Post by BVADMIN on Feb 24, 2013 13:21:21 GMT
Oaks Champion Droopys Hope has been retired
In-season Droopys Hope retired for breeding
THE racing days of 2012 Bitch of the Year Droopys Hope have come to an end after the Oaks heroine was retired by owner Sharon Hardy and is to be mated with Sparta Maestro.
Hardy and her husband Alan had been wrestling with the dilemma of whether to race on or go to the paddocks with the bitch, who also landed the Gymcrack in a career that saw her win ten times from 23 starts. Then Droopys Hope made the decision for them by breaking in season.
Alan Hardy said: “We had been think about the Racing Post Juvenile for her, but had already made our minds up that whatever happened she would be mated when she next came in season.
“She’s as good a bitch as we will ever have and she has nothing to prove. She’ll travel to Ireland in the next couple of days and I’ve booked her in with Sparta Maestro, who is a fast dog and still young, and we just can’t wait to see the pups she produces.
“We’ve a couple of retired greyhounds at home but there will definitely be room on the couch for Droopys Hope when she is ready for it!”
Sparta Maestro boasts top- class form in Ireland, winning 20 times from 30 starts and his successes have included the 2011 Puppy Derby at Harold’s Cross and the Larry Dunne Open. He also broke the track record for 600m at Shelbourne Park with a 32.10sec victory in the final of the Billy Mulvaney Snr & Jnr final.
Meanwhile, another bitch off to the paddocks is the Craig Dawson-trained Patterdale Jazz, who has returned to Ireland to be mated with top stud dog Droopys Scolari. However, it does not mean that the book on her track career is closed.
Patterdale Jazz had been suffering from a recurring injury and Dawson decided to give her a break from racing to have a litter of pups but expects her to resume racing later when she is fully recovered.
He said: “She tore a muscle in her shoulder when she ran in late December and we gave her some time off, but the same thing happened when we brought her back earlier this month.
“She came in season so I thought it would not do her any harm to have a litter of pups, giving her plenty of time for the injury to mend properly, and then come back. I have brought bitches back from having had litters to win open races in the past, so I don’t envisage any problems with her.”
A May 2010 whelp, Patterdale Jazz has not been over-raced and really blossomed late last year as the heroine of Newcastle’s successful Bags Track Championship team, winning all of her four starts.
Dawson firmly believes that racegoers have still to see the best of her and has high hopes of some top performances when she does come back.
