Linda Mullins, head of a greyhound dynasty, dies aged 86

LINDA MULLINS, former champion trainer and matriarch of a greyhound racing dynasty, died on Monday after a short illness, aged 86.

News broke today from sons John and David, themselves outstanding and successful trainers, that their mother, the former Romford and Walthamstow-based trainer, had passed away in hospital, where she had been for just over two weeks.

"Her body just failed her, but that spirit was there even to the end," said David of his Kent-born champion trainer mother, who won seven Trainer of the Year titles in a row from 1996 to 2002, among a host of major victories. 

From a greyhound racing family - Linda's sister Jeanne Chapelle was a successful trainer at Oxford - Linda married Pat Mullins, himself a Derby-winning trainer - and took over the licence at the Manningtree, Essex, base when Pat died in 1981.

"We were teenagers then and, while we were always in and around the dogs helping out, when dad died we pretty much worked full time with mum, certainly early in the mornings and then after school," added David.

"Mum was great with the dogs, her record shows that, and she was so supportive when I decided to take out my own licence and when John later did the same, first at Manningtree when mum retired, and then later when the kennels were sold.

"Of course, John worked with her for many years and they had some great dogs during those champion trainer years, dogs like El Tenor and Palace Issue, especially.

"I actually asked mum quite recently who was the best she'd trained. She just said there were too many to single out, but then chose Sampsons Pal, who won the Pall Mall at Oxford for her and dad in 1979, a year after they'd won the Derby with Lacca Champion - so her memory couldn't have been too bad!"

Linda would later win two Pall Mall titles in her own right with Highview Pet in 1996 and El Boss in 2000.

Starting as a kennel girl at Wembley, Linda enjoyed a lifetime in greyhound racing herself and Pat having spells at Cambridge, Harringay and Crayford before, in her own right, switching to Romford in 1987 before a later move to Walthamstow.

Among her other achievements, Linda Mullins won three Trainers' Championship Meetings (now Trainers Judgement Night) in 1991, 1993 and 1997, as well as a host of major big-race wins including the 1993 TV Trophy at Wimbledon with Heavenly Lady and the 2000 St Leger with Palace Issue.

However, one of her proudest achievements was guiding El Tenor to becoming the winningmost open racer. 

A fast greyhound on the track having won the Essex Vase in 1996, his subsequent disqualification led to an even more successful change of career - over hurdles - and going on to win the 1998 Grand National at Hall Green.

Almost unbeatable over jumps, he famously landed a 100th open-race win at Romford in March 2000.

The Grand National also saw the notable achievement of mother and son dead-heating for the jumpers' Classic in 1999 at Wimbledon when the Linda Mullins-trained Hello Buttons dead-heated with the David Mullins-trained Pottos Storm.

"That was some night - and the pictures at the presentation were definitely a family favourite," added David Mullins.