford. He is an Aug 05 but for various reasons was making his debut in a Novice Open 350. He was in with a few choicely bred types but there was only one winner after the lift of the lids.

http://www.bng.ie/greyhounds.aspx?id=CRACK%20COMMANDO

He ran well and will be a nice sprinter up to 450 yards. He is available for sale for a very reasonable price as he will win his fair share with his great early pace.

Blue Amarillo (Belle)

2007-07-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

I delivered Belle myself on Saturday morning down to Portlaw and into the safe hands of the Dunphy brothers. She could have went down with a transporter on Tuesday night but Michael told me they do a round of testing on Saturday mornings so I felt it was for the best if she had her progesterone tested ASAP as she missed when last mated.

After many hours of looking at a very long list of potential sires I eventually plumped for Boherduff Light. I felt Belle needed a speed sire and this ruled out the obvious choice of Hondo Black who is proven with both Top Honcho bitches and more importantly with Belle's damline. I also felt it was important that the sire was Irish bred, as Belle is a result of an outcross, and any potential success would come from crossing back into Irish early pace lines.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=671408&damid=1217814

Boherduff is starting to get a few nice pups and they are all displaying great early which is what I'm after. That influence I feel is coming from He Knows and Tapwatcher in his pedigree who were renowned for early pace. I seen the dog when I was down and he looked an absolute picture.

A word about the Dunphys. They are renowned throughout Ireland and the U.K. for the exploits of their pups and also their stud dogs, its not hard to see why after seeing their establishment. Yesterday was the first time I had dealt with them personally and I cant speak highly enough of them. Absolute gentlemen.

Help Required

2007-07-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

The workload is becoming ever increasing at the kennels. We have a young litter nearly ready to move out to the rearing paddocks and another two bitches who have been mated. On top of this both Blue Amarillo and Bower Venus are due in season any day and I definitely will be mating them both on this cycle. Colette is a great help during the summer holidays, she is a Primary School teacher, but when September comes I will be left on my own with potentially over 40 pups to look after.

We have decided now is the time to take on a kennel hand. So I'm looking for a young enthusiastic person who is willing to learn but above all is reliable. They don't have to know anything about greyhounds but must be able to listen and take instruction. Early rises and late nights will definitely be included as well as weekends so don't all rush at once!

Puppy Update

2007-07-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

The litter of Go Wild Teddy's are thriving. They have taken to solid food like a duck to water and are less demanding of their mum Motto. I have been clipping their nails regularly to ease the scratching on mum and thankfully she is very patient with them although I have heard her teaching them manners on a couple of occasions.

It wont be long now till they are completely weaned and will leave mum behind as they move from the whelping block out into the puppy runs. Touch wood we have a smooth few weeks between now and then.

Colette has provisionally named them the following:
Darragh, Kevin, Jack, Kerri, Emma, Holly and Enya but they could change as each pup develops its own little character

Teddy's at 4 weeks old

2007-07-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Our litter of Go Wild Teddy x Mottos Friend reached 4 weeks of age today. I have started them on some feeding of their own to supplement their mothers milk. I was very pleasantly surprised how quickly they took to the mince and bread, they devoured all that was on offer, but their mother has a ferocious appetite so hopefully she had passed that on, its a trait I really like in pups.

They have started to play fight and by some of the noises coming from their kennel you would think world war III had started. Motto joins in at times as well to teach some manners. In another couple of weeks they will be almost weaned and taking their first steps outside to the big bad world. Hopefully the weather picks up so that I can get them into the yard

Global Warming?

2007-07-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

The weather in Drumscraw has been very poor of late. It was the wettest June in a very long time and July is shaping up no better. I have large areas of concrete to lay for turn out runs and also puppy pens. This should have been done weeks ago but the rain has left me with no choice but to constantly postpone it. I had hoped to get a start made on the paddock drainage as well but the ground is sodden wet and wouldn't carry any machinery at all. It will take a dry spell of at least a week before it could even be considered.

The turn out runs would make life a lot easier for all concerned as at the minute all the dogs have to be walked 3 times a day. Ideally I would like to turn them out 3 times a day and walk them once with a gallop/trial fitted in as necessary.

