m a n a b o u t d o g b l o g

The Breeders Series: Sean Dunphy Interview (Part 2)

Here is the 2nd part of The Breeders Series interview with current Champion Breeder Sean Dunphy.

Now i'd like to ask you some questions on breeding in general Sean.

How much of a part does the broodbitch play in any given mating?  Being in the stud business as well as the breeding game you might have a different perspective on this than many.

I would say that the selection of brood bitch is of the utmost importance.  The brood is responsible for so much in a breeding - but it is also true to say that many broods will click better with some sires than others. 

So do the Droopys breedings follow any of the theories that are out there? You know like Rasmussen's theory, linebreeding, inbreeding, outcrossing, etc?

Not really. That is not to say that we haven't in the past.  We would have tried most things over the years but to be honest there are no hard and fast rules or theories that we follow when breeding our greyhounds. 

And on a similar theme, where do you stand on 3x3 matings (and closer even)?  How closely would you breed?

One of our earliest successes was Droopys Sandy (won the Scottish Derby).  He was a 5x4 'Rasmussen' linebreeding to Sheila At Last.  His dam Droopys First was a 2x4 Monalee Champion bitch, and herself had a double up of Sheila At Last.

In general we have had some very good results from linebreeding but we have also had some shockers.  In all honesty I couldn't put my hand on my heart and say 'this is the way to do it' or 'that isn't the way to do it'.  The same would apply to repeat matings. In fact we have no problems going back to the same sire with a brood again, and I wouldn't say that there are any negatives.

So when you are planning a litter are you looking into the future - perhaps a couple of generations - or do you solely breed a litter to produce champions?

We normally breed 'in the present' so to speak.  We haven't had too much success in trying to breed possible brood bitches for the future.

A dilemma facing many breeders is how many litters would you allow a bitch to have before saying she won't produce.  If her first litter were mediocre, would you breed her a second time?

Usually we make a decision to breed a bitch based on a few factors, and we always allow the bitch to be mated twice, whatever.  By the time a bitch's first litter are hitting the tracks we would already have mated her again and most probably that second litter would be on the ground as well. 

Basically if she is worth breeding in the first place then she is certainly worth two chances.  The up-side to this is of course, if the first litter is brilliant we have not allowed a gap to develop between the two litters.

I think it is important to point out that the 2nd litter will nearly always be to a different cross.

A good example of this is found if you look at that great brood-bitch Derry Linda.  Her first litter to City Major (whelped Jun 1983) did not set the world alight. 

But she was shrewdly bred by her breeder twice again anyway in 1984 (to The Stranger and Hurry On Bran) before that first litter were of racing age. 

The best pup to emerge from those following litters was Tico (pictured) who won the English Derby and made the Irish Derby Final.  A later litter by Game Ball produced Droopys Jaguar who won the Irish Produce Stakes. 

Being as successful as you have been, plenty of breeders look to you, and what you are doing, and take ideas from you.  If something works many are quick to copy - a look at the adverts for pups shows you this - "similar breeding to Droopys xxx....etc".  Do you yourselves follow what other breeders have done and are doing?

Of course we do.

Do you think the days of the 'Irish' greyhound are numbered?  There are so many imports in the stud game now that the strong Irish 'top lines' have all but disappeared. 

The Irish lines are definitely under pressure now I would agree.  But the Irish dam lines are still alive and well.

And do you think the 'chase instinct' is still as strong as ever? Go back 20 years - are dogs still chasing as hard?

This is a hard one to call, but I do believe that some sires and damlines throw harder chasers than others.

I can't say I've noticed any, but have you ever tried to cross your track bitches with a coursing sire (or vice versa) to get a bit more chase into a line?

Other breeders have tried this approach and some have had excellent results.  For us though we'd rather lease a coursing bitch or buy a few coursing pups and have fun that way.  We wouldn't be looking too far ahead in our breeding plans.

Who is the greatest stud dog since you have been in this sport?

I simply loved Lindas Champion. What a superb stud dog.

And the best brood bitch?

Can I have two picks?  If so I'd like to call a dead heat between Ballinderry Moth (pictured)and Mega Delight. Moth was a great brood bitch throwing great dogs and bitches, many of whom became great stud dogs and brood bitches themselves.  Mega Delight was a top class racer but has thrown incredible stock including 3 Derby winners and a superb stud dog- and she hasn't finished yet.

And on that note we'll leave it at that.

THE FINAL PART OF THE BREEDERS SERIES INTERVIEW WITH SEAN DUNPHY WILL BE PUBLISHED OVER THE BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Capel Wilson Greyhound Of The Month March 2009

The son of Hondo Black and Farloe Reserve will be awarded the award before he takes his place in tonight's Coral Regency Final at Hove. He won 5 out of 5 races in March including the Queen Mother Memorial Cup at Sheffield. If he wins tonight he will complete a 9-timer.

The full listing of all winners since the award was first given is in the Reference Section on the left hand side of the secreen - just click on the drop down and select.

Just having a look at the list, it is no surprise to see the award is already being monopolised by the usual suspects - the same 3 or 4 breeders and damlines continue to produce the top greyhounds.

September 2008: BARNFIELD ON AIR (Pacific Mile x Always On Air) Bred by L. Dwan

October 2008: NINJA JAMIE (Droopys Maldini x Farloe Oyster) Bred by E. Haslett

November 2008: BUBBLY TOTTI (World Class x Droopys Seville) Bred by S. Dunphy

December 2008: SWIFT NINJA (Hondo Black x Iceni Beauty) Bred by I. Greaves

January 2009: FEAR ZAFONIC (Premier Fantasy x Farloe Oyster) Bred by E. Haslett

February 2009: LORRYS OPTIONS (Westmead Hawk x Droopys Seville) Bred by S. Dunphy

March 2009: CAPEL WILSON (Hondo Black x Farloe Reserve) Bred by E. Haslett

The Breeders Series : Sean Dunphy Interview (Part 1)

The next breeder to be interviewed in The Breeders Series is current Champion Breeder Sean Dunphy.  Sean and his brothers Michael and Patsy - with massive help from their families and a dedicated team of workers - run the Droopys Stud near Portlaw in County Waterford.

