TOP IRISH PUPS TRIAL AT WIMBLEDON
Monday, February 8th
Three of Ireland’s top young prospects will be trialled at Wimbledon before racing tomorrow evening in advance of challenges for the Racing Post Juvenile Championship and later the Williamhill.com English Derby.
Pat Buckley is travelling over to England overnight with three dogs. They are the Puppy Derby champion Tullymurry Act and the highly rated duo of Newlawn Class and November Weather.
Tullymurry Act hasn’t run since being a hot favourite for the final of the Comerford Cakes National Puppy Stake at Shelbourne in December, where he finished second behind Fatboyz Tyson. However this brilliant tracker has always given the impression that he would be the ideal type of dog for the tight Wimbledon circuit.
Newlawn Class rocketed up the English Derby better after hammering Eye Onthe Storm on his first look at Wimbledon in December. He hasn’t race since. November Weather was bought by Buckley on the strength of his early paced performances around Shelbourne and looks a natural for the Plough Lane circuit.
Newlawn Class has already been pencilled in for the Racing Post Classic but it is quite possible that the other two dogs could run on the card that night. Said Buckley yesterday: “I have them booked in for solo sprints tomorrow but plan to come back again on Saturday week for four bend trials”.
John J. Casey Open 575 Final
WHATS UP? IT’S JACK
Saturday, February 6th
Finals don’t come much more thrilling than Saturday’s John J Casey Open 575 at Shelbourne where the bookies roared themselves silly as 14-1 outsider Hee Haws Montana hit the front on the final bend but their cheers dried dramatically as Whatsupjack rallied up the straight to snatch a short head verdict in 31.32.
From traps it was Three One Three fast away and he led up from Whatsupjack and Accordello. But the race was to change dramatically on the bend where Deanridge Fury arrived up the inside but checked wide and hit Accordello, taking a heavy fall himself in the process.
Now Hee Haws Montana was left third as Whatsupjack (Brett Lee/ Miggs) took it up from Three One Three. Hee Haws Montana went second into the third bend and then showed ahead on the final corner. But Whatsupjack wasn’t done for yet and he came back strongly to take it on the line by a short head from Hee Haws Montana in 31.32 with Three One Three just a length adrift in third and then three parts of a length to an unfortunate Accordello.
* Rest of Shelbourne Report in Saturday Report
TWO TRAINERS RECORD CLONMEL 1-2
Friday, February 5th
It was certainly a case of what you can do, I can emulate with trainers Owen McKenna and Stephen Wadsworth at the closing session of the Clonmel Festival on Thursday night.
There were two finals on the card and in the Droopys Kennels Open Sprint decider McKenna provided a 1-2 as Faypoint Dec landed odds of 4-6 with another superb performance when leading home kennel companion Curlew Mountain by two lengths in 16.08.
This was an eleventh success from thirteen outings for Faypoint Dec, a son of Droopys Scolari and Youraisemeup owned jointly by Patricia Flanagan and trainer’s wife Sian McKenna.
Then four races later Stephen and Helen Wadsworth combined for a 1-2 in the final of the Black Shaw @ Stud Open 525 with Compass Hodge getting up in literally the final stride to pip Compass Bernie by a short head in 29.16.
The pair of Compass trackers weren’t among the three favourites in the market but Bernie flew out and was then pipped on the line by Hodge (What A Lark/ Vics Nikita) by a short head in 29.16.
A LUNCH TIME AWARDS
Friday, February 5th
The clock will be turned back almost a quarter of a century when there will be a daytime setting for the Annual Greyhound Awards which will be staged at The Strand Hotel in Limerick on Sunday, March 7th.
The function will be held over Lunch with Galway Crystal again confirmed as the sponsors of the afternoon and they will provide the various Glass Pieces for the presentations.
It was back in the late 1980s that the last afternoon awards ceremony was staged but, to my recollection, this will be the first ever lunchtime staging.
The arrangements are that the function will commence at 12.30 pm with the lunch at 1 pm. The ticket price will be €30 per person and these can be purchased from the Sales Centre at 1890 269 969.
The selectors for the awards will meet on Thursday next to select the nominations for the various awards.