Westmead Lord Derby Champion

2007-07-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

"Lord" convincingly won the Blue Square English Derby for 2007 at Wimbledon on Saturday night past. All the papers have been written and read since but congratulations to all involved, particularly Nick Savva and his exceptional brood Mega Delight. The dog is young enough to have a fair chance of emulating his half brother by defending his crown next year.

The focus will move onto Shelbourne and the Paddy Power Irish Derby with the various trial stakes commencing around the country. Liffords 12 dog qualifier heats took place on Sunday with Farloe Black catching the eye. He was unlucky to be knocked out of the English equivalent and since he came under Fraser Blacks care he has regained his old form. He may go well at a fancy price.

Regretfully for sale

2007-07-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

The Honcho Classic x Droopys Surprise dog has been placed for sale on the classifieds on greyhound data.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/litter.htm

He is owned by myself and two other lads who I am mates with. They have the travel bug and have decided to go to Australia for a year to see a bit of the world. This left us with no choice to sell the pup as they want the cash and wouldn't be able to see the dog running. He cost 2000 euro at 6 months and then another few quid to rear him since. I think he is very reasonable priced at £1400 as he is 13 months and will be ready for schooling in another couple of months time.

Highs and Lows

2007-07-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

I have been schooling my Premier Fantasy dog and bitch for the last few weeks and they have done everything right to date. They have the makings of good dogs if they keep going in the same direction. The dog in particular did a very pleasing run on Tuesday past. I was on a high ever since with ideas that he could be the "real deal". The bubble was burst this morning when we where out through the fields. He took off on a hunt and after a while I managed to find him, I went to put the lead back on and was covered in blood. He had a very nasty cut on his neck, it was either caused by a barb wire fence or a bite from the dog he was hunting with. Either way a trip to the vets was required and he will be laid up for a while to come. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any muscle damage and it should heel well but patience will be required.

Lifford Flying?

2007-07-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

It certainly looked that way on Sunday night when the sprint clock was broken in the semi-final of the Hugh Duffy Open Sprint. For good measure both the winner, Royal Delight, and the second, White Woody dipped inside the old track record set by Droppys Robinho back in February. 18.39 is some clock and it could stand for a while to come as I cant see a combination of the track being so fast and real open class sprinters running for a long time.

http://www.bng.ie/view_results.aspx?track=LFD&date=01-Jul-2007&racenumber=8

I reckon the track was running a minimum of 20 spots quick for the sprint and 30 fast for the 525. Its about time the IGB set out guidelines to allow the racing managers to rate the going as they see it at each meeting.

English Derby Final

2007-07-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

I have not been following the Derby as closely since the quarter final stage and the elimination of Robinho and Paddy. To me it lost some of its lustre with no stand out dogs left, in saying that the winner will be a worthy winner and will deserve whatever praise comes its way. Coming back to my damlines analysis its nice to see the top lines still heavily represented with Forest Scholes, Ullid Conor, Dilemmas Flight and Westmead Lord flying the flag. The other two are very well bred as well. Caulry Fast Trap being out of superbrood Queen Survivor who descends from Gunboat Ann and further back the 62/63 Irish Coursing Oaks winner Regent Princess whilst Loyal Honcho comes of the "Handbag" line which produced the 74 Irish Oaks winner Fur Collar amongst other great dogs.

Below is the trap draw for Saturday night.

1 Forest Scholes,
2 Ullid Conor,
3 Dilemmas Flight (w),
4 Caulry Fast Trap (w),
5 Loyal Honcho (w),
6 Westmead Lord (w)

I fancy Loyal Honcho to trap out and lead them all the way but as always a lot will depend on the first corner scrimmaging. Hopefully they all come home safe and sound.

Miss Firecracker

2007-07-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

Much has already been written about this years oaks winner since her great victory on Friday night. Her win is a great boost for all the smaller breeders in the country and by all accounts it couldn't have happened to a nicer fellow. It takes great guts to use your own dog but I suppose the benefit is you know exactly what your getting. Congratulations all round, and fair play to John Moyles who highlighted what great value she was at 20/1 before the semi-finals. A Top Honcho brood to boot. Alexandrova lost nothing in defeat and her run would have been more than adequate to win most Oaks but she ran into a bitch at the top of her form and has to settle for a gallant second.

