[Tony2005]

You win a Derby, then get such a horrible body-blow


A HORRIBLE drive home lay ahead for Patrick Janssens, assistant trainer for Mark Wallis. He was trying to put a brave face on things – and it’s not the end ofthe world – but it was the last time we will see Eye Onthe Storm race.

It is not a good memory, as the stricken dog kept on trying to run, but this appeared a severely broken hock and there can be no point bringing a dog of that class back. A few moments after the race, the only issue for me was just how bad was the injury? But it sounds as if a career at stud now awaits, so again, it’s not hopeless.

Total silence enveloped the stand when he broke down at the third. He had overcome his poor draw, and looked set to qualify, but scrimmaging in front caught him slightly unawares, then suddenly he had injured himself.

It was a racing injury. There is no fault, but that does not make it any easier to bear for his connections. The Derby dream has ended – and for a kennel that last year went through the most unexpected high thanks to Kinda Ready.

Hard to imagine that the very next night of the same event held this. Life and sport can be so cruel. It will be hard for owner John Keefe; his brilliantly fast dog had delivered such wonderful wins to excite and dream over. But now, John will be only shedding tears.

It is these highs and lows of this game which are so extraordinary. To think on the same evening, less than an hour earlier, we also saw one of the all time great runs.

Bandicoot Tipoki is a dog of the highest class, and although Bridge Bond and Astral Bound both trapped ahead, within strides Bandicoot Tipoki blew them away with the most extraordinary burst of raw speed.

You shiver when you see such ability and power. It was a newtrack record for the changed circuit, and who knows how long it will stand, maybe just one night. But its manner will last for ever in those who witnessed it.

Two contrasting elements: one unwanted, the other rare and so sought after. One dream shattered, another [Ray White’s] is fuelled up by his Tipoki. This is the Greyhound Derby.