LAD TAKES UNRACED
Tuesday, February 2nd
Broadstrand Lad ran out a most impressive winner of the IGB Open Unraced Stake at Clonmel on Tuesday with the Billy Drake and Vincent O’Donovan owned youngster storming home in a brilliant 28.49.
The John Linehan trained son of Hallucinate and Kiln Lark went off the 9-4 second favourite and trotted up by three and a half lengths from Peggys Way, with Boggan a length third.
There was a major upset in the final of the Irish Examiner Open 750 when Chris Houlihan’s Cool Model (Droopys Vieri/ Churchview Model) pipped the odds on favourite Group Skater by half a length in 41.81.
Droopys Zorro clocked 28.74 when winning the Park Hotel Stake while Duck Fat just saw off Borna Del by half a length in the Colorful Champ Open Bitch Stake when clocking 28.79. Jamies Legend took the Trade Genetics A2 in 28.980 while Gerpats Dove was the winner of the Simon Molloy Tri Distance in 58.90. Finally, the Sporting Press 550 was won by Movealong Catch in 30.19.
HONCHO CLASSIC DIES
Tuesday, February 2nd
Leading stud dog Honcho Classic has died following a short illness.
Since his arrival from Australia, Honcho Classic has been a very popular and successful stud dog in this country and finished runner-up on three occasions to his kennel companion Top Honcho in the Irish Greyhound Review Stud Dog of the Year Award.
Said Michael Dunne yesterday: “Honcho Classic will be sadly missed by all here at FFK Sires, including his hale and hearty kennel mate Jamella Prince. We would like to thank all those who used Honcho Classic and helped make him what he is today”.
ZAFONIC TOP UK TRACKER
Monday, February 1st
Despite being beaten by Kinda Ready in the final of the English Derby, Fear Zafonic has been voted the 2009 UK Greyhound of the Year by the British greyhound journalists.
The awards were presented at a major function in London’s Hotel Metropole on Sunday and Fear Zafonic got the vote for dog of the year ahead of hurdler Platinumlancelot and stayer Midway Skipper.
Trainer Charlie Lister was thrilled with the award as were Fear Zafonic’s owners Paul Shaw, Simon Wooder and Kieron Roe. Lister confired that Fear Zafonic is being trained with this year’s English Derby in mind and the son of Premier Fantasy and Farloe Oyster is right up there at the top of the betting lists. Fear Zafonic also took the Standard Award while the winners of the other categories were Jimmy Lollie (Sprinter), Lorrys Options (Stayer), Midway Skipper (Marathon, Bitch and British Bred), Platinumlancelot (Hurdler), Eye Onthe Storm (Newcomer) and Droopys Kara (Dam of British Bred). Mark Wallis was named trainer of the year while Kinda Ready’s owners Daren Johnson, Gary Crouch, Chris Badger and Lee Jordan were named the Owners of the year.
LADIES NIGHTS AT SHELBOURNE
Monday, February 1st
An invitation has been issued by the Shelbourne Park management to all Ladies to go racing on Wednesday nights at the track – FOR FREE.
Commencing on Wednesday night of this week, ladies will be entitled to free admission for the four Wednesday nights in February.
So, all you ladies out there, why not accept this great offer and come along and enjoy a few great nights of Craic – and, who knows, perhaps you might win the Pick 4 or the Pick 7 also! This Wednesday night there will be the added attraction of two Jackpot carry-overs.
COUNTRY LIFE IS UNDER THREAT!
Wednesday, January 27th
Country life as we know it is under threat and three different bills being prepared by Government will make the situation considerably worse.
These are the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill and the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, both proposed by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and the Animal Health and Welfare Bill which is being drafted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
The Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 could have severe repercussions for the greyhound industry and all involved should let their feelings be known to their local politicians, whether TDs or Senators.
A number of recommendations in the bill would cause hardship to greyhound breeders who are already faced with considerable costs and regulations imposed by the governing bodies. One section (14) of the bill stipulates that “the operator of a dog breeding establishment shall ensure that bitches do not give birth to more than six litters of pups each, and not less than 12 months elapses between the birth of a litter of pups to a bitch and the birth of that litter of pups to that bitch”. This regulation would have very serious implications for the greyhound industry.
It is obvious that this Bill has been prepared with other forms of dog breeding in mind but there is a danger that the greyhound could be caught in the web unless action is taken immediately.