Settling in

2007-07-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ben has setled in very well and is starting to find his place in the pecking order. He is a little headstrong but I would put that down to his age rather than temperament. I couldnt be happier with him.

New Pup

2007-06-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

We had another new arrival in Drumscraw today. A fawn March 06 whelp, very well bred and with a massive future. Before you start asking is he by Brett Lee or Top Honcho I better tell you he is actually a Golden Lab! My father is a very keen field sports man and he bought two pups last year to have them ready for the 07/08 season, Bruce and his litter brother Ben who is now residing with us. His sire was an Irish Field Champion and his dam has bred several field champions, a greyhound equivalent would be a pup out of a top open class producing dam and a top sire.

I will be letting him settle for a while and then will start training him to command. He went out hunting with the pups this afternoon and they got on fine after a few growls. I wont be taking him to field championships as I don't have the time to train him fully for them but he will be standing at stud if he trains on well.

Tragedy for Paddy

2007-06-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

It was the quarter finals of the Blue Square English Derby tonight. What should have been a great nights racing and something to excite has left me with a very sour taste in my mouth. The bad injury suffered by Phoenix Paddy at the first bend has left a shadow over the remainder of the competition for me. My immediate thought when it happened was Premier Fantasy, although its very early to speculate it looked like a hock injury to me. My other fancy, Droopys Robinho, suffered no luck in running after a tardy start and that ended his derby hopes.

People talk about tradition and how three runs in a week sorts the men from the boys but from my perspective it is outdated and unnecessary. Wimbledon is an awkward track and that often sees the best Irish dogs stay at home, what happened tonight wont encourage them to come. I thought the track looked very poor with the sand very loose. Hopefully Paddy's injury isn't as bad as it looked and my thoughts are with the Reillys tonight

Puppy Update

2007-06-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

"Motto" and her pups are doing well at 10 days old. They are putting weight on at the right rate and are developing nicely. It wont be long till their eyes open and they start to terrorise mum! They are already very rough with her as it is, but thankfully she is very patient and is making a very good brood. It is a very evenly balanced litter with the exception of one dog who is a monster!

Update to Skipping Chick

2007-06-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

I had a feeling whilst writing about this brood bitch that I was omitting one great offshoot of the line and it has kindly been pointed out to me by John Moyles that I hadn't mentioned the Lanigans Ball line.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=129093

She comes from the Flying Lady branch of the line and it is one of the most active on the scene at the minute. Miss Firecracker is a direct descendant and is in Trap 1 in the Irish Oaks Final next Saturday and although a big price she holds a big chance.

The most obvious offspring of Lanigans Ball is Live Contender who won the 91 Produce Stakes and Irish Laurels before a successful stud career. The Bangor prefix of dogs mostly came from this line and it produced a great bitch in the shape of Pinhead who reached the semi final of 99 Oaks. Her two best pups where both bitches in Tyrur Jenny and Marita and they along with the bitches from other litters have bred on exceptionally well. PJ Fahy is responsible for the Pinhead line and it has served him very well supplying him with home bred dogs of the very highest class in Tyrur Lee, Margeret, Pedro, Major and Brett, Ullid Conor.

Brood bitches and the English Derby

2007-06-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

Following on from my look at Skipping Chick I was reading an old topic on Greyhound Data about stud dogs with representatives in this years English Derby. In my opinion the use of such a measure is only of limited benefit when assessing a sire. We have reached the last 48 now and most of the dogs with lesser ability have been eliminated with the classier dogs progressing, with the odd exception, so I decided to look at the remainder from a different angle to try and establish any useful stats. The angle was what broodline did the runners originate from. By this I mean, there are around half a dozen brood lines that are accepted to be the bulk providers of the very top echelon of greyhounds. Going by my post into Skipping Chick she was obviously going to feature but below are the others that have more than one representative. It makes for fascinating reading.

Skipping Chick - 6 runners
ZigZag Dutchy, Ullid Conor, Farloe Chester, Droopys Wells, Kanes Blue, Tyrur Lee.

Killeacle Blonde - 4 runners
Blakes World, Bens Court, Ballymac Charley, Calzaghe Boyo.

