Hockings hoping to do a 'Salad Dodger' with Heres Ringo

Hockings enjoying the Derby dream with Heres Ringo

Glenn Hockings is taking inspiration from Salad Dodger as he dreams of Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby glory with Heres Ringo.

Despite being sent off at 25/1, Heres Ringo was only beaten a length and quarter by Droopys Prefect when third in his heat last week and will take on the likes of Droopys Plunge and Churchfield Syd in the second round this Friday.

The April 2023 son of Ballymac Bolger remains a huge price in the ante-post betting, but so, too, was Salad Dodger at this stage in 2014 and he famously went on to win the Classic for owner/trainer Bruno Berwick by defying odds of 16/1 in the £200,000 decider.

Hockings now has Salad Dodger as a pet at home and is hoping some of his luck rubs off on Heres Ringo.

“I messaged Bruno Berwick back in 2018 to ask him what he saw in Salad Dodger to make him buy him, “ said the Lowestoft-based handler.

“I set up a Facebook page a while ago and he had been following my dogs on there. He later messaged me saying he was unwell and needed someone to look after Salad Dodger, so I brought him to my home in 2020 and we’ve had him ever since. He’s 13 in June and is lovely.

“I couldn’t help but look at him and think it would be really nice if I had a runner in the Derby, which is what has happened. You look at Salad Dodger and think ‘well he managed to do it, so let’s try our luck’.”

Second round excitement

When asked about Heres Ringo’s performance in the heats, Hockings was understandably delighted with his charge.

“It’s phenomenal. It’s the first time I’ve not won a race but it hasn’t felt like I’d lost a race,” added the Yarmouth trainer.

“I drove home with a smile on my face despite having not won, which is lovely. He ran very well and fulfilled a dream of ours which was to have an entry in the Derby. So, there’s no pressure now – he’s done what we wanted him to do.

“I found him on greyhound-data. I saw the A1 form at Shelbourne Park and I thought, for the money, that will do. He’s a greedy boy! He got up to 37 kilos which was too much but now he is on the way to being right.

“We don’t want it to end. I am taking it one race at a time, and that’s all I can do.”

Looking ahead to the rivals his dog faces this Friday, Hockings said: “It doesn’t really matter about the opposition we’re up against. It’s the Derby – there are lots of fast dogs. The dog is fine and I’m sure I’ll be very nervous on the day, but we’ll be ready to give it a try.”

Hockings only trains two dogs at present, having had only four in total in his training career.

“I started in 2018 with one dog and she won four from nine in the end,” he continued,

“We waited another couple of years while another puppy grew up at John Muillns’ kennel, then we took her home at nine months and she won a maiden open at Towcester last year before retiring.

“We’re only a family team. Heres Ringo went on the school run this morning, which is a 15-minute walk with my little lad, and he enjoyed that. He is very well behaved, he’s a lovely dog.”

Hockings decided to get into greyhound ownership after his father passed away, commenting that: “My reasons for getting into greyhound racing are perhaps different from other people’s.

“I was on the terraces as a teenager with my Dad at Walthamstow and those were my most fantastic memories. When my Dad died, I thought it was time to own a dog. Later, I decided to try the other side of it and hopefully train a winner instead.”

His Facebook page, ‘Kennys Hounds’, now has nearly 20,000 followers and can be found here.