Although the weather has been atrocious and is not very pleasant to be working in, we have to be very thankful that it is nowhere near as bad as areas not too far away from us. Whilst we may get wet and whilst the dogs may be paddling we are at least not losing any lives, it hits home whats important in life and some of the things we moan over is really not worth the breath thats used to do it.

Some may be aware that Daisy, who was donated for the charity, broke a bone directly above her wrist two weeks ago and will never race, it does seem like shes been destined to stay at mine as she was sold at four months old only for the buyer to lose his job.
I reared her and kept her till she was 14 months old, she was sent away and when getting ready to start schooling she had to have a toe off, just when that healed and she was ready to start training, she goes and breaks the bone, shes been brought back home with a cast all the way up her leg and is living in doors with Valentia Mist, sometimes a bit of a pest but overall she has been very good. I will keep you posted on how she is getting on.
The two sets of Premier Fantasy pups ( Millies Award and Droopys Rosari) will be on their travels next week in preparation for schooling, they are all beautiful and strapping pups and although they have been hard work at times, I really do like the look of them, Good Luck to their owners.

The Jazz Hurricane pups have really blossomed over the last six weeks, filling their ever increasing frames and now very sturdy looking pups, to be honest I thought they were going to be rangy pups but they have changed alot recently.
The Miss Wonderful pups are full of the joys of spring (or is that winter!) and coming on nicely, good grubbers and full of life and we cannot really ask for much more from them.
Baby Marges pups are doing fine albeit only in their infancy of life but already I can see alot of their mothers mischief in them, heres hoping they run like their mum.
Lenas pups are also doing grand and coming on a treat, Lena goes in with them in the afternoons to chase them round the grass paddock and boy does she love it, it is amazing what changes occur in broods from their first litter to next.
Lena was attacking her pups at 1 weeks old during the first litter and now shes crying if not able to see them and they are 10 weeks old, lovely to watch mum teach her babies some manners.
Good Luck to everyone in tomorrows FREE Draw and remember that I shall be running one every year for my owners past and present, it is not really much for showing how grateful you are for peoples custom.

I have received alot of enquiries about Farloe Merlin with alot of people asking how long he will be FREE for, the answer is at least 2 years and until he proves worthy of commanding a fee, obviously Australia is different but I am charging what it costs me to have drawn and exported to Australia, I have a few bitches lined up for him and its just a case of waiting for them to drop in season.

Recent Winners include.... Trejon Scholes at Perry Barr, Pick and Micks, Smoking John, Smoking Jim, Smoking Shady and Sugar Fix at Hove, Questhouse Alexi, Andreas Quest and Lenn Swartz x3 at Newcastle, Questhouse Leigh at Monmore, Pretty Mentor at Romford.. Bringing Kennel Totals to 871

I woke up on Tuesday morning to find that the head of our GTA had now decided that microchipping was perfectly okay albeit that 3 dogs within 1 month of being chipped had been found to have chips that had migrated, this coming after telling people that one case was one too many, what was more alarming was the flippant statement alluding that it was okay that 200 out of 6 million had other issues without migration.

What I cannot understand is what ACTUAL benefit having greyhounds microchipped does, I am all for welfare and all for having a dog traceable from cradle to grave but I’m certain that there is far better and safer procedures.
Defra has suggested that we as a sport have microchipping in order to be able to correctly identify all dogs, well forgive me for being naive but surely the age old art of earmarking does this, YES it has been known for callous ba---rds to chop a dogs ears off to protect its identity BUT if someone is willing to do this then I am afraid that they would happily cut a dog open in order to remove a chip, should this happen then we would be back to having a dog completely untraceable.
The most fool proof solution would be for EVERY single pup born in The Uk to have a DNA sample taken at the time of earmarking, this could NOT be tampered with, I would be more than happy to give up my time to have this done and I would be much happier that I would not be possibly subjecting my dogs to anything that may harm them in the future.

I am also aware that our sport is under severe pressure from outside parties but by giving into their every whim we are only setting ourselves up for a major fall, today it is microchipping and tomorrow it will be something else, eventually we will be so stangled that we will have no breath left in us.
On the racing front things have been very quiet but I have a good feeling about the future.
All the pups continue to impress me and are all looking very strong and bolshy.

New Pictures of Baby Marge and Jazz Hurricanes pups recently added to the Galleries pages.

I have taken ownership of Farloe Merlin who is litter brother to Fear Zafonic and ½ brother to many Group 1 dogs including Ninja Jamie, Farloe Reason and Farloe Lee, I shall be standing him at Stud and will be offering him up for free in UK and shall be having straws, at cost price, shipped to Australia, already the feedback is superb and anyone wishing to use him in UK or pre order a straw for Australia should contact me, I honestly think he will be a huge success.

Recent winners Moorland Rob at Belle Vue, Smoking Jim,Baron Samedi and Ashbys Hawk at Hove, Foulden Rebel at Portsmouth, Andreas Quest at Newcastle and Shimano Sumo at Henlow.
Total Reared Winners 848

There are plans to create a regular informal get together amongst Greyhound Staff, Owners, Trainers etc to be called the ‘Sports Track Challenge’.
They are hoping to trial this in the South and if successful will branch out all over the country. Currently the tracks involved are Harlow, Romford, Crayford, Henlow, Sittingbourne and Wimbledon.
Staff from these tracks will get together at Harlow’s Harlequin Suite for an informal night of Poker, Darts and Pool. It is hoped that they will meet every 2-4 weeks on a Sunday with a 4pm start and it is open to anyone involved with greyhounds. The bigger this becomes then leagues can be introduced and eventually football matches arranged and inter-track greyhound racing.
This will go to all tracks and a proposed introductory first date will be on Sunday 27th September which is the date of the 40th Greyhound Breeders Festival. This starts at 1pm and anyone interested in the get together can stay at the same venue from 6pm onwards.
There is hope this will spread up to the Midlands and to Northern tracks too.

If anyone is interested in sponsorship or any other info, please contact Maurice Newman on 0208 925 7915 or Mick Davis at the stadium on 01279 426804.

The address for those who don’t know it is: Harlow Greyhound Stadium, The Pinnacles, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex CM19 5DY.

It was a decade of mixed fortunes for greyhound but the eighties will be remembered more than anything else for the amazing world record winning sequence of 32 that Ballyregan Bob achieved through 1985-86.

He was truly the greyhound who had each and every attribute of the finest of his breed. In a total of 48 races, Ballyregan Bob tasted defeat on just six occasions and produced a winning run of 32 consecutive races before connections announced his retirement from the track at the beginning of 1986.

Trainer George Curtis described Ballyregan Bob as 'the perfect racing machine' and, from his early trials at home track Hove, Curtis knew he had a very special greyhound on his hands. However, his early races were far from spectacular, being soundly beaten the first four times of asking.

The penny finally dropped on 25 October 1984 when he came from off the pace to win his first race in Britain. He rattled off another seven straight wins to finish the year off, including record breaking runs in the heats and final of the William Hill Lead at the now much missed Hackney Stadium.

He had arrived in no uncertain style and his comeback the following year was eagerly awaited. Connections wisely laid him off for the worst of the winter months and, to many, he had lost the old sparkle when he returned to the track in March of that year. After taking a bump at the first bend in a race at Harringay, he failed to make any real impression on the leaders and was, by his standards, well beaten in fifth.

That defeat was little more than a hiccup, though, and, a month later, Ballyregan Bob was to firmly establish himself as a true superstar. Representing Curtis in the Trainers' Championship meeting at Walthamstow, he produced what many say was the performance of his life. Meeting local champion Ballintubber One in the top division of the 475 metres races, Ballyregan Bob was tested to the maximum

Ballintubber One took a couple of lengths out of the great Hove runner by the second bend but the speed Ballyregan Bob produced along the back stretch was nothing short of miraculous. On terms by the third bend, he was forced to work hard to get past the long time leader but superior stamina won the day and the Walthamstow faithful knew they had seen a champion in action.

Ballintubber One went on to win countless races himself, which was a handsome compliment to Ballyregan Bob in itself.

The last time Ballyregan Bob was to ever see the rear of another greyhound at the finish line came on 15 April 1985 when a battering at the traps saw his chance gone in a race at Wembley.

Any plans to go for the Greyhound Derby were scrapped there and then and, instead, Ballyregan Bob took in the Olympic on home soil and sailed through the event unbeaten. It was the last time he was ever to race over four bends.

Stepping up to six bends and Ballyregan Bob was in his element. It was the same wherever he roamed; huge crowds treated to stunning displays which, invariably, ended with wide margin wins for the ever blossoming star. The record breaking run was nearly brought to a halt on two occasions - the first at Romford where a tardy start and first bend bother saw Ballyregan Bob in a hopeless position after a couple of bends.

He caused a sensation on that heady summer night in July, though, producing a stunning run which saw him get up in the very last stride to keep his growing tally of wins intact. But, perhaps, his most remarkable win came in the semi-finals of the St Leger at Wembley where severe first bend trouble saw the champion in all sorts of bother.

Two of the field more or less hit the deck and Ballyregan Bob literally had to hurdle one of them or he too would have been nose diving into the sand. His litter-brother, Evening Light, had set sail for home with his illustrious brother hopelessly lengths adrift and facing almost certain defeat.

The crowd was unusually hushed, a huge band of travellers followed Ballyregan Bob wherever he went and they too were starring at defeat.

Murmurs of hope began to rise as Ballyregan Bob began to close the gap but he still had an awful lot to do with only two bends left to go. The murmurs became cheers as he inched ever closer, the dog seemed to sense the urgency of his task.

He produced that now famous burst of speed on the run for home and was lifted over the line just in front with the roars of sheer delight ringing out from the packed grandstands.

The run became all the more remarkable when, next morning, he was found badly lame and was forced out of the St Leger Final. The injury was to plague him throughout the rest of his career.

It said much about the skill and dedication of George Curtis that Ballyregan Bob was to go on to beat the world record. Not only did he beat the best greyhounds in training during his career, he toppled track records where ever he went.

He set three speed records at Hackney, two at Wimbledon and set new figures at another eight tracks during an incredible racing life.

As Ballyregan Bob was paraded at his local track in Hove, on 9 December 1986, just minutes before the final race of his career, he stood on the brink of a world record. He had won his past 31 races - a total that brought him level with the champion American greyhound of the late Seventies, Joe Dump. Ballyregan Bob was on offer at a miserly 1-4 to break the record. But then having your money on him was almost as safe as putting it in a bank. After surprisingly meeting defeat in the first four races of his life, Ballyregan Bob had gone on to win 41 of his next 43 races, breaking 15 track records in the process. In all of those races he was never handed odds greater than 4-9. 'He is the fastest I have ever seen,' said his trainer, George Curtis, on the day of his record-breaking attempt. 'Only bad luck can beat him. No other dog will.'

On the final evening of Bob's career, the race was at his mercy; only the Irish raider Low Sail was expected to offer any competition.

At 9.19pm the traps flew open for the 695-metre race. From his favoured wide position in the black and white striped No6 jacket, Ballyregan Bob was away slowly but lay third going into the first bend. There, Low Sail's race effectively ended after he was badly hampered.

The crowd cheered as Ballyregan Bob cruised into second behind Queens Comet, who had taken an early lead. But by the fourth bend Ballyregan Bob had collared her and from there the record was never in doubt. He merely extended his stride and powerfully surged clear to cross the wire nine-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Swift Breeze in second.

The victory was as routine as the 31 that preceded it. 'I have never before witnessed an occasion like tonight,' an emotional Curtis said afterwards. 'I am fortunate to have had a dog like Bob. I doubt that we will see his like ever again.'

The record-breaker was, as usual, taking everything in his stride. A midnight snack of raw horse meat and rusks was followed later by a walk and a hearty breakfast of egg, milk and cornflakes.

That morning Ballyregan Bob set about his new career, at stud. His first appointment, with Jaunty Countess, was at 10am.

'Bobby did it and did it well,' Curtis said, following the happy consummation. He may be a less famous greyhound than the great Mick the Miller, but he is definitely no Sideshow Bob.

The national newspapers headlined with his remarkable achievement the next morning and the sport owes Ballyregan Bob much. He helped to put greyhound racing back on the map when it was so badly needed. There has never been a greyhound like him since and there may never be another. He was simply the best

Once the men of Castle Eden were fond of coursing. They bred and trained their own greyhounds and had rare sport. The carpenter would match his dog against the Blacksmiths and the Thatcher would challenge the Shepherd and on the first fine holiday they held their coursing matches around the villages.

One year however, they began to be troubled by a strange hare that threatened to spoil their sport. No sooner had they let slip their greyhounds than this strange animal came loping through the hedge and over the furrows. It was not sandy like the other hares, but darker and greyer, oloured almost like a mole, and it ran across the pth of the hounds as if to say, course after me, I am not so fleet as my brothers, and you will soon catch me. It never failed to turn the hounds from their proper game but no sooner had they turned to give chase than it led them a merry dance and drew them after it into the depths of Castle eden Dene. It was in vain for the men to whistle their dogs back. They would leave the hare, and long after it had eluded them they kept coursing through the Dene, barking madly and running backwards and forwards.

Sometimes they ran their heads against the boles of the trees and killed themselves, and sometimes they strayed so far they were lost. Instead of enjoying a days sport the men spent many weary hours tramping through the thick undergrowth in the Dene, searching for their greyhounds.

They soon grew to recognise the mischievous hare, and to wish that they could catch it and put an end to the pranks, for it bought them nothing but inconvenience and loss. It always outsripped the swiftest of their greyhounds, and no trap or snare was cunning enough to catch it. Day after day it ruined their coursing matches, until it seemed that soon the men would have to give them up altogether.

At last they held a meeting to discuss what they could do, when they tried to shoot it, every bullet missed, when they set traps, they were closed but no hare in them, When they coursed it they only lost another greyhound. What could they do?. They were at a loss, but at last one proposed that they should seek advice of an old man who lived near Castle eden and was skilful in healing sick horses and cows and may help them as he was learned in the ways of animals. So they went to visit the old man.
He listened very carefully to their story and said, this hare has powers that no other hare possesses, and it will not be caught by ordinary means. Tomorrow you must take with you not a greyhound, but a blood hound. If it is a black blood hound, all the better, and if it has been fed on human milk I think you will be sure of catching your hare.

The men thanked the old horse doctor and obeyed his instructions. The next day they took with them a coal black blood hound, and as soon as the hare appeared they loosed it. Immediately the hare made for the Dene, and the blood hound followed it. But so slow did the blood hound seem, that one of the men cried out, it is no good, it is like setting a magpie to keep up with a swallow.

Most of the men were of his mind, and when both the hare and hound had disappeared into the Dene, they tied their horses to the branches and prepared for another weary search. But just when they had given up hope they saw the hare running up the bank at the other side of the ravine, with its nose to the ground and its big ears flapping as it ran. For once the hare had been hunted out of its refuge in the woods and forced into open country. The men remounted their horses and crossed the Dene, just in time to see both hare and hound running in a bee line for the village of Easington.

They gave chase, and though the many gates and hedges prevented them from catching up, they drew close enough to see that the hare was limping and the blood hound was gaining on it. On they passed straggling hedges of tall thorn trees, and haystacks standing like cut loaves on a green cloth, and over pasture and pleated plough land, until they came upon Easington village.

Then the hare ran straight across the village green, on the opposite side of the green stood a little stone cottage, with curved brown tiles and a cracked dirty door. There was a little space cut away in the bottom of the door, like an opening left for hens to wander in and out, and through this the hare ran. It was almost too late, for just as it bolted through the opening the blood hound caught up to it, and seized it by one of its hind legs. However the hare shook its leg free and disappeared into the cottage.

The huntsman tried the door, but it was locked. Then they knocked but no one came to let them in. So at last the door burst open and they rushed into the room. But they could see no hare, instead they saw sitting before the fire ann old woman. She was hastily bandaging her heel and trying in vain to stop the blood flowing and to hide a wound. None of thre men spoke to her, perceiving that the old woman knew her witchcraft had been found out at last, they turned and left the room and never was their sport spoiled by the mischievous hare.