Hacksaw via Westmead Satin - 4 runners
Dilemmas Flight, Larkhill Jo, Astronomic, Farloe Premier.

Millies May - 3 runners
Express Ego, Droopys Tobey, Congo Romeo.

Lauragh Pride - 3 runners
Pagoda Tarbert, Lenson Express, Lenson Earl.

Minnies Movita - 2 runners
Forest Scholes, Savanna Highlands.

Shiela at Last - 2 runners
Greenwell Storm, Greenwell Flash.

Ruby Bridge - 2 runners
Westmead Joe, Westmead Lord.

So out of 48 runners 26 can be traced back to just 8 brood lines. This goes some way to confirm my believe that certain proven lines should be bred from to the exclusion of others. I have already discussed Skipping Chick in detail, the closest to her on these stats is a tie between Killeacle Blonde and Hacksaw. Nick Savva has successfully based his operation on Hacksaw and her direct offspring Westmead Satin and Liam Dowling has done the same with Killeacle Blonde.

Millies May comes next jointly with Lauragh Pride. In the opinion of many "May" has had the greatest influence of any brood on the greyhound breeding scene with influence on all continents where greyhound racing takes place. The "Lauragh" line came to prominence with Fly Cruiser and Fly Smasher in the 80's and has been carried on ever since.

Minnies Movita, Shiela at Last and Ruby Bridge all have two runners left. Ruby Bridge came to the fore with the Knockeevan dogs and more famously with Mega Joy and Delight, with the latter breeding wonder dog Westmead Hawk. Minnies Movita was the foundation for Lizzie Maher's continued success and has branched off and multiplied leaving a large number of top broods. The Shiela at Last line was initially proven by Monalee Gambler and Pride and litter brothers Greenwell Flash and Storm are representing it with great distinction.

It will be interesting to see how many are left standing with the draw for the quarter finals is made.

The greatest brood bitch of all time?

2007-06-21T02:47:00.000-07:00

I was prompted by a recent discussion to do a bit of in depth research into Skipping Chick. I have always thought that she has left a great breeding legacy but after spending a few hours browsing the offspring that have descended from her it is only now that I begin to realise her importance.

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?z=RorGaG&d=skipping+chick

Kilbelin Style x Skipping Chick

4 bitches, Jun 74. Ballinderry Moth, who was the bitch of the year in 78 after winning the English Oaks and Pall Mall, is the best known from this litter. However, another very productive bitch was also in this litter in the shape of Flying Lady who along with "Moth" deserves a more detailed posting. Of the other two bitches in the litter, That's the Style was a good producer but not of the same standard as her other two sisters.

Burgess Heather x Skipping Chick

In Mar 75 she whelped a litter to Burgess Heather. This contained the useful Greenfield Fox who won the 77 Pall Mall, 77 English Laurels and the 78 Scurry Cup. He went to stud and his offspring seem to have been sprinters in the main. Also in this litter was the Lady Armada, there is no race record for her but she turned into a very useful brood. In a May 79 litter to Liberty lad she produced Echo Spark who lifted the 81 English Laurels and a useful bitch Skipping Scot who won the Sovereign Stakes at Rye House. Also in this litter was a top dog by the name Citizen Supreme who was a top stud dog of the time. Echo Spark was a more than useful stud dog with his best known dog being Signal Spark who won the 87 English Derby, there was also two other Echo Spark dogs in the race which was an uncommon achievement for the time. Lady Armada whelped a litter to Ballyard Cobbler which produced another useful brood in Cobbling Rose. Her best offspring seem to have been Anneka who won the 87 Greenwich Cup and Spartafitz who won the 87 Easter Cup at Shelbourne. This particular line form Skipping Chick went dead after this.

Kybo Venture x Skipping Chick
Kybo Venture was crossed with Skipping Chick and produced a litter of 3d and 5b in Sept 76. I cant find any records of any racing for this litter, however, Limerick Echo was put to stud and produced some good dogs. A bitch by the name of Loughnatousa was in this litter and produced a few litters. Out of these pups came a bitch by the name of Dalla Mallog, none of the others where bred on with too any note. I will return to Dalla Mallog later in this post.

