Adegeo Bob wins the 'Vase' for Mark Wallice

[bennythedip2]

Magnificent night for all connections of, 'Adegeo Bob'

Winner of 'The Essex Vase' at Romford .. https://youtu.be/nh-SjzKBnTg .. at the age of Four and a Half

[Tony2005]

Greyhound racing has provided me with some great memories over the years, but Tuesday night must rank in the best three or four.

To see Adageo Bob end his career by winning the Mitch Millward Essex Vase will stay with me forever. It was absolutely the stuff of dreams.

I sat up until 3am watching a recording of the SKY programme and I thought they did us proud.

I had spent the early evening with Bob’s owners Dick and Ann Barfoot and they were suffering worse than me. They were an absolute bag of nerves and couldn’t even eat their meals.

My family couldn’t get there because it was a school night, but my wife Sarah watched it on the TV, and could see how overcome Dick and Ann were. Sarah ended up in tears herself.

That’s what greyhound racing can do to you. One night like that can make up for weeks of bad luck and setbacks.

After all the stress of recent weeks, and after visiting the kennel this morning, I am off playing golf.

But I can see the similarity with greyhound racing. You’ll hit 110 bad shots, but remember the one good one and it keeps you coming back.

Looking back, the Essex Vase attempt could so easily have gone wrong on so many occasions. Firstly, when Bob was off-colour before the first round.

We would normally leave for the track at 3.30, but I kept delaying the decision whether to withdraw him or not and finally left an hour late. Thankfully he won, albeit in a slow time, but then made a remarkable recovery.

He was in by far the toughest of the semi finals, with four heat winners, and I wondered whether he would get a clear run.

Then we made, probably the best Essex Vase Final in years. There was no comparison with last year when we had to withdraw him from the semi finals.

But it still wasn’t over because the kennel was hit by sickness between the semis and final and the dogs in the kennels on either side went down with it. You don’t want to move them because that in itself can upset the dog.

Thankfully, the sickness never touched him.

I have no doubts that it was the right decision to retire Bob, even though he is clearly still in fantastic condition. He was four lengths quicker than Swift Whirlwind on the night, and he is a very decent open racer. But like Blonde Snapper, I love to see champions go out on top.

We haven’t made any plans for the future yet, I wanted to get last night out of the way though I am convinced that a stud career surely beckons.

He went to Nick Savva for a mating some time ago, but it didn’t work out. Nick wasn’t too concerned and said he will use him for an AI mating next time. That says a lot to me about the dog’s potential, if Nick wants to use him.

I have had a brief chat with Bob’s breeder John Marriott about Bob standing at stud, though it is too early to say whether that will come to fruition.

Apart from his ability, Bob has a champion’s attitude. Some champions are fanatically keen but not very bright. Adageo Bob is exceptionally clever and knows he is a bit special.

He won’t take any nonsense if the bitch he is with pushes her luck to far, and he definitely has the killer instinct in terms of his determination.

But he is actually a ‘people’ dog, very friendly and incredibly popular with everyone in the kennel.

Hopefully we will have more champions, but there will never be another Adageo Bob.

[Tony2005]

Behind every champion there is always a story of hope, faith, luck and fate. Adageo Bob is no different writes Floyd Amphlett.

Dick and Ann Barfoot’s Essex Vase winning blue is a 24 carat Tyke, born and bred at John Marriott’s Thorpe Hesley kennel near Rotherham.

But John’s decision to breed a litter out of Blonde Pearl had, by his own admission, as much to do with luck, as judgement.

The Mark Currell owned black had been a very decent open race stayer, first for Charlie Lister, for whom she had won the Grolsch Grand Prix at Nottingham, before completing her career with John Mullins at Romford in March 2008.

Pearl (Top Honcho-Malta Magic) was bred by Ian Greaves and had produced two litters before hers and John Marriott’s paths crossed.

He said: “I was actually more interested in Blonde Fern who was in Aberdeen at the time. But when I picked her up, I was very disappointed in her condition, along with Blonde Pearl and Jaytee Holly.

“I explained the situation to Mark who immediately asked me if I would take all three bitches and the pups. We paid a transporter £500 to pick them all up the next morning.

“Pearl was six kilos below her racing weight when she arrived here and I had no intention of breeding with her.

“But over a period of time she gradually improved and eventually she came into season. Mark asked if I wanted to breed a litter and I agreed to split a litter. We went to the American dog Hondo Black and she produced ten pups.

“I didn’t want that many so told Mark that I would take three who all had the ‘Fearsome’ prefix. He kept the rest.

“I have four acres here but only two acres is really suitable for rearing pups. We are next to lots of farming land and although we have used that in the past, the fields get churned up by horses and leave holes which can be dangerous to pups.

“I schooled them at Dunham and within a few trials I was able to tell Mark that Bob (formerly Blonde Bobby) definitely had some ability.

“In general my pups are quite slow to come to hand and I don’t over-school them, but it was just obvious.”

Eight of the litter went on to win races with Marriott holding onto the Nottingham 925 metre track record breaker Fearsome Liberty, plus open winner Fearsome Class and Newcastle top heat runner Fearsome Mayor.

Marriott said: “Only two of the litter didn’t win races. There was a little brindle bitch who chased but was a bit iffy. She was re-homed when she was still a pup.

“There was also another dog who was Bob’s twin. In fact, when they were schooling he was at least a couple of lengths faster. Then one morning I had a call from Dunham to say they had gone into the kennel one morning and found him dead.”

It was Pearl’s final litter and she re-joined John Mullins before being re-homed by Greyhoundhomer.

Marriott said: “We only breed a litter a year; in fact all our pups are whelped in the house.

“Pearl came in season before we knew whether the Hondo Black litter were any good. She had previously had two very poor litters and we decided against breeding with her again.

“Had we done so, we would have kept her here for the rest of her days like my other broods. I understand that she actually died while still quite young in her new home.

“I remember Pearl as an absolutely wonderful bitch. She was a brilliant mother, you even had to put her on a lead and drag her away from the pups for her to have a wee.

“If all brood bitches were like her, we would all think it was easy to be Nick Savva.”