👀 GENERAL NEWS in 2023 👀

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PAT CURTIN and SHELBOURNE ASTON
pictured at Wimbledon in 2009.

Greyhound supporters on both sides of the Irish Sea are reeling at news of the death of popular Irish owner and trainer Pat Curtin.

Best known for his amazing Irish Derby/Champion Stakes winning exploits with Shelbourne Aston, the affable ‘Big Man’ was seemingly everybody’s friend, but none have taken the news harder than trainer John Mullins.

Pat first put runners when John’s mum Linda was training at Walthamstow and the pair spoke on a weekly basis for the guts of 30 years. Pat stayed with John when he came to England.

John said: “I am devastated, I don’t really know what to say to be honest. Pat was such a lovely guy, a great family man, with five kids who he loved the bones of. He loved racing and particularly coursing, and was popular everywhere he went. I only spoke to him a couple of days ago. It is absolutely heartbreaking.

“It is sad when anybody dies, but Pat Curtin will be very very badly missed by so many people.”

Oxford trainer Brian King got to know Pat when Brian was running Shelbourne Stud where Aston was bred. The blue brindle went on to land an estimated half a million Euros in gambling winning bets at Shelbourne Park.

Brian said: “I heard the news last night and find it very hard to believe. I know that Pat and John (Mullins) were best mates. Pat was also very good friends with Vinnie Jones; they had coursing dogs together.

“What can you say about Pat? He was just the life and soul of the party. It was impossible not to like him. I remember suggesting some English owners introduce themselves to him when he was in Ireland and Pat took them under his wing, took them to his nightclub and wouldn’t let them spend a penny.

“Anybody could approach Pat and he would chat to them like a friend. It is a very sad loss.”

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MONMORE TO CEASE SPEEDWAY – PRESS RELEASE

MONDAY — APRIL 17, 2023


Entain, the global sports betting, gaming, and interactive entertainment group can confirm that Monmore Green Greyhound Stadium is to cease staging Speedway, and that this will be the final season it will host the Wolverhampton Wolves as its tenant. Monmore Green is a premier greyhound racing stadium, staging six race meetings a week.

The decision follows the launch of Premier Greyhound Racing, a joint venture between Entain and Arena Racecourse Company which will focus on greyhound racing.

“Monmore has enjoyed a long and proud relationship with the Wolverhampton Wolves and this decision has not been taken lightly, however, following the launch of Premier Greyhound Racing we have taken a decision to centre our resource and investment on greyhound racing at the track,” said Leo Walker, Transformation and Experience Director, Entain Retail.

“We understand that fans of Wolverhampton Wolves and Speedway will be disappointed by this news and we are supporting Chris Van Straaten, CEO of Wolverhampton Wolves, through this transition,” added Walker.

Chris Van Straaten of Wolverhampton Wolves said “Whilst the announcement came as a shock, Entain are within their rights to serve notice. The decision was not expected, but we thank them for their support and the many years hosting us at Monmore. We will enjoy this final season.”

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TAKEN FROM THE RACING POST
WEDNESDAY 19-4-23..

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TAKEN FROM THE RACING POST
WEDNESDAY 19-4-23..

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TAKEN FROM THE GREYHOUND STAR WEBSITE..

MARTIN WHITE: GIVE HOBBY TRAINERS A CHANCE

Martin White is a man who has been successful in most aspects of life which he has turned his hand to. An intelligent man whose words need listening to and in most cases acting upon. A man who loves greyhounds , loves the sport and whose ideas can help the sport progress or maybe the word is actually regress to a position it once found itself. A native of county Newry Martin has had dogs since the age of 16 with his ever growing passion for the breed financed through a successful career in the meat trade business – writes Mark Pierrepont.


In 1982 Martin landed the Coursing Oaks at Clonmel with his fawn bitch Back Again but he always held an equal love for the track game and hit the headlines here in the UK with amongst many others Wise Thought the 2008 winner of the Betfred Eclipse at Nottingham and the Westmead Hawk Puppy Cup at Henlow in the same year. Going on to finish third in the final of the 2009 Blue Square Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon after sensational second , third and quarter final stage victories he later added the Boylesports Champion Stakes Consolation Final around Shelbourne Park to his CV.

Assisted by one of the leading trainers of her generation in her own right Carly Philpott this was a formidable team who added the 2010 Scottish Derby to the honours list courtesy of the fantastic white and brindle greyhound Nambisco who later that year ensured that the Eclipse trophy landed back in their hands with stunning victories in both semi final and final around the Colwick Park circuit.

Martin is as professional as they come but still likes to think of himself as a hobby trainer in the sport solely for the love of the dogs and the game. He has never been one for wanting to go down the route of training large numbers of greyhounds for the graded scene and that is born not from a lack of respect and recognition that side of the sport is needed but from a pursuit of the greatest prizes that the sport can offer.

Martin said “I have been fortunate that through my success in business I’ve been able to afford to invest in a sport I love. When I was younger back home in Ireland I always managed to get my hands on a decent dog or two but back then I’d say it was more about having the right connections and the larger availability of decent greyhounds.

“Try to buy a good dog now and you’re talking telephone numbers and that’s if they’re available at all because less and less people want to let them go. Along with my good friend Barney Mooney we’ve always tried to target quality over quantity in an effort to win big races on big nights but that’s not to say there isn’t a place for the lesser dogs or simply those pups needing time to improve.

“That to me is where a huge problem for owner, trainer breeders such as myself now lays in the sport. I enjoy breeding a litter or two but try as you might you will never get a full litter of pups ready to go straight into the open scene. I personally don’t want to move those pups on even if it’s just a temporary solution while they get experience.

“They’ve been with me since birth and I like to do the job to my own standards from start to finish. Some tracks are excellent with giving you help to get marked up and I must pay recognition to the likes of Nottingham , Perry Barr and Monmore who help in that way and with trials. Beyond that though when it comes to racing is when it gets difficult.

“It’s no good having young pups constantly making the numbers up or not even getting a race at all and it would be good to see the GBGB and tracks coming up with an initiative that would allow British Bred greyhounds like these being allowed to grade on at tracks whilst still in the care of people like myself.

“I understand the risk factor involved with simply allowing one man with one dog to turn up and grade at a track. Whether we like it or not the tracks do have a responsibility to the betting industry but these tracks also have a responsibility to the people like myself who are trying to keep the sport and British breeding alive.

“My plea would be that something can be put in place for those of us who don’t want to take on a large kennel but do want to be able to give our home bred pups a chance to progress through the grades before making a decision on whether we sell or whether we rehome. If things don’t change then people like myself will unfortunately be faced with no option but to to walk away.

“We pay everything towards these dogs that others do via registrations, rehoming bonds and the like so please lets also have a chance to see what these youngsters can do in races which they can be competitive before we’re forced into making a decision on whether to move them on or not”.



Martin White...

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TAKEN FROM THE RACING POST
FRIDAY 21-4-23...

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::: SUNDAY 23rd APRIL 2023 :::

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