Peruvian Style x Skipping Chick
April 77, 1 dog and 6 bitches. Taking this litter in order.
Greenfield Chick pops up in the back pedigree of plenty of open class dogs but is best remembered for being the grand dam of Glen Park Dancer who won the 85 Munster Cup and went on to have a reasonable stud career.
Greenfield House appears from the records to not have been as successful as some of her litter mates in the breeding paddocks but still appears in the 3 rd generation of the former 460m track record holder at Wimbledon, Bergens Trolle who done a flying 27.39.

Irenes Chick had a large number of offspring and appears as the grand dam of the following good class dogs;Adam who was 3rd in the 85 English Produce Stakes, Seafield Quest who won the 90 English Puppy Derby and 91 Oxfordshire Gold Cup, Jacks Well who won the 93 Easter Cup and stood at stud. The most notable line to come from Irenes Chick brings me to Rhincrew Sean who won the 93 Irish Produce Stakes and was a success full stud. She also appears on the 3rd generation bottom line of the following competition/group winning dogs; Lively Treasure, King Droopy,Phantom Power,Rhincrew Magic,Claymor Spot.
Lemon Soda was a renowned brood who I will come back to.

Supreme Fun x Skipping Chick
This cross produced a litter in Jan 78 that is registered as 2d and 2b. One of the dogs found his way to America, You Genius, where he stood at stud. I have no records of any racing for this litter. Of the bitches in the litter, Skipping Fun was a good producer. She has 11 pups registered to her from 5 different stud dogs. One bitch in particular stands out, Rhincrew Moth, who won the 83 English Puppy Derby. This line from Skipping Chick appears to have went very quiet since then and hasn't produced anything of note since.

Cairnville Jet x Skipping Chick
A Jan 80 litter to Cairnville Jet appears to have left nothing of any note in the breeding paddocks.

This brings me back to four bitches in particular, Ballinderry Moth, Flying Lady, Dalla Mallog and Lemon Soda.

Lemon Soda when crossed with Bold Work in 82 produced a litter that must rank highly in the best of all time. It contained Curryhills Brute who was exported to stud in Austrailia, Curryhills Fox who held the 435 track record in Dunmore and was unlucky in running in the 84 Irish Derby Final and Skelligs Tiger who was an outstanding race dog. These three all had successful stud careers with "Tiger" in particular leaving behind some outstanding dogs with Mustang Jack a very successful offspring at stud. Of the bitches in this litter only Fizzy Lemon was bred from, she has left us some good class dogs with nothing outstanding to report. Plenty of top class dogs have descended through the daughters of Lemon Soda but it is for this litter of stud dogs that she will be best remembered.

Dalla Mallog whelped two litters to Lindas Champion, one in 83 and one in 85. Whoever made the decision to return the second time deserves great praise as it produced a brood bitch that the Dunphy brothers have built a dynasty around. The first litter produced the 84 Munster cup winner in Lasair Dubh who stood at stud but its the second litter that really interests me. Droopys First was in this litter and her direct offspring reads like a whos who of Irish racing and breeding.

Of her direct offspring Droopys Sandy and Meet me Halfway stand out. The latter contested the 91 Irish laurels final and stood at stud. The former was one of the dogs that developed my interest in dogs. I remember seeing him run in Dunmore when I was a child and the pace he displayed attracted me and I was hooked on dogs from then on. He was the only dog to ever break 23 seconds around Dunmore and went on to win the 94 Scottish Derby. He went to Austrailia to stand at stud shortly after this. However, it was the bitches from Droopys First who where to really leave their mark.

Droopys Aliysa was a result of the Adraville Bridge litter and she produced El Premier and her second generation offspring includes the following speedsters; Droopys Leon, Aggasi, Hewitt and Wells, Frisby Forte, Reactabond Rebel. She sits on the third generation of the following; Droopys Kuyt, Stacey and Bucks.