The Droopys operation is dual purpose combining their stud business with their own breeding kennels.  This interview deals with the breeding side of things, but it is worth mentioning that the Droopys Stud is home to many of the top greyhounds at stud today including Westmead Hawk, Droopys Maldini, Droopys Scolari, Droopys Kewell, Droopys Vieri, World Class, Ace Hi Rumble, Boherduff Light, Westmead Joe, Killahan Phanter, Droopys Scholes, Droopys Caesar, etc etc.  The boys have a fantastic website www.droopys-stud.com with some brilliant photos of the stud dogs and facilities.

The whole operation is a team effort, but I took the opportunity to question Sean on some of the issues affecting breeders in this sport today and breeding greyhounds in general.

Well Sean, thanks for agreeing to do this interview with me. Forgive me if some of the questions come across as very basic.  Have you been in the game long? 

No problem John, glad to help.  I would say we have been breeding greyhounds - in some form - for about 30 years now.

So getting straight to the easy questions, in that time, who has been your best broodbitch?

We have been blessed in that we have had many brilliant brood bitches here, but I think that due to the fact that we raced her ourselves (she was runner up in the Oaks at Wimbledon), and she turned into a phenomenal producer of Group 1 winning greyhounds for us, that Droopys Fergie would be my personal favourite. 

Her best dogs were Droopys Pacino who won the St Leger at Wembley, Droopys Woods who won the Gymcrack at Hall Green, and of course Droopys Vieri who won the Irish Puppy Derby and the Waterford Masters as well as making the Irish Derby Final, not to mention the fact he has been the No1 UK Sire for the last few years.

Yes - she would have to be near the top of anyone's list. What a great servant she was to you. So going forward, is there any brood bitch we could look out for, one that you think could make a bit of a bang?

Well I would be very hopeful that Droopys Bolero (Droopys Shearer x Droopys Jolie) will produce some good pups.  She ran twice winning both in 28.82 at Shelbourne Park. She has four Westmead Hawk pups not long out of the field.

And I don't suppose you could give me the name of a Droopys dog to follow in 2009?

This is probably a bit unoriginal but Droopys Noel is hopefully going to have a great year.

 

So casting your mind back over the years, you've had dozens of great moments. If you had to single it down to one specific event, what would you class as your proudest moment?

Well it would have to be Droopys Scholes winning the English Derby.  That was a great night at Wimbledon and it will never be forgotten.

I was there and I remember it well Sean, and the Irish invasion of the track afterwards.  It must have been great to see Scholes' brother Droopys Cahill win on the same card too. As we all know there are many more low points in the sport than triumphs.  What would be your biggest disappointment in the game?

We had a Droopys Kewell pup that was probably better than Droopys Maldini (and that's saying something).  He shattered a leg in a schooling trial - pure devastation!

Ouch! So do you think you will still be breeding greyhounds in a decade?

I certainly hope so!

So with the global recession etc and the general downturn in things here in Ireland and the greyhound world, have you been affected?

Of course we have been affected in some way - everybody has I am sure.  But we still have our regular customers who continue to buy young racers.  We have never really been in the puppy market (generally we sell after schooling) so I couldn't really comment on that side of things.

You are ideally placed down here in Portlaw - you have lots of land (150 acres) and are ideally located within a short drive of several tracks.  What is the best track to school dogs at in your opinion?

Well we are right between Waterford and Clonmel tracks so we use them both.  To be honest we get very few injuries at either track - the running surface at each is always very well maintained.

The first thing I noticed when I came down here for the first time a few years ago was the sign at the gate "Greyhounds At Large. Keep All Gates Closed."  I was fascinated by the way you rear greyhounds down here - they seem to have the run of the place.

Yes the greyhounds are given a lot of freedom from day one.  We are fortunate that we have a lot of land to give the greyhounds access to.  At any one time we have several litters who are roaming different areas of the facility in packs.  This ensures that the pups are never bored, they learn to run with other greyhounds including how to take a bump.  Saying that we have conventional runs here as well and all the greyhounds are used to being handled from the moment they open their eyes.

I took the liberty of taking a few photos of the fields with the pups in them Sean.  What really caught my eye was that with most of the 'packs' I noticed their dam was in with them.  Do you do this with them all?

Usually we keep the brood bitch in with her pups until she comes in season again.  Obviously some bitches are very happy to do this but some want to get away from the pups at 6 weeks or whatever and will give us a reminder. But in general we find if the bitch is not picking on the pups at 6 weeks she will be fine to leave out in the fields with the pups.  This is very good for the pups as she will teach the pups how to run and hunt, and will instill discipline into them at the same time.

So it's fair to say that the pups would have a fair amount of 'hunting' done before they come out of the fields.

Yes. They would see plenty of wildlife and would have a good bit done when they are running loose around this place.

And what age would you leave them out in the fields until?

It depends on what we have in the kennels already but generally no later than 11 or 12 months. They will have had plenty of freedom up to then that's for sure.

PART TWO OF 'THE BREEDERS SERIES' INTERVIEW WITH SEAN DUNPHY WILL BE UP ON THE BLOG ON THURSDAY WITH THE FINAL PART UP AT THE WEEKEND

Oi Oi Woody

Winch Woody got back to winning ways at Romford yesterday when winning an A1 in fine style. Most of his owners were in Manchester for the Tottenham game - less said the better.

Well done Woody. That's 5 wins and 5 runner-up spots in his 13 races so far. His excellent 24.23 time gains a rating of about 108 on the Greyhound Data site.

Derby Draw

The draw for the Blue Square Derby First Round was made today.

I am going to Wimbledon on Friday and Saturday night and I am licking my lips at the prospect of these 24 races.  BRING IT ON!

