Accordello

On November 6^th, 2006, a superstar was born, and his name was Accordello. A black and white shy dog by Westmead Hawk out of a bitch called Coffee In Brazil. He arrived at Brewers Kennels in North County Dublin when he was a year old, but little did we know on that day that our lives would change forever.

Let me build the story up that leads to our champ, ‘Dello’. For as long as I can remember I have been writing about greyhounds. Anytime we had a winner, a double and even a treble, I would write an article of how the night went, the times they done, the price they were, the gamble that was had and the celebrations on the way home. I would stick the pages to the fridge door and save them in a folder that is now in a suitcase in the attic for safe keeping. I guess you could say I was always destined to become a greyhound journalist and anyone that knows me knows that I wear my heart on my sleeve and write from the heart. It is why I felt Accordello needed, and deserved, his very own story to be written about him as he was one of the greatest greyhounds to have ever lived, the greatest pet and one of the best training achievements by my dad Lar.

When I was about 15 years of age and in school taking my junior cert, English was my favourite subject. I was so nervous the morning of my exam, but my sister gave me the best advice and that was to give every character an animated name. So, I based my main essay on winning the Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park, turning trainers like Francis Murray into Mr Bugsy Blueberry, Matt O’Donnell into Mr Rupert Raspberrypie and Paul Hennessy into Mr Paulie Pumpkin Picker. In my essay we won the Derby title, and I will never forget that day as long as I live because I started crying when I was finished. I knew I had nailed it. I knew that my passion, my dream, would become a reality someday and reading it all on paper made it feel real, even if it was only for a second.

One of the sentences was “And here comes the Paulie Pumpkin Picker trained Glorious Glenda but can she catch Larry The Lion who is a length out in front. Here comes the finish line, the crowd are screaming, the Lion is roaring home with Glenda hot on his heels but it’s Larry The Lion who becomes the Derby champion with half a length to spare…”. You get the picture! It goes without saying that I got an A+ in that exam and from that day forward I have written about our industry in the best way I could. 

To this day, we celebrate every single winner even if they are few and far between these days. My parents and I enjoyed the good old days and by god did we know how to celebrate. When Brewers Turn won the Langton House Black and Amber Derby in Kilkenny back in 2004, I thought it was the best day of my life. My whole family, aunties, uncles, my new-born nephew, all headed down to see our own home bred greyhound win the biggest title of my dad’s career. The bookies could not wait to see the back of us that night. There is always something special about breeding and training your own greyhound. We stopped off in Jack Quinn’s pup in Trim on the way home and brought Boodie (that was his nickname) into the pub with us to celebrate. He drank a sup of Guinness just like my grandad use to do with his greyhounds. We filled the cup with Jameson and 7up and passed it round the pub. You would get jail for doing that now thanks to COVID-19 restrictions!!

I remember the day Accordello arrived at our kennels. Back in those days we could have 10-15 dogs in training. My parents are marvellous with greyhounds. From feeding to grooming, dealing with injuries, what races to target, when to gallop, when to trial, knowing when to gamble, knowing their ability and getting inside their heads. I’m 31 years in greyhounds but my dad is 72 years at them, and I would not give a dog to anyone else. What he done with Accordello was simply amazing. He wasn’t much to look at the day he arrived. He would not eat his dinner if you were in the kennels, so we had to walk away and give him some privacy and that was still the case until the day he died 14 years later. He loved kennel company and we always kept a bitch in with him as the dogs would bully him for some strange reason. Perhaps it was his size as he was only 67 lbs, but good things come in small packages!!!

A few months later, after plenty of TLC, Accordello transformed into the most loving greyhound with the strength of an Ox. He would take us for a walk not the other way around. There are a few different walking routes around our farm and area and I always let Dello decide where he wanted to go. Once you put the lead on him, if he pulled you out the main door he wanted to go on the road and if he pulled you out the back door then he wanted to go to the fields.

18.11 he clocked in his first trial over 325 yards at the great Harold’s Cross, then 29.67 over the 525 yards. My dad said to me that day, “Sarah, we have a special one here”. And we did but I had no idea he was going to turn out as good as he did. The Oran Majestic Unraced was the first objective in Galway and he reached the semi-finals. His first race in Harold’s Cross he won, and he clocked 28.80 so the Puppy Derby was the obvious target. He made the final with Droopys Noel winning in 28.49. On to Shelbourne Park.

Winning the Kilkenny Derby was the best day of my life until that balmy evening in May 2009 when Accordello won the Ladbrokes 600 beating the great College Causeway and claiming €35,000 for his owners. It was live on RTE back in those days and I paraded Accordello who was racing from trap two. I don’t think I was nervous. I can’t really remember. My dad trained me to be always professional and that your nerves travel down the lead into the dog. Most of that night is a complete blur to be honest but I do remember looking at the packed stands, the buzzing bookmakers shouting the odds and the atmosphere. It was magical. I talked to Accordello like I do with all our dogs and as we approached the traps, I said to him “it’s up to you now Dello, show them what you can do, oh and please win because we all backed you ante post at 33/1”.

