April Kennel Round Up And Early May News

April Kennel Round Up And Early May News

April in numbers (graded runners only)

🐾 196

🥇 22

🎯 11.22% (16.3% year to date)

April in numbers (open runners only)

🐾 5

🥇 1

🎯 20%

We have struggled for winners at times this month and that is reflected in our April stats. Supreme Blake and Bangon Escobar both posted two wins in the month and we also had some dogs make their debut in April who may need a few runs to find their feet. Both Aarons Pet and Kilgraney Silver are pups who made their debuts and then won on their second start which was great to see.

Hazelhill Train had a tough introduction to his racing career. He came in as a reserve in a puppy race after posting a 28.68 trial. After that he ran in a couple of A1s but didn’t start well enough to be competitive in those top end races. However a slight ease in grade gave him the break he needed to notch up his first win and show what we think he is capable of. He looks to be a strong runner so it may be in time that his future is over a longer trip.

New Dogs

We have taken a keen interest in a couple of sales in April which has brought new dogs into the kennel. Some will be a boost to the graded strength and some will hopefully be able to go out on the open race circuit in time. Ferryforth Molly, Barnfield Sid, Awbeg and Chasing Landy were all purchased at the Youghal sales and in the last couple of weeks have all started their grading trials. As hoped, having been quickest on the day of the sales trials, Chasing Landy has trialled in at Monmore particularly well having clocked 28.48 (28.78 minus 30) in his first three dog trial. Hopefully the Watford Gap Racing Club syndicate will have some exciting times to come with him. 

Noduff Racing also purchased 2 dogs at the recent Kilkenny Sales. Bellmore Cindie, who despite only being a December ‘19 was quickest of the day, will be renamed Noduff Bellagio and Jumeirah Dobey, who found trouble in his trial but still caught the eye, will be renamed Noduff Caesar. These two pups both look to be interesting prospects for the future and we are looking forward to seeing them start their grading trials in the next few weeks.

To start May off, we have had two new additions to the kennel. Rosshill Duke who will be renamed Bangon Churchill is a litter brother to Bangon Escobar and will hopefully give the owners lots to look forward to. We’ve also welcomed Swords Duke, an experienced Irish runner who has posted good times at Shelbourne over 525 and 550 yards who will be adding strength and depth to the open race team we are building.

There’s lots to look forward to in the coming months and we are hoping to be involved in some of the competitions that are in the calendar for the remainder of the year. The recent and newer arrivals to support our graded strength should soon be posting wins which will help to get us back to where we expect to be with our graded stats too.

March Kennel Round Up And Early April News

March in numbers (graded runners only)

🐾 183

🥇 30

🎯 16.39%

March in numbers (open runners only)

🐾 5

🥇 2

🎯 40%

March has seen some new dogs come into the kennel. 3 dogs were purchased at the Kilkenny sales to boost the graded strength: Crinkill Louise, Petite Hollie and Petite Heidi who have started trialling in. A small group of owners purchased Hazelhill Train who has just had his first 480m trial and the Bangon owners added Bangon Kauto to their team.

As we welcome new dogs to Watford Gap, we have also had kennel stalwarts Final Wolf, Skywalker Iris, Forever Never, Job Sorted and Im Noodle retiring and heading off to find their forever homes. We are lucky to have the Hall Green Greyhound Trust branch on site and so it’s great to be able to see the dogs leave with their new owners for the next chapter in their story. 

We’ve had a few meetings with a good proportion of winners including a 686/1 4 timer in back to back races on 30th March. Just 3 days later we then had a hat trick of winners in back to back races with the fast finishing Dolla Joker missing out by a head in the race after which would have given us another 4 timer. In terms of individual efforts, we had 26 dogs register victories in March. 24 in graded races and 2 in opens with Rage Storm and Daddys Prince both winning 6 bend opens at Monmore. 6 dogs won 2 races in March with a couple just missing out in their hat trick bids.

As we start April it has been great to get our new Watford Gap Racing Club Syndicate off the ground. The syndicate are in the process of purchasing a dog which we are hoping will give lots of fun and interest at the higher end of the racing strength and brings together existing and new owners to the kennel.

As restrictions continue to relax, it is lovely to see owners back at the kennel and being able to return to the track looks to be the next step come the middle of May which will be a real boost for owners. Also to look forward to in May is the Entain Track Championship which is being held at Hove. We will cheering on our home track and it would be great if we were also able to provide a runner to two for the event.

Although there has been lots of positive news in the last few weeks, it is with great sadness that we share the passing of one of our racers, Ballymac Wizard. Merlin, as he was known in the kennel, unfortunately suffered a heart attack and died after his race on 1st April. He was seen to immediately by the track vet but sadly there was nothing that could be done. At over 37kg he was a larger than life character who will be really missed by his owners and all of the kennel staff. 

With some new dogs coming through grading trials and some even newer additions to the kennel in the coming weeks there’s lots to look forward to. We are hoping to build on a good start to the year on the graded front and start to put a team together to head out open racing.

Kennel Update - January 2021

With the start of a new year we are going to make a renewed effort to keep the website up to date and venture into the world of social media in the coming weeks - more details will follow soon.

Despite the weather and unprecedented times, January has started positively for the kennel with 30 winners from 129 runners to date giving a win percentage of  23.25%. These stats have been helped by two pups, Abigails Mandy and Ballymac Layla,  having three wins each during January. They are progressing well through the grades and should continue to improve in the coming months.

From February, Monmore’s evening cards on a Thursday and Saturday evening will be on RPGTV which is a real boost for owners who are missing seeing their dogs. It won’t be the same as being there in person but it will be good to enjoy watching the racing on this platform.

Kennel Update

After a busy few weeks on the open race scene with the likes of Inch Forward and Rosshill Robbie giving a good account of themselves and making it on to the winners podium, this week has been a little quieter. Focus now shifts to the upcoming St Leger at Perry Barr where we are hoping to have a couple of runners. We shall see how they fair in the trial stakes next Saturday. Inch Forward will be aimed at the TV trophy at Towcester but hopefully there will be a suitable race for her on sky in the next few meetings.

On the graded side it was great to see Freedom Monica, Inky Boom and Inky Bleu all receive their ton up trophies on Thursday and Trotsky win August's dog of the month with an impressive four from five during the month.

Over the last few weeks we've welcomed several new dogs and owners to the kennels and we shall look forward to watching their progress over the next few weeks.

Take the Crown x Ballymac Mighty August '15 Homebred Litter

In the Take the Crown x Ballymac Mighty August '15 litter, bred and reared by Stuart Buckland, there were a total of 10 pups.  With 'Feel the Power' securing his first win last week all 10 have now won a race - a really fantastic training performance! Since the first hitting the track in December the litter have racked up a total of 40 wins between them and some of the litter have already won minor open races and others have contested competitions such as the British Bred Puppy event at Sheffield and the Gymcrack at Kinsley. A number will be heading to Swindon for the Produce Stakes in July, a competition which Stuart previously won in 2013 with Son of Delboy. There's surely even more to come from this super litter - exciting times ahead!

Monmore Dog of the Month - May 2017

Dog of the Month for May is Im Noodle (Take The Crown-Ballymac Mighty, Aug 15) Owned by Paul Clements, trained by Stuart Buckland. The British bred pup went to traps on six occasions and won five rising from A5 to win A2 and never returning shorter than 4-1. The presentation will be on the first Thursday in July. In the process of claiming his five wins he also managed to win four in a row which is quite a remarkable achievement in graded company. Well done to all connections.

British Bred St Leger Final

Inch Forward ran a tremendous race at Central Park on 7th June to take the final of  the British Bred St Leger. Having qualified for the final in third place the previous week, she really showed class and stamina to win by a head in 39.90 and defy her odds of 9/1. Well done to all owners Paul and Gill Allen who were very proud of her.

In her next open race outing, she will be looking to step up in trip, with the Dorando marathon on Derby Final night the most likely target.  It's fantastic to see a homebred taking on leading open race dogs in these types of competitions and there definitely looks more to come from this super bitch.

Watch the race by clicking the link below

British Bred St Leger Final 7.6.17 Inch Forward

Presentation to trainer Stuart Buckland and owners Paul and Gill Allen

Kennel in good form

The kennel has been in good form over the weekend with 4 winners on Friday Supreme Pete 4/1,Weather Balloon7/2,Supreme Zagreb2/1,andDroopys Salerno5/1 . Another 4 winners today Supreme Riga 5/2, Supreme Athens 8/1 , Supreme Claret 3/1, and Come On Rodney 5/2.No less than 6 of them home bred .
Lets hope the form continues with 8 runners on tomorrows bags card , as well as Artic Lightning ,Supreme Rioja and Supreme Shiraz travelling to Sheffield for the Britsh Bred Puppy Cup semi finals and Fabulous Juice running in the 480 maiden final at Hall Green on Wednesday .

Sheffield British Bred Puppy Cup

On Tuesday 21st March three of the take the crown x Ballymac mighty litter had their first open race adventures in the first round of the Puppy Cup. Despite not having a trial, all three managed to qualify from their heats for next Tuesday's semi finals with Supreme Rioja winning his heat. There are some very good British bred pups in the competition who are certainly leading the way on time but with a first look round the track under their belts the pups should improve in the semi-finals

Artic Lightning ran a cracking race in the final and after getting out and leading he was picked up just before the line by the fast finishing Geelo Monty. The 500m trip was always going to be a tough ask for Artic Lightning but he ran his heart out!

Watch the race by clicking the link below

British Bred Puppy Cup Final - Sheffield

Fantastic Five

 A fantastic five timer on yesterdays bags card . Artic Lightning 5/2,Supreme Chablis2/1,Supreme Berlin5/1,See Indie Go5/1,and Weather Balloon5/1,lovely if you put them all together for combined odds of 2268/1. Certainly wish I had.
Crosskeys Swift landed the owners bonus series £500 final ,and continued to win her next race completing a hat trick.
We will be looking to travel for some opens next week .Two or three will be entered at Sheffield on Tuesday for the British bred puppy competition , while we will also be looking to support Hall Greens opens which start on Wednesday .