FRIDAY

Heat 1

1 Droopys Noel

2 vacant

3 Melodys Pat (m)

4 Mistley Colonel (w)

5 Romeo Out West (w)

6 Droopys Nicola (w)

Heat 2

1 Masterful

2 Ja Mann

3 Tristar Dean

4Lazerus (m)

5 Droopys Taffy (w)

6 Greenwell Post (w)

Heat 3

1 Outandgoodnight

2 Fear Zafonic

3 Jesters Nap (m)

4 Glynnscross Mal (m)

5 Greenwell River (m)

6 Kellsboro Reject (w)

Heat 4

1 Ballymac Under

2 Pat Mustard

3 Fabulous Quest (w)

4 Barnfield Slippy (w)

5 Droopys Maestro (w)

6 Spot The Man (w)

Heat 5

1 Cabra Cool

2 Mill Pinpoint

3 Fatboyz Nodrog (m)

4 Droopys Quinta (m)

5 Westmead Ace (w)

6 Southern Sunset (w)

Heat 6

1 Ninja Jamie

2 Blonde Dino (m)

3 Drumna Willow (m)

4 Lenson Joker (m)

5 Rocky Rocket (w)

6 King Edward (w)

Heat 7

1 Kryptonite

2 Romeo Del Piero

3 Love Mac

4 Westmead Osprey

5 Hillcross Hobbs (m)

6 Swift N Smart (w)

Heat 8

1 Kengyelfuto Snow

2 Ballymac Ruso

3 Goldcrest King

4 Baran Pedro (m)

5 Alfie Sparra (m)

6 Kylegrove Cougar (w)

Heat 9

1 vacant

2 Royal Hunter

3 Tonduff Turmoil (m)

4 Leave Me (w)

5 Penn Razle (w)

6 Cabra Boss (w)

Heat 10

1 Headford Honcho

2 Windy Millar (m)

3 Wise Thought (w)

4 Tasty Rambler (w)

5 Eye Onthe Pulse (w)

6 Boherna Best (w)

Heat 11

1 Droopys Lee

2 Farloe Can Do

3 Glenard Sunrise

4 Ballymac Bull (m)

5 Fire For Effect (w)

6 Kindred Sparky (w)

Heat 12

1 Centaur Allstar

2 Balliniska Woods (m)

3 Ravello Drive (m)

4 Go Gucci Go (m)

5 Toosey Blue (w)

6 Sky Bound (w)

SATURDAY

Heat 13

1 Cash Dream

2 Starlight Shiraz (m)

3 Skelligs Risk (m)

4 Lenson Flash (w)

5 Stop The Show (w)

6 Ebony Court (w)

Heat 14

1 Lenson Smoothie

2 Superhods Lady

3 Forest Master

4 Farney King (m)

5 Side Bet (m)

6 Tyrur Kerril (m)

Heat 15

1 Directors Fire

2 Cabra Fly

3 Shelbourne Denny (m)

4 Mothball (m)

5 Bubbly Totti (w)

6 Secretariat (w)

Heat 16

1 Seanies Lad

2 Slick Ace

3 Castlehill Pat (m)

4 Blonde Fern (w)

5 Plassey (w)

6 Green Mentor (w)

Heat 17

1 Shelbourne Aston

2 Lord Karl

3 Side Leg (w)

4 Roswell Startrek (w)

5 Romeo Turbo (w)

6 Bonville Brett (w)

Heat 18

1 Deanridge Ammo

2 Lenson Express

3 Head Iton Ellis

4 Marbeck Wonder (m)

5 Carrowkeal Babs (m)

6 Droopys Director (w)

Heat 19

1 Eye Onthe Brave

2 Glenard Rocket

3 Coolavanny Dart (m)

4 Franks Lad (w)

5 Soviet Maldini (w)

6 Tyrur Kenny (w)

Heat 20

1 Live Money

2 Tobys Back

3 Kinda Ready

4 Malbay Fletcher

5 Farloe Reason

6 Wise Opinion (w)

Heat 21

1 Deanridge Zeus

2 Raving Black

3 Iceman Vader

4 Drink Up Zorro

5 Tyrur Hestor (w)

6 Dotland Hit Man (w)

Heat 22

1 Eye Eye Pickle

2 Barnfield On Air

3 Drumna Classic (m)

4 London Walter (m)

5 Manic Mile (w)

6 Mountjoy Ruby (w)

Heat 23

1 Nutty Nod

2 Attykitt Admiral

3 Bandicoot Tipoki

4 Slip The Lark (m)

5 Kinda Easy (m)

6 Futuristic Geeza (w)

Heat 24

1 Bomber Blue

2 Jogadusc Ace

3 Blue Gent (m)

4 Greenwell Cool (w)

5 Deanridge Fury (w)

6 Lavey Vieri (w)

Looking for a brood?

Tyrur Kennels are advertising 6 racebitches in today's Racing Post starting at €2,000 all out of daughters of the legendary Pinhead.

You could do a lot worse.

Astra

Interesting piece in the Racing Post today by PR Saward re Astra (Tanist x Mad Darkie), the first greyhound to do the Puppy Derby and Easter Cup double - emulated this week by Droopys Noel.

Astra was the first bitch to break 30.00 for the 525yards at Shelbourne Park and won the Irish Puppy Derby in 1944, and went on to win the Easter Cup in 1945 and 1946.  Her litter brother Mad Tanist was the Top Honcho of his day, dominating the stud scene and producing the winners of all the big competitions.

Nice to see the odd blue greyhound winning big back then as from what I read they were never that popular.