The traps went up, the crowd went mental, but I went deaf. I didn’t look at any other dog, only the blue colours of trap two, only our Dello. Oh jesus he did it. He won in 32.57 becoming the last greyhound to ever beat the 9/10 favourite College Causeway, OH MY GOD. Everyone hugged me at the pick-up, it was allowed back in those days! Declan Carey greeted me with the winning sheet. I was crying, kissing Accordello but all I could think of was where is my dad and that dreams really can come true. This was going to mean everything to him, and it did. RTE cameras walked in front of me down the track as I paraded Dello in front of the packed stands. He knew he had won, he was loving all the attention as was I in my brand new wellington boots from Pennys!!

I shook all the hands popping over the railings, Ted Hegarty, the Barry’s, Seamus Mulvaney, it was the best feeling ever. I ran to my dad and hugged him, he looked down at Dello and said to him “I knew you could do it, well done champ”. Everything my parents done in their career, their life, led to this moment and it gave me a taste of what it was like to be a part of something truly wonderful.

RTE interviewed my dad, he was so composed. He thanked Brian Jones our Vet, Martin Lanney the Trainer and ‘muscle man’, and most importantly my Mam, who we would be lost without. It was a team effort. I was so proud of my parents, so proud of Dello and so thankful that a four-legged greyhound weighting just 67 lbs could change my life and make me fall in love with our sport in ways I never thought possible.

My phone was hopping, over 50 text messages, missed calls. Most of my colleagues from my old job were watching me live on the TV in work and the Monday after I brought the trophy and winning sheet into the office.

The International at Dundalk was next and that was a different level of excitement. It is such a stunning race to be invited to run in, so we were honoured. Dello was up against Skywalker Queen, Cash Dream, Ballymac Ruso, Shelbourne Aston and Kinda Ready. He had trialled around the circuit in 28.92 which was not too bad for a dog that only raced there once. The long and short of our International story was that we finished second to Skywalker Queen, by a short head but let me tell you now, it was the shortest of short heads you will ever see. Everyone thought Dello won. They were congratulating me at the pick-up. Then the result was announced, first, trap six, second, trap four. I was devastated. Oh lord, I would have rather finished last! But that is the beauty of it, and I got €500 that night from the owners thanking me for always parading, walking, and galloping him at home so it was not all bad!!

A stunning career.

Accordello – €60,000 won in prize money.·        

First ever win 28.80 525 Harold’s Cross

Semi- Finalist Oran Majestic Unraced Galway 2008

Finalist Puppy Derby Harold’s Cross 2008

Runner-up John J Casey 575 2009

Ladbrokes 600 Winner Shelbourne Park 2009

Runner-up International Dundalk 2009

Semi-finalist of the BoyleSports Champion Stakes 2009

29.43 – 2^nd round of 2009 Irish Derby

Winner 2009 Irish Derby Final night 600

€24,000 Tote Retention Fund Open 575 finalist 2009

Runner-up Bernard Barry Bookmaker Open 600 Final Shelbourne Park 2009

John J Casey finalist Shelbourne Park 2010

Finalist Cesarewitch Mullingar 2010  Unfortunately, Dello broke his hock in 2010 after all his wonderful success and that brought an end to his career. To say we were devastated was an understatement. He got the best care of course and my dad tried hard to bring him back, bringing him swimming and going to see specialists. When dad knew it was time for Dello to hang up his lead, we knew it was not all bad because a stud career beckoned. The biggest success we had was Band Major and Brewers Tune who we bred and Boherna Pedro done well in the Thurles sales. Payyaway Mandy and Bone Idle Lily too. Dello really did do it all. How he never won an award is something I will never understand!

When a dog gets injured like Dello did, it really knocks the stuffing out of you. Thankfully, it was not life threatening, but we have been down that road so many times before. Having to make the call to the owner or making the decision to put your dog asleep because of a broken leg. Look, it happens to humans too, there is nothing cruel about it, but it makes you question everything. You go out every day to pick up shit and clean out kennels and deal with injuries and bad runs where you could go weeks, months without a winner. The long journeys travelling to finish last against dogs you were never going to beat, being beaten a short head in a final, disappointment. It is there every day but why do we get up each morning and do it all over again? Because you know that feeling, the buzz of a winner is going to happen to you again some day and even if it is just one more time, you will get up each morning to deal with the disappointment to feel joy again. That’s greyhound racing.