The introduction of this Bill as currently framed would greatly increase the expenses and regulations involved in breeding greyhounds and for such a well regulated industry, it is something we can certainly do without. We don’t require any more fees or regulations!
RAISING FUNDS FOR HAITI
Wednesday, January 27th
The Auction of a beautifully bred sapling for the Haiti Disaster Fund will now be held at Shelbourne on Saturday, February 20th.
The pup, which has been donated by former IGB member Jim Brennan, is 12 months old this week and is a blue brindle son of Westmead Hawk and Elteen Nell and currently hits the scales at 77 lbs.
There is no need to introduce Westmead Hawk while the dam Elteen Nell was herself a high class tracker. She won the McCalmont Cup at Kilkenny and is a daughter of Honcho Classic and Ballinclare Lark, the dam being a litter sister to Irish Derby winner Climate Control.
The dog will not be sold if he doesn’t reach the reserve of £3,000.
CRONIN JUVENILE GO-AHEAD
Tuesday, January 26th
The valuable Mike Cronin Readymix Juvenile Classic has got the go-ahead and this year’s event will commence at the Kingdom Stadium in Tralee on Friday, March 5th.
The 48 dog unraced event will have a total fund of €38,000 of which the winner will receive €20,000. But there will again be a massive €100,000 Bonus payable if the winner goes on to win the 2010 Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park. The Bonus will go to the winning trainer.
A new bonus will be introduced which will be worth €1,000 to the best placed Kerry owned greyhound in the competition. The stipulation is that the dog must be in the relevant ownership prior to the commencement of the competition.
The entry fee for the Cronin Juvenile will be €70 and the final will be run on Friday, Mach 26th.
CAUSEWAY STILL IRISH DERBY BOUND
Tuesday, January 26th
College Causeway is still on course to defend his Irish Derby title in August despite being a roaring success in the stud paddocks.
Owner Mike McKenna confirmed yesterday that the intention still is to go for the Irish Derby again this year but he does stress that the Derby is the only event he will take in.
McKenna said: “There was talk of him going for the Scottish Derby but he won’t be running there. He is doing very well at stud and will remain with the Dunphys for a while yet. I really want to have a crack at the Derby again with him and, provided he satisfies us when he returns to work, he will defend his title”.
McKenna has a few nice pups by College Causeway, they’re a year old next month and will be about the first of his pups to hit the track.
LABOUR CALL FOR LEVY INCREASE
Friday, January 22nd
It has been echoed in various quarters over the past year or more and eventually a political party has advocated that the Horse & Greyhound Fund should be financed through the levy route.
The Labour Party’s Mary Upton yesterday called for betting levy to be increased from the current 1% to 1.5% as part of a radical overhaul of the state funding system.
Labour see the increase on levy as placing the Horse & Greyhound Fund on a “revenue-neutral basis” and removing the millstone from around the Exchequer’s neck!
Ms Upton’s proposal would see the 1.5% levy applied to all on-course, S.P, telephone, online and exchange betting transactions, while also incorporating online poker and casino websites.
But how would Labour manage to collect the levy from the remote operators? Ms Upton said: “We’ll do this by requiring anyone who wants to offer a service to Irish operators to register with a section of the Revenue Commissioners. Once they have registered, they’ll be required to pay 1.5% of their turnover on Irish customers”. Online operators not based in Ireland would be blocked if they refuse to register.
CORK’S SPECIAL OFFER
Thursday, January 14th
Racing will return to Curraheen Park on Saturday night with a real bang. Liz Igoe informs us that there is a fantastic online offer which entitles you to a dream night for just €24.99.
All you have to do is book online for Saturday night and avail of Entrance, Racecard and Four Course Meal for just €24.99. That’s what you call a real Recession Buster.
Incidentally, the Guinness Trophy has been put back until further notice and dates will be advised as soon as possible.
OPEN PRIZEMONEY WILL BE BOOSTED
Wednesday, January 13th
IGB CEO Adrian Neilan has stressed the importance of maintaining top prizemoney at our leading tracks to attract the leading greyhounds.
In the aftermath of the Budget cuts it was feared that the rewards for open races at the major tracks would be the same as the prizemoney for lesser grade races at the smaller performing tracks. However, when addressing the Dublin Track Bookmakers annual lunch in Dobbins Restaurant yesterday, Neilan was at pains to assure everybody that the Board is well aware of the importance of maintaining the standards at the high performing tracks.
Elaborating on the comments he made in his address, Neilan said: “The basic prizemoney grants amount to roughly €6 million per year but any money over that level will be invested wisely in supporting open racing at Shelbourne Park and other big turnover venues like Harold’s Cross and Cork.
“The money which was previously given out through the Dublin fund, the Tote Retention scheme and the special sponsorship grants will now be directed towards maintaining the level of open race prizemoney at Shelbourne and the other big tracks at something close to the current level. We are well aware of the high performance level at Shelbourne and we don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg”.
Adrian did confirm that the prizemoney for the major classics will be cut across the board and said that the prizemoney for the Derby will be reduced, but not until after discussions have taken place with the new sponsors.
On the Derby front, the CEO confirmed that there has been interest from a few quarters in taking over the Derby sponsorship. “We are talking to a good few people and we are hoping that a deal can be concluded as quickly as possible”.
Neilan also revealed that there has been a very significant response to the tender for naming rights of the new Limerick greyhound stadium. “We have had a very, very good reaction, much of it from people who wouldn’t previously have been involved in greyhound sponsorship. The fact that this is the last major sporting stadium that will open in the mid-west region for a number of years has obviously made the deal much more attractive. Obviously they realise that the new Stadium will be the place to be for the first few years at least and they wish to capitalise on the exposure. It is very encouraging”.
NAMING RIGHTS OFFERED FOR LIMERICK STADIUM
Thursday, December 31st
A first ever happening in greyhound racing has seen the Irish Greyhound Board invite offers for naming rights for the new Limerick Stadium which will be opened in the autumn of 2010.
A statement issued by the Irish Greyhound Board on Thursday morning reads:
The Irish Greyhound Board is seeking expressions of interest for the naming rights to the new Limerick Greyhound Stadium which will open in the autumn of 2010.
In what is thought to be a first, the information has been published on the Irish government’s e-tenders website and has already generated a number of queries.
“The new stadium in Limerick is already creating a real buzz around the mid west,” said Orla Strumble, Head of Marketing at the Irish Greyhound Board. “We are talking to existing sponsors about the long term naming rights but we also wanted to cast the net a little wider and see what interest there is in what will be the biggest new venue in Munster sport for a number of years.
“We will work with those who are interested to put together a package that works for both sides. There has not been a value placed on the naming rights as yet. This is something which we will come to as the needs and requirements of potential sponsors are explored.”
Building work on the new stadium is continuing through the winter ahead of an official opening later in the New Year. It has created 250 construction jobs and will lead to 100 permanent jobs on opening.
The track, which will be among the finest greyhound stadiums in the world will host almost 2000 races a year. It will have state of the art viewing and restaurant facilities and will be one of the most used and best equipped sporting venues in Ireland.
A CHRISTMAS ST LEGER
Tuesday, December 22nd
The fixture list for 2010 has just been released by the Irish Greyhound Board and the most noteworthy change is that the Kerry Agri-Business Irish St Leger will be the final major of the year with the final to be run at Limerick on December 18th.
The reason for the late, late St Leger is to allow the classic to be run at the new Limerick Stadium which is scheduled to be open at that stage. The 550 yard classic is due to commence on November 20th.
Another significant change will see the Paddy O’Gorman Grand Prix at Galway switched from its November/ December slot to a summer date. It is scheduled to commence on May 29th with the final pencilled in for June 27th.
OFFER ON BOARD FOR MARKET’S FIELD
Thursday, December 10th
Limerick soccer club has confirmed that it has made an offer to the Irish Greyhound Board for the Market’s Field, which has been the home of greyhound racing in the city since 1933 and which staged the Irish Derby back in 1939.
Pat O’Sullivan, chairman of Limerick FC, was reported in the Irish Examiner this week as saying that the First Division club has made an offer to buy the Market’s Field when the venue closes on the completion of the new stadium next September.
O’Sullivan explained that the venue would be a stadium for all the people of Limerick. “It will be open to all sports and codes, to all community groups and will be for the benefit of the entire people of the city”.
O’Sullivan’s revelations came at a mayoral reception in the city to recognise the contribution of Limerick FC to the community.
