Breeding Ground - The Brits

Cover: King Capaldi (T1) - a casualty, but not the latest, of the KSS's unlucky run. Photo: © Steve Nash 

A string of injuries and the latest GBGB edict has left Rab McNair considering his future in the sport.

As was previously reported, Rab took the broken hock sustained by Queen Joni in last year’s Oaks particularly badly.

Despite a lifetime of dealing with the highs and lows of racing, the career ending injury to ‘Rab’s girl’ saw the Kent based Scotsman sink into a self confessed depression.

He admits that it hit him far harder than seeing King Memphis the beaten favourite in last year’s Derby Final.

But things have not got any better.

He said: “(Havana) Top Note was finished with a tendon. We lost (King) Combs at Central Park and then (King) Capaldi had to be retired after picking up a ruptured FCU tendon. He is now at stud in Ireland.”

But worse was to follow. . .

Rab said: “I took the Eden The Kid/Queen Jessiej litter to Bicester for schooling and they went very well. I took a shine to one little blue brindle who Jeff (Sealey) told me was 15 spots quicker than Jessiej in her first trial out of the boxes.

“I took the litter to Central Park last week. They all looked good but I was desperate to see the blue brindle go around.

“She walked out the traps, and the hare got away from her. But she took off going into the bend and smashed a foreleg. It was devastating.”

It should have been a great day with some great performances headed by King Wilson and Queen Dido at 16.57 and 16.64 respectively.

Rab added: “I should be buzzing. Memphis is doing some great trials at Hove and we had three in the puppy final at Oxford, but I didn’t even want to parade any of them.”

However, such is the nature of racing and breeding, that life has to carry on.

Queen Joni’s dam, Queen Jessiej has just been covered by Brookside Richie, while St.Leger winner Havana Lover has been covered by Capaldi.

Rab said: “I wanted to use Richie because I thought he was a top class hound with top class breeding. He is a son of Droopys Sydney; but also because he is out of a litter sister to Droopys Verve who was an outstanding greyhound.

“Capaldi is standing with Richard Culley in Ireland and his first two bitches mated were Lover and Havana Lottie, the dam of Links Maverick, Havana Allablaze and Havana Class.”

Then there is the GBGB issue . . .

The latest edict from the governing body is insisting that pain relief has to be administered, by a vet, the day before pups are earmarked and then for the three days afterwards.

It appears that the change in rules may have come about due to a backlog in registrations, whereby some pups are at least eight or ten months old before earmarking takes place.

Under normal circumstances, the pups would be around 10-12 weeks old and then procedure is less traumatic.

Rab said: “The first thing I should say is that I haven’t had any delays in getting pups registered. It is no big deal when they are 12 weeks old.

“I give them a paracetamol before it is done and although they squeal for a few seconds within half an hour they are back playing and have forgotten all about it.

“We are now having to go through the expense of getting a vet in both before they are registered and three for the three days afterwards. Total overkill.

“Were any breeders consulted about this? I doubt it. The people making these decisions haven’t bred litters or trained greyhounds to win competitions, but they keep adding to the costs. They do it all the time. Why do we still have the four day rule?

“Breeding is already on its knees. I can imagine breeders simply sending the pups over to Ireland to be earmarked.

“It is complete overkill. Instead of throwing their weight about GBGB could have said, ‘these rules will only apply to litters of at least seven or eight months old’. Common sense no?

“Why are we still tattooing them anyway? What is the point of microchipping if you don’t trust it.

“On top of everything else, it makes you wonder whether it is worth carrying on.

“What we really need is someone in charge of GBGB who understands greyhounds and greyhound racing. I really hope that they give the CEO job to Duncan Gibson.”

Meanwhile Derby winning breeder Dave Firmager is hoping for more high quality Romeo boys and Fabulous girls to hit the track this year.

There are three late ’23 Melton Mowbray litters due on the track, the oldest of which are a dog and two bitches by Ballymac Cashout out of Drive On Betsy, the dam of Romeo Command.

Dave said: “It is a small litter and realistically, I think they are destined to run (graded) at Towcester.”

The second September litter are by Ballymac Bolger out of Fabulous Lynx, a Puppy Oaks runner-up and litter sister to Command.

In typically honest fashion Dave said: “The dam showed some potential but didn’t really fulfil her potential. The pups are still schooling with one bitch looking as though she might have something.

“But you have to be cautious when they are this young because potential doesn’t always develop in the way you would hope.”

The youngest of the litters are by Romeo Magico out of Fabulous Mila, the dam of Romeo Taylor.

Dave said: “They are Octobers and are still schooling. There appears to be a nice dog in that litter, but again too early to know for sure.”

Looking to the ’24 whelps, there are a string of litters by ‘exotic’ Aussie sires including a return to Magic Sprite (who threw Romeo’s Hotshot and Mission and Fabulous Bling out of Buckos Lass), Hooked On Scotch and Bernardo.

Fabulous Amalfi (dam of Romeo Steel) missed to Fernando Bale but has a young litter by that Towcester crowd pleaser, Swords Rex.

There are also a couple of litters by the kennel’s Derby winner Romeo Magico. A litter of eight out of Drive On Betsy and a repeat out of Fabulous Bella. The first mating produced the exciting youngsters Romeo Empire and Fabulous Heka.

Last but far from least, four August ’24 pups by Topgun winner Aston Rupee out of the double British Bred Derby and Empress Stakes winner Fabulous Azurra.

All of which leads to the sport’s most resilient top class performer of the last two seasons, Romeo Command, now at the veteran stage.

Dave said: “We plan to run him in the Stud Book Trophy which he won a couple of years ago. He missed it last year because of a broken hock.

“He has been well raced by Patrick (Janssens) but always sensibly on ‘proper’ tracks. He isn’t getting any younger but I would hope he could contest a third English Derby. But at four and a half, that would be his ‘last hurrah’”.