The Waiting Is Nearly Over

2009 BLUE SQUARE ENGLISH DERBY 147 ENTRANTS Advantage Johnny (w) O.Mckenna (Ire) Alfie Sparra (m) R.Yeates Ardkill Tunoco (w) P.Buckley (Ire) Attykitt Admiral S.Gresham Balliniska Woods (m) G.Holian (Ire) Ballymac Bull (m) M.Dartnall Ballymac Ruso M.Dartnall Ballymac Under P.Fitzgerald (Ire) Bandicoot Tipoki C.Lister Baran Pedro (m) P.Donovan Barnfield On Air S.Poots Barnfield Slippy (w) R.Holloway Blonde Dino (m) R.Holloway Blonde Fern (w) T.Dean Blue Gent (m) P.Donovan Boherna Best (w) B.Drapper Bomber Blue P.Sallis Bonville Brett (w) M.Locke Bubbly Totti (w) T.Soppitt Cabra Boss (w) E.Mcnair Cabra Cool P.Buckley (Ire) Cabra Fly C.Allsopp Carrowkeal Babs (m) C.Weatherall Cash Dream G.Holian  (Ire) Castlehill Pat (m) P.Curtin (Ire) Centaur Allstar C.Allsopp Coolavanny Dart (m) E.Parker Deanridge Ammo P.Young Deanridge Fury (w) D.Childs Deanridge Zues D.Childs Directors Fire M.Wallis Dotland Hit Man (w) A.Bell Drink Up Zorro P.Sallis Droopys Director (w) C.Duggan Droopys Lee D.Childs Droopys Maestro (w) A.Johnson Droopys Miller (m) P.Young Droopys Nicola (w) D.Childs Droopys Noel P.Buckley (Ire) Droopys Quinta (m) S.Cahill Droopys Taffy (w) O.Kueres Drumna Classic (m) P.Buckley (Ire) Drumna Willow (m) M.Locke Ebony Court (w) C.Ray Eye Eye Pickle M.Wallis Eye Onthe Brave M.Wallis Eye OnthePulse (w) M.Wallis Fabulous Quest (w) D.Firmager Farloe Can Do K.Billingham Farloe Reason C.Lister Farney King (m) K.Tester Fatboyz Nodrog (m) P.Gordon  (Ire) Fear Zafonic C.Lister Fire For Effect (m) C.Duggan Forest Master F.Black (Ire) Franks Lad (w) P.Young Futuristic Geeza (w) D.Childs Glenard Rocket M.Dartnall Glenard Sunrise M.Dartnall Glynscross Mal (m) J.Burridge Go Gucci Go (m) D.Childs Goldcrest King M.Wallis Green Mentor (w) J.Lambe Greenfield Post (w) P.Garland Greenwell Cool (w) P.Flaerty Greenwell River (m) P.Flaerty Head Iton Ellis S.Race Headford Honcho J.Davy Hillcross Hobbs (m) P.Sallis Iceman Vader L.Burford Ja Mann O.Mckenna  (Ire) Jesters Nap (m) J.Daly Jogadusc Ace M.Wallis Kellsboro Reject (w) K.Billingham Kengyelfuto Snow M.Wallis Killough Bullet (w) O.Kueres Kinda Easy (m) M.Wallis Kinda Ready M.Wallis Kindred Sparky (w) M.Wallis King Edward (w) E.Mcnair Kryptonite C.Lister Kylegrove Cougar (m) C.Gardiner Lavey Vieri (w) M.Lowther Lazerus (m) R.Yeates Leave Me (w) J.Lambe Lenson Express T.Collet Lenson Flash (w) T.Collet Lenson Joker (m) T.Collet Lenson Smootie T.Collet Lislabin Rambo (m) M.Grady Live Money S.Cahill London Walter (m) D.Childs Lord Karl (m) P.Gordon (Ire) Love Mac M.Locke Malbay Fletcher S.Mavris Manic Miner (w) R.Jones Marbeck Wonder (m) K.Turner Masterfull J.Millard Melodys Pat (m) P.Fitzgerald Mill Pinpoint K.Macari Mistley Colonel (w) K.Mullins Mothball (m) L.Burford Mountjoy Ruby (w) M.Wallis Ninja Jamie C.Lister Nutty Nod J.Gammon Outandgoodnight M.Grady Pat Mustard (m) S.Gaughan Penn Razzle (w) R.Yeates Plassey (w) S.Mavris Ravello Drive (m) R.Rees Raving Black S.Cahill Rocky Rocket (w) G.Andreas Romeo Del Piero D.Firmager Romeo Out West (w) D.Firmager Romeo Turbo (w) D.Firmager Roswell Startrek (w) M.Wallis Royal Hunter (m) P.Donovan Seanies Lad N.Jones Secretariat (w) S.Cahill Shelbourne Aston P.Curtin (Ire) Shelbourne Denny (m) P.Curtin (Ire) Side Bet (m) O.Mckenna (Ire) Side Leg (w) R.Rees Skelligs Risk (m) P.Marchant Sky Bound (w) P.Young Slick Ace P.Buckley (Ire) Slip The Lark (m) P.Buckley (Ire) Southern Sunset (w) T.Hackett Soviet Maldini (w) P.Curtin (E) Spot The Man (w) P.Curtin (Ire) Starlight Shiraz (m) G.Holian  (Ire) Stop The Show (w) E.Mcnair Superhods Lady D.Childs Swift N Smart (w) N.Mead Tasty Rambler (w) N.Mcellistrim Tobys Back M.Dartnall Tonduff Turmoil (m) K.Tester Toosey Blue (w) T.Dean Tristar Dean E.Parker Tyrur Kerril (m) B.Clemenson Tyrur Hestor (w) C.Lister Tyrur Kenny (w) C.Lister Westmead Ace (w) N.Savva Westmead Osprey N.Savva Windy Millar (m) P.Rosney Wise Opinion (w) S.Cahill Wise Thought (w) M.White

Uncle and Nephew whizz around Plough Lane

With a week and a bit to go before the start of the Blue Square English Derby, several challengers went around the Don last night in trials and races.

Two Irish trained hounds that will have pleased connections are Shelbourne Aston and his nephew Droopys Lee.

Droopys Lee came from behind that strong running dual Gr.1 winner Tyrur Kenny - and he was also bumped in his 3 dog trial.  Lee's time of 27.95 was nearly 4 lengths quicker than Wimbledon specialist and joint Derby favourite Ninja Jamie (28.19) who accounted for College Causeway on this track recently.

Droopys Lee is bred to win a Derby being a son of double Derby champ Westmead Hawk and a nephew of Irish champion Shelbourne Aston.

Aston himself was given a blowout over the 256m sprint trip and stunned those in attendance with a breathtaking 15.53 on his first look.  This is an open class sprint time and was 3 lengths quicker than other sprint trialists Spot The Man and Shelbourne Denny.

Blood knows no borders

The Nationals take place at Abilene, Kansas, this week and 2 greyhounds out of Shelbourne Jess posted very fast times and have qualified for finals.