Supreme Rioja Wins A3 Owners Bonus Series Final

Thursday night saw Supreme Rioja take the A3 final worth £500. Rioja, one of the pups from the progressive Take the Crown x Ballymac Mighty litter, used the wide draw to his advantage to overcome crowding at the first bend and went on to win by six lengths in a calculated 28.60. In winning the final, he also completed a hat-trick and will be looking to match the record of littermate Supreme Shiraz who completed a four timer with her win on 6th February.

Pups progressing well

The Take The Crown x Ballymac Mighty litter ,have really hit the ground running , I couldn't be more pleased with them . Supreme Rioja and Shiraz have both now won 4 races and progressed to A2, best of luck to "Pongo" in the owners bonus series final on Thursday . Artic Lightning has won 2 and risen to A3, Supreme Merlot and even little Claret have won a race each . Come On Rodney is now returning from a small injury , while Feel The Power,Im Noodle and Inky Binky all had their first trials last week and were well inside grading . Mother is currently in pup to Paradise Silva ,due in March , fingers crossed all goes well.
Having seen a few trial stakes , the Puppy Derby looks to have some tremendous quality again this year , no doubt the racing office will have a major headache deciding on the final 36.
Ballydoyle Time had her first spin out of season today ,recording a respectable sprint time . Its great to have her back as shes a real kennel favourite, and a great character . Hopefully she can remain injury free this time and give her owners some fun on the open race scene   

January Monmore Trainer Statistics

The January stats show the kennel are holding their own in terms of strike rate/% winners by finishing second for the month. Great work from all of the team!

January trainer stats

Three in a row

Two dogs completed a hat-trick in January.

Supreme Oslo began his impressive run with a win in A7 on 18th January. Just five days later he was upgraded to A6 and duly won again. He then had a further outing four days later and defied odds of 8/1 to once again win in A6 company.

Supreme Shiraz, an August '15 homebred, showed the rest of the litter just how it is done. After taking a couple of races to find her feet, she won in A6 grade in just her third race. She then won again in her next race in A5 company and overcame another upgrade to win her third in a row, taking an A4 race in 28.94 to see the month out in style!

Well done to all involved!

Leons Buck wins on Sky 25.1.17

With a good record in the Prestige at Hall Green in previous years, it was disappointing to not have an entry this year. However, on final night, Stuart returned to his old stomping ground with Leon's Buck for a 480m Standard race. He overcame a tricky trap 5 draw as a result of the race comprising of 6 railers, tucking inside the leaders at the first bend and tracking round behind them. On the run in he ran on strongly and went on to take the race by three quarters of a length.

Monmore Owners' association Bitch of the Month

Inch Forward - Bitch of the month (December)

Inch Forward, owned by Paul and Gill Allen, was voted as Monmore's bitch of the month for December. The August '14 home bred started December in style by winning an S3 in 38.31. The following week she was dropped back in trip and was narrowly beaten by 1/4 length in an A3. On her next outing she was stepped back up to the six bend trip and won the S2 in 38.14. She was then upgraded to S1 on 29th December which she won in style, by some 5 1/4 lengths in 38.08. Well done to Inch Forward and connections!

About time for an update,and sorry for the neglect . Well a quick recap 2014 was a pretty good year winning the Prestidge at hall green being the highlight , and getting the homebred Supreme Rossie to the TV trophy final . We finished the year with the most winners at hall green .
2015 started well with supreme Rossie winning over extreme distances in front of the sky cameras at sittingbourne and Crayford . We managed to get 2 through to the puppy oaks final at Towcester , and ballydoyle time won in great style .
2016 proved to be a transitional year , with doubt over the future of Hall Green for most of the year , to a meeting at the council house where plans for building were thrown out categorically, only for this to be reversed about a month later . At this point we decided that the future meant moving to Monmore , which came about in November . Fingers crossed it's the right decision .
2017 we shall see but really excited by the August 2015 litter by Take The Crown x Ballymac Mighty

2024/1 Five timer for Buckland kennels

Some superb performances on Friday night at Hall Green saw the kennels have an impressive five winners. In the 8.05, Cracking Baby, a December 11 pup won in 29.38 after leading at the second bend and never looking like she would be caught. In the next, Supreme Egeria led all the way to win in 29.19. Supreme Madrid, a home bred December 11 pup from the exciting College Causeway x Supreme French litter, made it a hatrick in the 9.05, winning in impressive style in 28.96. Scolari Ecko battled hard to maintain his early lead in the second A1 of the night and held on by a head in 28.82. The five timer was completed in the last race when Inky Dandy, returning after a spell away from the track, showed superb early pace and held on by a neck in 29.34. A fantastic night for the kennels and connections!

Mays lightening wins owners bonus series final

Mays lightening overcame torrential rain and first bend crowding to power home in the A6 owners bonus series final. After finishing second to whisky moss in the qualifier last Saturday, the form was reversed tonight as she went on to secure the win.

Son of Delboy winning the Swindon Produce Stakes