Betfair Official Blog

The kennel hands let their hair down and King Viper reveals his fangs

Darrell Williams gives us the rundown on another week in the world of greyhound racing

No one group probably works harder in the greyhound industry than kennelhands - long hours, early starts, and of course, late finishes, and often for relatively meagre rewards. Therefore it's always cheery to hear about good news heading their way, and the annual kennelhands' dinner dance is just that. Organised by the Greyhound Trainers' Association, it's a night when the kennel staff are able to kick back, relax and enjoy themselves, while others around them do all the work. This year's event is being staged at Harlow Stadium on 2 December and promises to be a great night, with dinner, disco and cabaret all thrown in for just a fiver (kennelhands only!).

As part of the fund raising for the night, Wimbledon trainer John Simpson organised a benefit meeting at Wimbledon last Tuesday, with all the races sponsored and nominated. John has been involved in the event for many years but as he told me this is the first year he has taken charge of the organising and was delighted with the interest shown by everyone he approached. Generous sponsorship from bookmakers, tracks and trainers, plus a donation from Betfair, meant over £7000 was raised. Comedian Jimmy Jones, who will headline the cabaret on the night, was also at Wimbledon, and presented a number of trophies, as did Simpson's owner, former footballer Les Allen, a member of Tottenham's double winning side of the early sixties. All were entertained in Wimbledon's executive suites which had kindly been given over by the track for the night. Simpson however almost missed the gig as bad traffic on the A2 delayed his arrival and that of his runners until less than an hour before the first race.

King Viper made a highly pleasing debut at Wimbledon last Saturday night, clocking 2743, albeit on a track considered 25 spots fast, when scoring by over three lengths in A1 company, a time bettered this season only by Express Ego when winning the Racing Post Juvenile. Tony Taylor's Aug 2005 whelp had shown reasonable form in graded races in Ireland, and according to his owner is up for sale.
The closing date has now passed for applications for a new trainer at Wimbledon, although it is understood the post attracted relatively few candidates. A decision is expected shortly.

Keep an eye out for Shell To Sea who gained a first win (A6) at the track last Tuesday. Tony Taylor's youngster is impeccably bred, by Droopys Vieri out of useful bitch Olybean and looks sure to improve markedly on his 2840 winning time. The only winner from trap one on a night when middle runners dominated, he showed early pace, before keeping on in good style down the inside fence.

Just two grade one races take place this weekend with Next Goal taken to win the A1 on Friday (9.45). Norah Mc Ellistrim's bitch should lead up fellow wide runner Pagoda Tarbert, before resisting strong finisher and old adversary Allenbuild Flyer. The pair are meeting for the third time in less than a month and are evenly matched with the score one a piece, but the selection could just secure a big enough advantage this time. On Saturday Did She can claim the S1 six bend feature at 10.l5 against five rivals who all ran in the same race last weekend. On that occasion Coolagorna Furyk, successfully tipped up here, came out an easy winner, but Did She was a classy bitch before her recent absence and looks a step ahead of her opponents.