The Nationals are a very important part of the US greyhound scene and the good dogs fetch very big money.  I wonder if Ireland could take a few pointers from this system as it looks at changing its sales format.

Shelbourne Jess is by Aussie super-sire Brett Lee out of IGB Brood Of The Year 2008 Queen Survivor. She clocked 29.11 in her 3rd race at 16 months of age at Thurles and was sold to Charlie Lister's kennel in the UK where a big future looked inevitable. She won an open but had a couple of rough rides, and in only her fourth start she turned her head and fought.  Incidentally I seem to recall that Shelbourne Stud replaced Jess with Shelbourne Laura without any quibbling, but that's a different story altogether.

Anyway, Mark Glennerster thought she'd make a cracking broodbitch and acquired her for David R.Peck in the US.  She was bred to CTW Legendary (Molotov x Clare Maudie).  CTW Legendary raced 80 times, a long career like many US greyhounds, whilst dam Clare Maudie is a US/Irish hybrid bitch by Slaneyside Hare from the Burnpark Sally damline.

It shows that good breeding is good breeding no matter where it happens.  This December 2007 litter will be worth keeping an eye on.

Ningbo Princess

One of the Ningbo Jacks out of Bantiss Princess has had no luck starting her career.  She flew around in her handslips but then suffered setbacks and has yet to race.  She has recently been in season.

But all that appears to be behind her and Ningbo Princess (Ettie) is now back schooling again and her owner Vicky Stipetic sent me these photos of her at the schooling track at the weekend.

It won't be long before she is on the Oxford strength and the sky is the limit for this cracker.

 

What of her comrades?  Nametab Apollo is back out next weekend at Thurles; Bantiss Dermot was beaten in an open at Coventry last night; Winch Woody suffered a reverse at Romford last week and Bantiss Alice was last in an A7 last week at Kinsley and returning after 5 weeks on the sidelines she was returned at 4/7fav which must be very unusual for a graded race;  Bantiss Allblack has been in season and will be trialling back at Romford this week; Bantiss Skippy looks like she won't be racing as she is not really fast enough and she doesn't help herself by running so wide that the bookies would need to let their umbrellas down; Bantiss Rescueme has been cursed by a shoulder injury and it's touch and go if he will race.

Droopys Noel : Easter Cup Winner 2009

A great performance by the Pat Buckley trained Droopys Noel last night secured the Easter Cup Classic and €40,000 for the McKenna brothers from Kerry.  Already the current Irish Puppy Derby champion, Noel is a live one for the Irish Derby now.

This was yet another big winner for sire Westmead Hawk who has made a sensational start to his stud career. In his first crop of pups he has won:

GR1. BCR PRINT EASTER CUP CLASSIC 2009
GR1. IRISH PUPPY DERBY 2008
GR1. LADBROKES GOLDEN JACKET 2009
IGB OPEN UNRACED STAKE 2009
OCEAN TRAILORS PUPPY STAKE 2008
WILLIAM HILL PRESTIGE 2009
CORAL SUSSEX PUPPY TROPHY 2008

Of course the Hawk can't claim full credit for this success - it takes two to tango after all - but Noel is far superior than anything dam Drive On Buzz produced in her debut litter to Droopys Kewell.

Noel is from a very rich family in terms of big wins. His dam is a full blood sister of National Puppy Stake Winner Droopys Corelli (their sires Droopys Vieri and Droopys Woods were comrades). Droopys Armani would be another top class dog produced by grand-dam Droopys Nellie (she produced several very good hounds).

Droopys Nellie was out of Flying Winfield who Pat Dalton brought to Ireland from the US.  He put 'Winnie' to the English and Scottish Derby winner Some Picture, who was standing at the Droopys Stud in Portlaw.  Some Picture was to die tragically young and was a great loss to Irish breeding.

Flying Winfield was acquired by Brian King at Shelbourne Stud, and it looks like her legacy will be as a producer of good broods rather than champions of her own.

You may recall me posting some time ago how Brian King got started in the game, and that during the 80s and 90s he was involved in exporting Irish brood bitches to the US.  Brian has a great 'little black book' of contacts and he would purchase bitches from top notch damlines on behalf of US breeders and fly to the States with them as very valuable cargo. Brian actually brought the legend that was Ballyregan Bob to stand at stud in the US on behalf of his owner Cliff Kevern.

So what has this got to do with Droopys Noel?  Well if you look at the 5th line of the pedigree, you will see Westmead Fairy and Rikasso Bunny.  Westmead Fairy was bred by Nick Savva and Rikasso Bunny was bred by his brother, Theo Mentzis. Both of these bitches were bought by Brian King on behalf of Vince Berland at Flying Kennels in the US.

Westmead Fairy had produced the super fast Mustang Jack but he had not made the track at this stage.  Fairy is of course from that great damline going back to brood of the year Westmead Satin and Hacksaw. She was owned by Bob Foster who also owned the English Derby Runner Up Tapwatcher - a great sire of early paced greyhounds including Irish Greyhound Of The Year Mountleader Peer.

Rikasso Bunny's pups made a fortune at the Nationals (the twice yearly puppy sales in the States) producing the likes of Flying Whiskey, Flying Highball and Flying Daquiri.

So in Droopys Noel we have further evidence that the greyhound world is very small indeed.  It is some coincidence that Fairy and Bunny's breeders were brothers, and that they were both exported to the US by the same man.  The fact they appear in the exact same positions on the sire and dam of this great greyhound is fascinating to me.

Coventry Sunday

Bantiss Jennings returns to the scene of his open win last week when he goes in a 625m open this Sunday.  Also on the card is Bantiss Dermot who travels from Essex to have a crack at a sprint open.

It's a very good card with the likes of Romeo Primo, Droopys Torres, Romeo On Fire, Droopys Zach, Romeo Llan, Droopys Nelson, Mar City Two, Swift Ninja, Roswell Startrek and Barnfield On Air - among others - down to run.

Good News Story

Michael Fortune posted the following great story on Talking Dogs on www.igb.ie.

It was great to see one of 'us' (the doggy folk) winning the 1/2 million Pick 7 Jackpot on Wednesday night. I watched live and noticed Billy Hanlon knock on top of the trap twice (for luck?) as he put Barrow Stamps into traps.

After the dog got up on the line there were celebrations at the pick up as the winner was congratulated by his fellow trainers. Great stuff. And a Good News Story at a very good time for the sport.

Shelbourne Dawn 28.85

I was bigging up this bitch quite a bit and now she has started to produce the goods. She won well at Shelbourne Park last night in 28.85 and will now take her chances in the Irish Puppy Oaks which starts at HQ soon.

Jennings makes the papers

http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/sport/Melton-greyhound-trainer39s-double-win.5168789.jp

Great to see Paddy got a write-up in the Melton Times for his win at the weekend.  His trainer Martin Drake got a double at the meeting.

Annie nearly ready

Bantiss Annie is nearly back at full fitness and should be on the card at Thurles in the next 3 weeks. She is galloping well so will soon be having a 525 trial to see where she really is - a couple of satisfactory sprints bode well.

PICK 7 HUGE ROLLOVER

TONIGHT AT SHELBOURNE PARK

The Pick 7 pool is standing at €256,000 and it is estimated it will reach €400,000.

Fair play to the current IGB team for maximising publicity on this - it is advertised well in the Racing Post today where the UK punters are advised they can bet directly into the pool through the IGB.ie website or through Ladbrokes and 24dogs.com.

For a laugh here is my bet for tonight - there is no chance of me winning of course but I will play anyway.

Race 4: (2) The Other Luke (3) Karma Down

Race 5: (2) Tyrur Kauto (6) Battleship Grey

Race 6: (3) Mellors (6) Fox River

Race 7: (5) Droopys Roz (6) Blue Gladiator

Race 8: (4) Caulry Jack (5) Murroe Lad

Race 9: (1) Raw Diego (5) Selecta Duke

Race 10: (2) Barrow Stamps

64 lines at €1 = €64.00

Limerick has switched from Thursday to Wednesday to facilitate punting into the pool, and a number of provincial tracks will be open for Tote betting.

If you aint in you wont win.  Good luck all!

Shelbourne Aston heading for Wimbledon

After I jinxed the Greyhound Of The Year at the weekend I wont make any bold predictions, but just to say that when I was speaking to Pat Curtin a couple of weeks ago he told me Shelbourne Aston will be going for the English Derby, but it was being kept quiet until the Easter Cup was out of the way. 

Well after speaking with Pat this morning I can confirm that the 2008 Boylesports Irish Champion Stakes Winner and 2008 Paddy Power Irish Derby Winner Shelbourne Aston will definitely be going to Wimbledon for the 2009 Blue Square English Derby.

The son of Just The Best and Queen Survivor is booked in for a trial on Thursday night at the Don.  Pat has 4 other entries for the London showpiece - arguably the most famous greyhound race in the world - and feels that it wouldn't be practical to try and train Aston for the Ladbrokes 600 while he travels back and forth.

The 2009 Blue Square English Derby is just 17 days away now.

Bantiss Jennings wins Open at Coventry

Clear at the 1st bend last night, Paddy was a winner all the way in a very nice 39.73 in an Open 625yards race at Coventry.  He won by 4, was 8 clear at the pick up, and ran a blinder.  The above photo was taken last night - what a cracker it is.  The wide running son of Never Give Up is obviously suited to Coventry's galloping circuit.

Always thought this dog would be a decent 6 bend dog and am delighted for Martin and Karen Drake. 

OI OI PADDY

Bling Bling for Bantiss Greyhounds

I purchased a smashing new lead and hooded raincoat from Kim Sanzone's Fast Track Greyhounds and I have to say I am well impressed.

 

I had seen some fancy collars doing the rounds and I thought that might be a nice touch for race nights.  The bridal leather with brass fittings is set off brilliantly with diamond effect lettering on the collar.  On the lead my blog's web address is printed in glitter which is about as bling as you can get!

The quality of the work is very good.

 So I had to get one of my charges to model the new gear. Here's a reluctant Bantiss Annie strutting her stuff.

 

Annie has had a couple of satisfactory trials since slowly regaining her fitness following an injury in her last race - an A1 contest which she won at Galway but was subsequently knocked over approaching the pick up.  She is getting back to peak fitness now and will be racing in 2 or 3 weeks time.  I have taken over the training duties again so I am not sure if we will see her doing 28.90 again - Seamus was getting a tune out of her - time will tell.

Here's Annie with the hood up on the Bluster Jacket.  It's a pucka piece of apparel actually as there is a huge zip on the front which makes it possible to fold back the hood or have it tight up over the neck and ears which is essential when you think how bad the weather gets here sometimes.  A bitch getting soaked on parade will not run to her best.

 

Annie is in great form and she soon got the hang of the modelling game.

 

 

 

Buckley wins the Derby

Pat Buckley has been so close a few times to winning a Derby. World Class was a finalist in the Irish and Scottish Derbys (knocked over at Shawfield when favorite), Trey United made the Irish Derby, and of course Slip The Lark was pipped in last year's Ringsend showpiece.

So last night it was a great moment for Pat and his family and connections of Cabra Cool when he won the IBetx.com Scottish Derby Final in Glasgow in trap to line fashion.

I spoke with Pat soon after his triumph and he was fairly emotional. Being party to Team Buckley celebrations when World Class was winning all around him, I am fairly confident there are a few sore heads today. 

Pat is looking forward to a big year - College Causeway flew around Shelbourne Park last night in a sensational 28.12 solo trial, while he will be sending a strong team to Wimbledon in under 3 weeks time for the English Derby.  I suggested he could have a very big year and this was the start of it - but Pat as quick to point out that he won the Tyrur Champion Bitch Stake 6 weeks ago with Slick Sioux (€26,000).

Cabra Cool is a member of a very good litter indeed and was one of three Thurles bred hounds in last night's event.

Well done Pat - this victory was not out of turn.

History in the making for Shelbourne Aston?

No dog has won the Easter Cup and the Irish Derby since arguably the greatest dog of all time, the legend that was Spanish Battleship. The brindle son of Spanish Chestnut and Ballyseedy Melody weighed just 61lbs (reputedly reared on a diet that included Guinness) and won 80 of his 90 races.

Spanish Battleship won the Irish Derby in 1953, 1954, and 1955 and won the Easter Cup in 1954 and 1955.  Some amazing dogs have attempted to win both - Farloe Melody and Late Late Show both made the Derby finale but couldn't add the premier crown to the two Easter Cups that each of these greats won.  In fact Spanish Battleship is the only greyhound to win both.

The Easter Cup is the oldest Classic in the Irish calendar, and is one of the most prestigious events in the world of greyhounds.  The semi finals of the 2009 renewal are run at HQ tonight, and the 2008 Greyhound Of The Year Shelbourne Aston is the favourite to win the stake.  If he adds this title to the Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes, that he clinched in such breathtaking fashion last year, he will become the only dog ever to win all 3 of these crowns.  And he will be joining a very elite club that numbers Spanish Battleship as it's chief, and only other member.

Come On Aston!!

Ballymac Maeve voted as best suitor for Bantiss Princess

Bantiss Princess is due in season and I asked you to vote on which sire would be most suitable.  You voted for Ballymac Maeve.  157 of you voted - thanks a bunch. I will inform you when I make a decision on what we do with Princess.

 

Just going back through other polls I hosted on the blog it is interesting to ponder If I re-asked the questions, would the results be the same?

YOU GOT THIS ONE WRONG!

Last year prior to the Irish Derby 164 of you voted on what trainer would win the Irish Derby.  A whopping 51.8% of you went for Pat Buckley whereas on 2.4% of you correctly opted or Shelbourne Aston's trainer Pat Curtin.

SAND MAN A BETTER IMPORT THAN TOP HONCHO

I asked what imported stud dog was the greatest to arrive on Ireland's shores and 44.8% chose Sand Man who narrowly beat Top Honcho.

HAIL SKIPPING CHICK

The most important damline in UK and Irish breeding was judged to be that of Skipping Chick - 59.5% of votes went the way of the white and fawn bitch.

NATIONAL PUPPY STAKE THE JUVENILE PACE SETTER

The National Puppy Stake was voted - 40% - as the most important juvenile event in Ireland with the Produce Stakes coming in 2nd with 20%.

WIN YOUR TRIAL TO BE ELIGIBLE TO RACE

When asked about qualifying times (currently a ridiculously easy 31.00 for the 525y) you gave a most surprising answer - 32.7% voted that all pups should have to win their grading trial and do a miminimum time standard.  Next most popular was that grading time be slashed into 30.50 and quite a few thought 30.20.

INSPECT THE STUD DOG

On the breeding side of things, 42.9% of bantissgreyhounds.blogs.com readers said they always inspected a sire before deciding whether he would be used on their brood bitch.

Countdown to Blue Square English Derby 2009

3 weeks to go and it looks a very wide open Derby that will begin at Wimbledon.

Really looking forward to this great event - it is a unique competition - very different from its Irish equivalent.

Charlie Lister appears to hold the aces in Fear Zafonic, Bandicoot Tipoki, Ninja Jamie, Farloe Reason and Farloe Lee among others, but there will be a strong challenge by Barry Draper and of course the Irish who will be sending over Buckley, Hennessy and McKenna, and

British Open Race Breeders Chart Q1 2009

No surprise to see Sean Dunphy topping the list, but the Droopys dominance is far in excess of what would be expected.

1. Sean Dunphy 82 winners

2. Ian Greaves 27 winners

3. Liam Dowling 23 winners

4. Diarmuid Lynch, Nick Savva, Jacoba Van Der Scheer 18 winners each

Jymmi's Maldinis at 6 months old

 

   

Bantiss Jennings in Open action

He goes at Coventry tonight in the top division 6 bend race - he has a squeak ;)

High Class World wins again

This daughter of Highgate Albion by World Class won agin last night in a handicap at Pelaw Grange - that's 3 out of 4 in the last fortnight.

That was her 15th win from 60 races - a great record.  She is the winning-most  greyhound that I have bred now.

Bantiss Baloo and Bantiss Carmella

This pair of pups by Droopys Maldini out of Bantiss Slimline (1/2 sister of Shelbourne Aston) are smashers. Absolute monsters - to be honest both are a bit whinge-y but so is their mother - and I couldn't be happier.

 

Ace Hi Rumble pups at 9 months

My Bantiss Poppy litter are very impressive. Never had a fight, never stop running. Could eat for Ireland. Loving 'em.

Queen Mother watches on as heirs to throne are on parade

Queen Survivor was bestowed the honour of Irish Greyhound Board Brood Bitch Of The Year 2008 at a glittering awards ceremony in Kildare last weekend - and her son Shelbourne Aston was crowned Dog Of The Year 2008.

Shelbourne Aston goes in the Easter Cup Quarter Finals and is an odds-on favourite to qualify for the semi finals, but this weekend her daughters' offspring will also be under the spotlight.

The talented Droopys Lee runs in the same competition and has a live chance although it is a very hard heat. He is a grandson of Queen Survivor being out of Droopys Maddy (by Brett Lee).

On the same card, East River runs in an Open 525. This lad started with great promise before a few months on the sidelines. He is out of Chubbys Survivor (Roanokee x Queen Survivor).

Finally on Sunday in Mullingar Freddy Mac who is a comrade of East River, has drawn the red sheet in the Gain Cesarawitch Classic Final which will be beamed live into Irish homes on Setanta.  Freddy Mac who has won 4 times out of 4 whendrawn on the rails, is 10/1 to win the big race of the weekend.

And also on Sunday down at Clonmel, Romeo Del Piero goes in the Produce Stakes. He is out of Shelbourne Piera (Brett Lee x Queen Survivor)

Is this how to breed greyhounds?

There is a super litter hitting the track at present DROOPYS MALDINI X BELVEDERE TINA

• Belvedere Champ wins his debut at Clonmel in 28.75

• Talking Point won his debut - heat of the Shelbourne Aston Unraced - at Shelbourne Park last night in 28.81

• Seabird Joy won her debut earlier in the week in 28.99 at Longford.

So is this a fluke breeding? I would suggest not. 

If you look at the pedigree it is a 4x3 (Rasmussen) line breeding to the great Minnies Nikita. This is achieved through combining littermates from the Phantom Flash litter - Spiral Nikita and Minnies Surprise 3x2.

Breeder Dermot O'Sullivan (who I have not had the pleasure of meeting) is obviously a student of bloodlines, because when you look at dam Belvedere Tina's previous 2 litters (by 1/2 brothers Larkhill Jo and Sonic Flight), we see 4x5 (Rasmussen) line breeding to 1994 UK Broodbitch Of The Year Westmead Satin, as well as a 3x4 Flashy Sir cross.  Those breedings produced good greyhounds - Goldstar Joe for example.

This breeding looks potentially better so far. Is it all about pretty patterns on a pedigree sheet?  Possibly-but this breeding is leaving very little margin for error.

If you read any of the advice on how to breed greyhounds they say breed from a good bitch, who has good relations, to a good sire.

So we know the bloodlines of dam Belvedere Tina are top notch with the Minnies lines winning everywhere these days - Tina is closely related to College Causeway for example, as well as All Heart, Lenson Joker, Barnfield On Air, College Prime, Boherna On Air, etc etc.

But she herself was no slouch.  She won her first 2 races in 2960 Thurles then 2893 Shelbourne Park. She ran twice more and was retired to the paddocks.  So a lightly raced and very fast bitch.

And of course the sire Droopys Maldini is one of the best at stud in Ireland.  Irish Greyhound Of The Year, Dundalk International winner and Irish Derby Runner-Up twice - he has made a big impact already.

So in my opinion the breeder was taking very little risk with this breeding and it is paying off big time. A litter to keep an eye on.   A point of note - this is as 'Irish' a breeding as you will see these days with only the appearance of US import Sand Man on the 5th line breaking the all Irish pedigree.  In these times when imported blood is all the rage - this breeding is all the more interesting.

The Bantiss Bone (Irish Greyhound Of The Month)

I think the UK have a great idea by giving an award to a greyhound each month who the writers judge has been the best performer.

Ireland has nothing like it.  So I will be awarding the Bantiss Bone to the greyhound I think deserves it most each month.  Of course it is not a real bone but a nice JPEG of a bone - but it's the thought that counts!!

BANTISS BONE WINNER: MARCH 2009

Swords Prince

The son of Head Bound and Katie King won 3 out of 3 at HQ as he won the Tote Gold Cup Final (€30,000) in an astonishing 28.44 by 5 lengths over a very good field. Thoroughly deserved too.

Notable mentions go to Daleys Buzz who was runner up in the same stake after two good heat wins, Slick Sioux who won the Champion Bitch Stake at Galway (most of those runs came in February) and Armagh Vieri who retained his Hugh Duffy Memorial Sprint crown up at Lifford.

BANTISS BONE WINNER: FEBRUARY 2009

Daleys Buzz

The son of Crash and Blues Best Buzz found a new lease of life down at Limerick where he won the Kennedy Cup and Champion Stakes.  He won in crowdpleasing 'last to first' style too.

Honourable mentions go to Mumhain Aris who won all 5 of his races in February on the Southern circuit, Georgeisgorgeous who won the IGB Unraced Stake, and Oakfront O Seven who gave a blistering performance winning the Joe Dunne Memorial Final in 28.44.

BANTISS BONE WINNER: JANUARY 2009

Jemmy Doodlebeag

Traditionally a quiet month, Jemmy Doodlebeag won his Quarter Final, Semi Final and the Final of the John J Casey 575.  The son of Top Honcho and Any Time Soon is a dog that is possibly better over 6 bends so this was a great achievement beating dogs with Derby aspirations.

Honourable mentions must go Compass Mikey who won 5 of 7 races in January at Open Class, and Shakira Live who won over 840yards at the Thurles Pop Gun meeting and broke the 750y record at Tralee.

2009 Produce Stakes Sponsored by ..er.. Brett Lee?

The cream of Irish breeding, the 2007 crop looks bereft of Irish breeding.  Here's the 102 entries broken down by sire - WOW!

BRETT LEE	19
DROOPYS MALDINI	7
HALLUCINATE	5
TOP HONCHO	5
TOP SAVINGS	5
LARKHILL JO	4
ROYAL IMPACT	4
DROOPYS SCHOLES	3
DROOPYS VIERI	3
HADES ROCKET	3
TYRUR TED	3
WESTMEAD HAWK	3
YEAH MAN	3
ACE HI RUMBLE	2
BIG DADDY COOL	2
CRASH	2
DIGITAL	2
DISGUISED	2
DROOPYS KEWELL	2
DUNDRUM PRINCE	2
HE SAID SO	2
HEAD BOUND	2
HONDO BLACK	2
PREMIER FANTASY	2
RAZLDAZL BILLY	2
TRENDY LEE	2
BALLYMAC MAEVE	1
BOHERDUFF LIGHT	1
BOND	1
DODGEM BY DESIGN	1
FLYING PENSKE	1
JUST THE BEST	1
LIFES A DODDLE	1
LOUISVILLE	1
MUSTANG YANK	1

UK & Ireland Top 20 Open Race Sires : Q1 2009

UK Open Races as per Greyhound Star - Jan 1 - Mar 22

Irish Open Races as per Greyhound Nuts Forum - Jan 1 - Mar 23

COMBINED TOTALS PER SIRES

1	TOP HONCHO	134
2	DROOPYS VIERI	106
3	BRETT LEE	82
4	DROOPYS MALDINI	77
5	HONDO BLACK	70
6	CRASH	59
7	HONCHO CLASSIC	55
8	HEAD BOUND	44
9	WESTMEAD HAWK	42
10	DROOPYS KEWELL	41
11	DROOPYS SCHOLES	39
12	LARKHILL JO	31
13	BOHERDUFF LIGHT	30
14	BIG DADDY COOL	28
15	TUCKS MEIN	27
16	JUST THE BEST	26
	TOP SAVINGS	26
18	DAVES MENTOR	25
19	KNOCKABOUT WOK	23
	YEAH MAN	23