Ballinderry Moth was a classic winning bitch and she produced pups of her equal. She was mated twice to Lindas Champion and on the second occasion produced Daleys Gold, who says repeat matings dont work! He won the 85 Scurry Cup and was renowned for his blistering early speed, an interesting feature of that years final was that Skipping Chick was the grand dam of three of the six runners. He left behind a dynasty of outstanding race dogs and is still to this day a very desirable addition on any dogs pedigree. Another classic winner in the shape of Westpark Moth who won the 82 Irish Leger before export to the USA, Moth also whelped Westpark City who held the track recors for the 525 in Derry with a time of 29.04 which is really flying as Derry is a very tight track. Swift Rapier won the group class East Anglian Derby in 82 to bolster the line. The second generation of Ballinderry Moth was nothing short of sensational and included the following dogs. Tico, Ballinderry Ash, Droopys Jaguar, Ballinderry Love and Greenane Slippy who all either won classics or contested the finals of them.

Ballinderry Sand, Lady Tico, O'Hickey Silver, Suir Moth all carried on the line a generation and all produced classic winning offspring. Of these four its Ballinderry Sand who has really carried it forward. The following great classic winning dogs all descend directly from this bitch; Deep Decision, Annies Bullet, Farloe Verdict, Droopys Cahill, Droopys Scholes,Razldazl Billy,Droopys Rodger,Loreto Sally and Fear No One. This does not include dozens of other dogs who have won Group races and broken track records. Taken on her own Ballinderry Moth would be a candidate for a best brood award but she is only one of a number that Skipping Chick has produced. Again, a lot of the top offspring from this line have been bred by the Dunphys and they have managed to keep it live to an exceptional degree.

Flying Lady was a litter comrade of Ballinderry Moth and also left a legacy of classic winning broods behind. It was in her second generation offspring that her ability as a brood became evident. Via her daughters she produced the 84 Oaks winner Sandy Sally and the 86 English Laurels winner Ballygroman Jim. Sandy Sally was the only female from this strain of the pedigree to throw anything of note but she more than made up for the rest of them with the high quality of her offspring. Her Sep 86 litter to Moral Support produced two racers from the top drawer in Tracy Budd and Druids Lodge. "Tracy" emulated her dam by winning the Irish Oaks in 88 and was 2nd in the Irish Laurels a year later whilst "Druids" won the 88 Irish Ledger and went on to become a successful stud dog.

The other bitches from this litter where noted broods and between them and their classic winning litter sister and via their daughters produced many top dogs and classic winners including Druids Elprado, Druids Omega, Druids Wally,Mucky Tracy,Staley Vegas,Burberry Boy,Meenela Cruiser, Kanes Blue, Farloe Spiderman, Coventry Bees, El Dante,Sunshine Penny,Extra Dividend and Bypass Byway. This line is still very much live as some of these dogs are currently running in top grade races and indeed a few have live chances in this years English Derby. Very interestingly Blue Streak Lift won the Roberstson Cousing Cup at Altcar to take the line back to its roots somewhat.

Sandy Sally also had a litter in 87 to Lancaster Lucky but it produced nothing of note. It was her 85 litter to Knockrour Slave that initiated my interest in the line. It produced two bitches, Lady Bellamy and Inspiring Site. The latter was exported to America and my late grandfather ended up with his hands on the former. She had already two litters on the ground with no great success but they where to very average sires and he decided she was worth a chance despite the fact that she couldnt lift her legs herself. She was mated to Kyle Jack for her first litter and the results went some way to proving the strength of the line.

The litter where exceptional from a very early age and it was a case of nursing them along till they where ready for racing. The bitch in the litter was sent to Christy O Callaghan as a thank you for securing the dam at 14 weeks and that left three fawn dogs. They where schooling fantasticly well straight up around Dungannon and after a few races for experience they where taken to Dunmore to be got ready for a turn. Moaning Lad won on the first night he was asked on a cold Tuesday night in Dunmore on 18.11.93. There was serious money took out of the ring that night and he won by 8 lenghts in a very sharp 23.80. I was fairly young at the time and I had never seen as much cash in my life as the money was collected after the race, and havent seen as much since! He was entered for the 48 runner Puppy Cup in Dunmore which was a very prestigious competetion at the time, he finished second in the final to Rathcannon Lodge from an unfavourable Trap 5 and was coming with a winning run into the bend but was forced to check badly.