The Mayor of Limerick, Kevin Kiely pledged full support of the City Council to the club in its efforts to secure the Market’s Field.
ARCHIVES STILL UP TO DATE
Friday, November 13th
Despite fact that there will be no live online racing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from now on, the videos of those nights will still be available the following morning on www.igb.ie.
Fears had been expressed that the cessation of the online service on the opening three nights of the week would affect the availability of videos but this will not happen. The IT department has confirmed that archived racing will be available as normal the following morning for each night’s racing.
FULL VIDEO RACE COVERAGE LAUNCHED BY IGB
Wednesday, August 26th
In a major advancement of the current video operation, the Irish Greyhound Board has announced that as of next Saturday the video footage of all races run at sixteen Irish tracks will be available online the morning after the race is run.
For the past few years the video footage of all Dublin races has been available on the IGB website, www.igb.ie, as well as all Saturday night racing at Cork. But the new move means that racing from every track except Dundalk will be available from next Saturday.
Initially at least, the service will be free for all users of the IGB site. Archived footage of all races run throughout 2009 will also be available from this weekend.
Said IGB CEO Adrian Neilan: “This is a huge step forward for everyone involved in the sport. By making the footage of the races more available it will be a major boost for the promotion of greyhound sales in Ireland and to the UK and further afield. It will allow everyone involved in the sport greater access to what has happened on the track. There will be more information available to those who like to bet and the service will link in to our continued expansion of the online tote betting service which operates through the same portal.
“The internet presents great global opportunities for the promotion of Irish greyhound racing. Everything hinges on the performance of the greyhounds and that is what we will now be showing, initially in an archive format but with the opportunity for more live streaming as the demand and the betting interest from around the world gathers momentum. The service will be free in the early stages. We will monitor the cost of providing the service and the benefit of the increased coverage of the sport before making any decision on the pricing model. This may be linked to our betting portal. This initiative backs up the activity which has taken place on Facebook surrounding the Paddypower.com Irish Greyhound Derby and shows that our sport, while traditional in nature, has embraced the opportunities of new media”.
The only Irish track not included in the service is Dundalk but it is hoped that this will be added shortly afterwards.
INTERESTED IN SYNDICATION?
Thursday, July 30th
Recently we have been contacted by a few people with slightly different queries regard syndication. One man from the Limerick area is interested in getting involved with either a new or established syndicate. Is there anybody out there who would like to welcome a new member or syndicate partner on board?
So, if there is anybody who would like to recruit members for a syndicate or to personally join a syndicate, why not contact us at, “Malcolm on 086 8142833.”
IGB LAUNCHES FACEBOOK PAGE
Tuesday, June 30th
The Irish Greyhound Board has increased its online presence, by launching a Fan Page on Facebook. The site, which has experienced a massive rise in popularity in Ireland, allows users to not only interact with friends but also with celebrities, businesses and communities.
The Irish Greyhound Board page will give fans updates on events and happenings around the country, and will also give them the chance to win in exclusive Facebook competitions.
The establishment of the Facebook page follows the successful launch of the e-zine, IGB News & Views, in March. The monthly email newsletter has established a strong following, and rewards readers with excellent competitions each month. The July 2009 issue will give subscribers the chance to win flights with Aer Arann.
All of this follows improvements to the IGB website www.igb.ie, designed to create a more interactive and informative portal for visitors. In the past year the website has seen an expansion in the archived racing and live streaming service and the introduction of Talking Dogs, Special Offers, Photo Galleries and more.
To become a fan of the Irish Greyhound Board on Facebook, simply log in and search Irish Greyhound Board:.http://www.facebook.com/pages/Irish-Greyhound-Board/92504867988.
NEW IGB NEWSLETTER
Thursday, March 12th
The Irish Greyhound Board has launched a new monthly Newsletter which will be available to all subscribers to the IGB Website www.igb.ie.
Each issue will give readers the opportunity to win great prizes and this month’s prize is two tickets to the Ireland versus Bulgaria World Cup qualifier at Croke Park on March 28th.
You can sign up for the Newsletter in the Reservations section or the Special Offers on the main IGB Website. If anybody would like to receive this month’s issue to be in with a chance of winning those Croke Park tickets, simply email newsletter@igb.ie by Wednesday next, March 18th