I will never forget that feeling travelling the country with Dello and although we have had success since, no dog will ever replace him. I am sad he is gone but also sad because we will never have a greyhound like him ever again. When he was alive it was a constant reminder of the success but now that he is gone, will we ever taste success like that again as times have changed so much? It is doubtful and it is a hard pill to swallow so I find myself going back to my Junior Cert days and asking that little girl to reignite her dreams, her passion, and her enthusiasm. It might be the grief or maybe just this pandemic, but I cried more over Accordello passing away than any other time in my life.

On the 16^th of February 2021, Dello died in my arms. I told him it was OK to let go and that he was going to a better place. I have never felt sadness like it. 14 years he lived for and he was with us for 13 of them. We had a lovely funeral and I placed trap two on his grave, the colours he wore when winning a classic title in 2009.

Thank you for being the best pet Accordello, you were more than just a racer. I hope we gave you a good life. RIP my best friend and go chase them rabbits in the sky.

Sarah x 

From a Dub to a Derby

 

Lar Kinsella from County Dublin is an avid GAA fan and a passionate greyhound trainer. He has battled and recovered from serious injury due to a major car accident and trained a Classic Race Winner live on RTE!

 

Born and bred in a quiet little town in North County Dublin, Rolestown has been home for Lar for 71 years now. He won many Championship titles from the tender age of 12 for Fingal Ravens including the Junior Championship in 1969, which led him to play for the Dublin Junior team. In school, his team was the first to win the Dublin Vocational Trophy when he was 16 years of age. When describing his favourite player, Lar compares his idol to himself; “Barney Rock was my favourite player and who, like me, was a free taker and an all-round brilliantly talented footballer”.

 

Lar has never missed a Dublin All–Ireland match since his Father introduced him to his first final in 1963 against Galway. His most memorable moment however was the final in 1983; “It was the 18^th of September, the day after my birthday, and Dublin beat Galway by 2 points in Croke Park. I was there to see this, and it was magic”. Lar thinks the game has changed over the years. “It is more professional now, with much fitter and stronger players. The game years ago was more kick passing, nowadays there is too much hand passing and the game is not as attractive to watch”. 

 

As he takes a sup from his cup of tea, the fire is burning and ‘At The Races’ is on the TV in the background. I asked Lar about how he got into greyhounds and his face lights up like a Christmas tree. His Father is the reason he got into dogs. Lar bought his first pup in Tipperary when he was three months old and went on to win a number of top races. His name was Lispopple Hero and Lar reminisced about the days when his dog won and his Father would bring the dog to the local pub and give him a packet of crisps and pour some Guinness into an ash tray for his efforts while he lay under the table, much to the amusement of the locals. His passion for greyhounds excelled after his success with his first dog and over the next number of years he trained a few dogs but didn’t win anything major. His Father, also called Lar, only had one or two in training but was a very kind and patient man with animals. 

 

Lar is a mechanical engineer by trade and while working, his garage won the soccer Castrol Trophy in 1965, he was skilful in plenty of sports. After this Lar met his future wife and my mam, Ann and they now celebrate 48 years of marriage. They then went on to have five children. Lar always had a love for farming which he picked up from his Father; “My Father was brilliant with all animals, cattle and in particular with greyhounds” he continued. “I inherited the family farm in 1993 and this enabled me to expand my greyhound empire, as now I had land to not only rear cattle but to walk and gallop the dogs”.

 

Only three years later, Lar’s life took a turn for the worst after a terrible car accident which left him with both arms paralysed due to crushed nerves in his neck. After several frustrating months of physiotherapy and no real progress, Lar devised his own rehabilitation plan. He asked his wife Ann to tie two leads to both wrists and he would walk the greyhounds through the fields for hours.

 

After about three weeks of doing this he began to get the power back in his arms when he felt a tingle. “When I explained this to the doctors in Beaumont, they could not believe I got the power back so quickly as they were not sure it would ever come back and they would not have recommended me to do such a thing if they knew what I was doing”. This is another reason why Lar has such a passion for greyhounds as they essentially brought him back to life when he was at his lowest. You can see the affection ignite in his eyes when he talks about his beloved animals and in 1998, he took out his professional training license.

 

Life was great for Lar and in 2002 he had his first major success when Brewers Turn won the Kilkenny Langton House Derby with a prize of €12,000. This was a special win as Lar bred, trained and owned Brewers Turn himself. This win brought Lar and his training kennels to the attention of many owners and at one point he had thirty greyhounds in training. His admiration for Brewers Turn was evident as he explained that after he retired from racing, he was kept on as a retired racer in his kennels for a number of years and when he later passed away, he buried him under the rose bush next to his Mother, Bray Breeze.

 

This was not Lar’s only success. In 2009, Accordello won the €35,000 Ladbrokes 600 in Shelbourne Park and was interviewed afterwards live on RTE by Marty Morrissey and this was the pinnacle moment of his career. Lar and his family partied for many weeks after that win! The Ladbrokes 600, now known as the Shelbourne Open, is one of the major classic features on the greyhound schedule and to win this prestigious event was very special for Lar. “Accordello is now retired, 12 years of age and still lives with us as an important part of our family”. Accordello won over €60,000 in prize money for his owner Rodney Harper and was a great servant.