He then went to Dungannon for a 525 and duly hacked up on a night more suited to a fire and a high stool in 29.45 coming from 5 lengths off the pace to win by 6 lenghts. He had done 27.60 for a 500 in a private around Dungannon the week before his 525, in hindsight that run was sensational as the track was into the knees and he would have broke the clock on normal going. Shortly after this my grandfather got a very fair offer for him and accepted it. I often asked him if he regretted it and he said with a forthright honesty absolutly not and retold an old story of another dog he used to own. The dog in question was Lisnamuck who reached the consolation final of the 83 English Derby and who he recieved an offer of £20,000 for after doing a fast run around the old Ramparts in Dundalk. So his motto was to always take a good offer since that day.

His litter brother Cold Clod was an absolute flying machine. From his first schooling trial all the way through he was several lengths ahead of his more illustrious brother. After a few races he was entered in the first round of the Dunmore Puppy Cup also and was backed heavily on the back of some great private trials. Alas "Socks" as he was known turned out to be one of the most frustrating dogs we ever had. To put it politely he turned out to be very chancy! He was moved on to a friend and eventually won a 500 in Dungannon in 29.00 after doing 27.60 in a private the week before! He beat a dog who went to the last 32 of that years Coursind Derby up the Greenbrae in Lifford. The other dog in the litter was Sign Here who was a nice galloping genuine dog who won for us and won in a good grade in England.

The next litter was whelped in Jan 93 to Im Slippy. On paper it was a very similar cross to the Kyle Jack cross and the dogs in the litter where ever bit as pacy as the previous litter. Speckled Jim won a small sweepstake in Dungannon and a good gamble was landed on a couple of his litter brothers. The best out of the litter and indeed the fastest dog that Lady Bellamy ever bred was called Must Be Class. He had everything you would look for in a dog except he was very hard to keep sound. He went to Ballyskeagh for a turn and it was one of the worse things that we ever did. I wont go into what happened during the race but it was the last dog we ever raced at that track. After months of hard work we eventually got him sound again and he won in Dungannon in 27.60 in the first round of a small competition but he was beat the next night and came off lame again. After another few months he was brought back and clocked 23.55 in Dunmore in a private trial. That was the fastest run ever done by any of our dogs in a private in Dunmore as the track always ran a minimum of 20 slow for the morning trials. Disaster struck as I was washing his feet and seen he had torn his web very badly. After various attempts to repair it he was sent over to Theo Menzies but couldnt be kept sound.

Phantom Flash was next on the list for Lady Bellamy and she produced a nice litter of 5d and 2b. For some reason these where a dissapointing litter, I suppose you could put it down to a bad cross.

Her final litter was to the exciting import Frightfull Flash. They didnt dissapoint and there was some very fast dogs amongst the litter. For some reason they all lacked a little bit of trap speed, possibly due to their size as the dam through very big pups, but once they hit the grounnd they where real galloping machines. The best of the litter was a beautiful big 82lb dog who won in Dunmore in 23.60 and in Dungannon in 17.59 and 27.59.

Sadly "Lady" had to be pts as she had developed a large cancer at the relatively young age of 10. For a reason unknown to me we where unable to preserve the line and it is a big regret but I can look back to those happy days when we knew that we had a litter of class dogs to look forward to every year.

So to sum it all up, over the last 25 years this line has produced over 30 classic winners, scores of group winners, numerous track record holders and to top it all of is still producing dogs that will contest classics this year, next year and hopefully for many years to come. It may not be the greatest line of all time but surely its in the upper echelones and definetly the best of recent times.

Test Matings

2007-06-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

As I have posted before, we have two bitches at Trade Kennels for mating and another two bitches are due in season at the start of July so its going to be very busy in a couple of months time all being well. I haven't posted much on the blog this week as I have spent most of my spare time on the greyhound-data website.

It is without doubt the greatest tool in assisting with sire selection in existence today. It has in one foul swoop done away with the hours spent looking through old stud books and trying to find the elusive successful "nick" or cross. It has a very lively and informative forum with a wide range of opinions and areas of discussion. Personally I have benefited a great deal from some of the topics, in particular the breeding section which has opened my eyes to the completely different manner that our Australian friends consider a suitable sire and indeed how closely they are prepared to breed.

I have managed to strike up firm friendships via the site and exchanged ideas with greyhound enthusiasts from all corners of the globe. To all those involved in its running we are in your debt.