Giveaway Goes Good

BARRY Howell has been involved with greyhounds for six decades and on Tuesday joined the long list of trainers to win on a TAB track with a giveaway race dog.

Howell landed a winning double with My Rosheen, who scored her third win, clocking 22.67 in a 388m event, and enjoying a debut victory with Alliance Miss, who was gifted to him as a nine months old puppy.

"While being reared Alliance Miss had given her owner a couple of problems so he gave her to me,'' Howell said.

"But there was never an issue regarding her keenness because she broke in so easily.

"From day one Alliance Miss was a tenacious chaser.

"She only clocked 22.81 on Tuesday but I think she may be capable of getting 500m while My Rosheen, who has good early speed, is probably only ever going to be a short course bitch.''

Howell enjoyed his greatest success in recent years with the good stayer Dublin Lad, who won over 720m at WP in 42.16 and 42.35 in 2019.

Now 68, Howell began his involvement from when he was nine years old.

"From that age I was constantly helping out my dad Wally Howell with his dogs and have been in the game ever since,'' he said.

THE unusually named Lumbar Puncture surprised trainer and breeder John Callaughan but absolutely shocked owner Michael Taylor by winning over 472m at Bulli on Tuesday in a flying 26.26.

Callaughan bred Lumbar Puncture from his Wentworth Park winning bitch Pink Lilly and said: "I will take him back to Bulli next week because there is a race for dogs with one to three wins which suits this dog who won his third race on Tuesday.

"Lumbar Puncture had a few problems earlier in his career so in April I turned him out for a spell and he has come back greatly improved.

"He had been trialling well up the straight before his win at Bulli on Tuesday.''

Michael Taylor gave the greyhound his quirky name as a nod to the late Robbie Whitton, a great friend of his and of John Callaughan's, who passed away in May, 2023, after a long battle with leukemia.

Taylor explained: "Robbie had a succession of Lumbar Punctures as part of his treatment during his long illness.

"They are not very pleasant to endure but while Robbie hated having them done at first, he got accustomed to them and eventually used to crack jokes about it.

"I submitted a few names to keep Robbie's memory alive and I think Lumbar Puncture was the third choice on the list.''

(A Lumbar Puncture, also called a spinal tap, involves inserting a needle into the lower back to diagnose and treat a range of problems).