 

Times have changed however, and Lar only has a handful of greyhounds now. He thinks the industry has evolved over the years and it has become a very expensive sport and due to the recession, a lot of owners have left the sport which in turn means he has fewer dogs to train. 

 

“Greyhound racing has now become very competitive and harder to win. The Irish Greyhound Board who operate the greyhound racing do a great job, but more money needs to be put into this sport to attract more owners back into the game”. Lar himself, however, will always have dogs and he hopes his son Martin and daughter Sarah will carry on the family tradition.

 

With a huge love for sport, Lar has dreams like any other man; “I’m a big horse racing enthusiast and have been to Cheltenham many times and Aintree where the Grand National is run. My dream would be to go to Royal Ascot, maybe someday. I am also a follower of the Ward Union Hunt which hunts in north county Dublin and east Meath every Friday”. You can tell from listening to Lar that he lives life to the full and as he said himself, he enjoys everything that he does. He is a family man and his idol in life was his Father. It was he who taught him everything he knows, from his good humour to his training techniques. He is very grateful for what he has. Let’s hope Lar has many more successes over the coming years.

CLONA BLAZE THE NAP

It’s easy to get lost in all the hype coming up to the Cheltenham festival, but there is a cracking final on tonight in HQ that will get the juices flowing even more ahead of next week. One lucky winner will head home this evening from Shelbourne Park with €25,000 as the 2019 Ladbrokes Easter Cup final takes place. Since it’s induction in 1928, the Easter Cup has produced wonderful memories and winners down through the years with Spanish Battleship, Premier Fantasy and Jaytee Jet, to mention a few. 

Clona Blaze, who is unbeaten in this competition and is 9/4 with Ladbrokes the sponsors, is my nap of the night. Graham Holland trains three finalists here with Clona Blaze, Clonbrien Prince and Lenson Blinder. The level of talent in this race is unbelievable but Clona Blaze has turned inside out since his return this year, he is breaking better, showing more pace, is perfectly drawn and has the best form in the Easter Cup. The other five runners are all dangers with trap one and 10/1 shot, Gurteen Feather showing strong signs last week that he is nearly back to his old self finishing third to Clona Blaze. Gurteen is usually a flier from the inside and possesses exceptional pace so we may get to see that tonight. Droopys Davy who won the big Con & Annie Kirby Memorial race produced his best run in the semi final winning by four lengths in 29.33 leading all the way so of course he cannot be ignored, but he is a dog that must lead if he is to win. 

The supporting card is sensational, immediately you have to be drawn to race twelve with Wolfe in trap three and last years Derby consolation finalist and Leger semi finalist, Totos Park in trap five, they are both trained by Holland. Wolfe will be hard to beat here, he was unlucky to be knocked out of the Easter Cup. He is not the fastest from traps but he makes up for that with his pace and usually picks up the lead at a later stage. If Totos Park can return to his best it will be hard to pass him but he probably lacks race fitness, having only raced once since November. 

Young trainer Patrick Guilfoyle was unlucky not to get Magical Bale through to the Easter Cup final but he can train a winner tonight with Skywalker Logan from trap five in race eleven in the ‘Plunkett Devlin Celebration’ final. Not many greyhounds break the 29.00 seconds barrier around HQ but this dog has with 27.99 over 525 yards, making him one of the fastest dogs in the Country. He is very versatile and can win over the further trip here of 600 yards. The big danger is trap one Ballymac Tas trained by the talented Liam Dowling. She was very good last week making all from the inside draw so she can produce another fine performance wearing the red jacket here.

Liam Dowling could produce a quick fire double heading into the finale with Akelawre in trap three. He missed the break and lost his chance of going further in the Easter Cup but you can ignore that run. He soon became a big name when he beat Magical Bale fair and square a few weeks ago so that form is hard to ignore. Beaming Paradise in trap one has an ideal draw so is not without a chance. 

Newhall Missile returned last week with a bang as he got up on the line to win in a tight finish. He will come on loads from that run as it would of been badly needed for the 2018 Derby Consolation champion. Droopys Biker in trap five makes his return as he has been off since July. He got through a few rounds of the English Derby, however it will be hard for him to win here but he is one to keep an eye on for the future. Bakery Lane is a very talented and fast greyhound, he races from trap one here so he could be the value bet against this competitive field. Blue East in trap two will probably go off favourite but also needs the run, he has been off since November. A tough race but the veteran Bakery Lane is the one for me. 

Race 7 trap 1

Race 9 trap 6 NAP

Race 10 trap 1

Race 11 trap 5

Race 12 trap 3

Race 13 trap 3

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton