Review

Club members and supporters didn’t have to wait long to come in from the cold.  Horse Outside showed his well being with a blazing hot run to claim gold on his comeback race last Friday. A three length winner, clocking sixth fastest time on the night suggests our black and white boy will be holding his own with the best in the weeks ahead. A great fillip following the previously frustrating fortnight.

Wendy (Hanover Lady) just failed to see out the trip, failing by the shortest of short heads to land a club double. The heavy going probably just making the difference.

News

Welcome to Ron Stainer our latest brand new member. Ron owns Cooneen Cailin (Poppy) at the kennels and felt it would be ‘rude not to’ join, benefitting from the extra interest in the club runners when at the track to watch his fast improving grader. And having an ongoing interest as and when Poppy is not on the card.

Woody (Fleetwood Rocker) has had minor surgery to remove a bit of loose bone in his foot so will now have a six week break to convalesce. Incredible that this was brewing during a really successful run of form from our brave blue.

Last call for our March 10th F.A.B. night out at the track. After February 20th bookings will need to be made individually and there’s no guarantee you’ll be seated with our main group.  So don’t delay – let Debbie know your intentions and hand her the £20 pre-payment asap. Currently we estimate around sixty in our group.

Keep an eye open for a new innovation to the kennel and club.  We are currently collating a list of kennel runners (including the club hounds). The lists will summarize their outings and placings (both graded and Open) and will be the basis for some ‘in house’ awards throughout the year. The lists will enable all owners/members and supporters to check out new recruits and familiarise themselves with kennel runners and fellow owners.

The list will be up in the Owner’s Lounge soon and, in the weeks ahead, be available via our Norahmac website.

If anyone fancies a day out with a difference Sheffield Greyhound Sales on Sunday March 4th may fit the bill.  Brian Harrison is leading the sales, and Norah is threatening to turn up to see what’s on offer.  Several club members and kennel owners are planning a day trip. No doubt that it’s a long way but there will be trials all morning and sales in the afternoon – both quite a spectacle especially when Norah and Brian are involved.

It’s just under a year since Norah last went ‘buying’ at one of Brian’s auctions – those purchases are now all household names at the kennels. It’s a great way to develop an affinity with the new recruits and perhaps pick up a bargain?

Unbelievably we are in the final fortnight of our first year! For some of the early birds the year was really fourteen months, given we kind of got off the ground mid January.  By the evening of the F.A.B. night out on March 10th a summary of our first year will be produced giving an outline of income and expenditure and a brief review of the year.

As a little appetizer stand by for some really exciting news for the club as we enter into our second year. Thanks to Norah’s under-writing the outstanding training and vets bills for 2011/12 and her unique optimism for the year ahead we have a surplus carried forward. This, added to a healthy renewal and new membership uptake means we can afford to spend a few grand! What will Norah spend it on you may wonder…?

And finally  the preview

Wendy (Hanover Lady) is likely to get the faster going she requires so has every chance of stepping up from a couple of last stride defeats in her A3 on Friday at 9.30pm.

Whilst Oscar (Lima Oscar) is not competing in a particularly warm A1 (Saturday, 10.15pm), it’s still a tough ask for our black journeyman. He looks after himself and hopefully the grader will not take too long to take a more tolerant perspective on Oscar’s ability.

Horse Outside has been ‘put in’ the A2 on Friday at 1030pm. That’s a very reasonable entry indeed and our boy, berthed in three, only needs to secure a trouble free first bend to fire out a quick A2 double.

Other kennel focused highlights this weekend include;

Droopys Darwin is having a tilt at a 450metre puppy competition at Oxford, The Trafalgar Cup – his class may see him through to the final though he really needs further to show his best.

Druids Gaffney lines up in heat five of the William Hill Springbok Hurdle at Wimbledon on Saturday. He’s lost some of his late autumn sparkle, having taken a while to get over some kennel sickness. On his early trial form he’s in with every chance of going through but will need to show further improvement on his more recent form.

Graders, Cals Patron (an A3 final) and Roseville Maeve (A4 heats), fly the flag for the kennel in the valuable, ongoing, Owners Bonus Series.