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Whippet Racing Back On At Shanes Game Fair 27/28 June


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WHIPPET RACING at Shanes Castle 27/28 June.

Although every other facet of the IRISH GAME FAIR at Shanes Castle on the 27th & 28th June is bigger and better than ever and we have an unrivalled programme of terrier, lurcher and whippet events see site. Unfortunately once again controversy blew up over the whippet racing. These disputes over 'what should be eligible to run as a whippet' have been with us for over 5 years and we have tried to implement changes and brought forward various initiatives to resolve the issue without success.

 

Our latest and FINAL initiative

In a final attempt to allow everyone the chance to run their whippets at the Game Fair at Shanes Castle on Saturday 27th June I had made a proposal that the Sporting Whippet Club run a MEMBERS ONLY race and also that the NILRC run a whippet race for their members. I am pleased that the Sporting Whippet Club has agreed to do this but disappointed that the NILRC did not take up this option for their members as I had hoped while not a solution to the whippet problems, all whippet owners could at least have an opportunity to run their dogs pending an overall resolution. I do wish to record my appreciation to Nigel Greer, the chairman, for his efforts in taking this proposal to the NILRC.

 

This is an information post only post as I feel the matter has been debated enough. This is our final position on whippet racing at Shanes this year.

 

 

Edited by AlbertJ
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the popularity of the whippet i belive has been its down fall its a sad state of affairs that its came to this but i did see it coming its a shame but alot are that focused on winner with great prizes

"constant moaning " why because you dont answer the questions I put to you, the sentences that have a ? at the end. Rifle Men Are Roots is calling the same shots I have repeatedly asked of you but I

To b fair the master mc Grath is the biggest joke nw at the shows!!! These dogs that run it and win it are full greyhounds. Wat ever happened two the WORKING DOG SHOWS!!! Full hounds should b at the t

the popularity of the whippet i belive has been its down fall its a sad state of affairs that its came to this but i did see it coming its a shame but alot are that focused on winner with great prizes and money involved it was always gonna happen

when i started the northern ireland working whippet club it was started for the owners of whippets whos main thing was working there dogs it was set up to give them all some where to meet up talk about there season some simulated coursing racing and abit of showing it was all good fun there was very little rules and very little complaints

and i belive it should of stayed that way save all the bitching and complaning of the kc bunch where its been going on for along time but anyway best of luck everyone you will need it

 

robert

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the popularity of the whippet i belive has been its down fall its a sad state of affairs that its came to this but i did see it coming its a shame but alot are that focused on winner with great prizes and money involved it was always gonna happen

when i started the northern ireland working whippet club it was started for the owners of whippets whos main thing was working there dogs it was set up to give them all some where to meet up talk about there season some simulated coursing racing and abit of showing it was all good fun there was very little rules and very little complaints

and i belive it should of stayed that way save all the bitching and complaning of the kc bunch where its been going on for along time but anyway best of luck everyone you will need it

 

robert

so it was nt broken so why fix it, throwing great prizes and money involved it was never going to happen and laying down rules that were nt needed

now how many times was this predicted? by myself and others

Y.I.S Leeview

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im not saying it was perfact far from it then it was mostly working lads that went for a day out now it seems to be win no matter what

 

No prize money for the racing this year - so once again LV is wrong. LV always appears very willing to post about topics about which he knows very little. We didn't throw money at anything just gave the terrier, lurchers and whippets prizes equivalent to the other sports. And the events where there is good prize money i.e the Master Mc Grath and the Five Nations Lurcher, Terrier & Whippet Championships have actually gone from strength to strength,

Edited by AlbertJ
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im not saying it was perfact far from it then it was mostly working lads that went for a day out now it seems to be win no matter what

 

No prize money for the racing this year - so once again LV is wrong. LV always appears very willing to post about topics about which he knows very little. We didn't throw money at anything just gave the terrier, lurchers and whippets prizes equivalent to the other sports. And the events where there is good prize money i.e the Master Mc Grath and the Five Nations Lurcher, Terrier & Whippet Championships have actually gone from strength to strength,

 

your shows have the biggest prize money for terrier,lurchers and whippets WHY? to increase your gate money? do other shows offer half the prize money your putting up? do these other shows get the hassle from competitors ? do they argue about the rosettes? NO because its only a rossette you put prize money up and the knives and claws come out.

I asked after last years show why results were withheld and got no reply, Master McGrath and the Five Nations :hmm: how long before you introduce DNA testing in these events? after all there has been insinuations as to how dogs are bred just like the whippets that are nt what the owners claim :yes: but crack on albert according to you" I know very little"view

Y.I.S Leeview

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im not saying it was perfact far from it then it was mostly working lads that went for a day out now it seems to be win no matter what

 

No prize money for the racing this year - so once again LV is wrong. LV always appears very willing to post about topics about which he knows very little. We didn't throw money at anything just gave the terrier, lurchers and whippets prizes equivalent to the other sports. And the events where there is good prize money i.e the Master Mc Grath and the Five Nations Lurcher, Terrier & Whippet Championships have actually gone from strength to strength,

 

your shows have the biggest prize money for terrier,lurchers and whippets WHY? to increase your gate money? do other shows offer half the prize money your putting up? do these other shows get the hassle from competitors ? do they argue about the rosettes? NO because its only a rossette you put prize money up and the knives and claws come out.

I asked after last years show why results were withheld and got no reply, Master McGrath and the Five Nations :hmm: how long before you introduce DNA testing in these events? after all there has been insinuations as to how dogs are bred just like the whippets that are nt what the owners claim :yes: but crack on albert according to you" I know very little"view

Y.I.S Leeview

 

this type of thing has been going on for a few years now not just at the game fairs im not running my dog if so and so is running theres im not showing my whippet if he is judging yous have all heard it at this game fair it just seems to be more heard of because its the one everyone wants to win

Edited by milliken
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people want to win it for the money and prizes, does the dog run faster for the money and prizes?

In England pre ban the whippet coursing club was exactly that pure whippet that had won at KC shows,KC height restrictions applied, OH and no prize money was permitted did the owners still want to win they sure did :toast:

Y.I.S Leeview

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One final comment on Leeview - who I don't think has ever been at our Irish events and certainly not recently but appears to think he knows everything from 'across the pond'. The whippet controversy has NOTHING to do with money prizes. It happens not only at our shows but at others as well whether there are money prizes or not.

 

I was challenged on this forum to give terrier, whippet and lurcher owners a similar prize structure to the clay shooting and gundog competitors at our shows and this is what we did. However the large cash prizes are in the Master McGrath; and the Five Nations Championships in terriers, whippets and lurchers not in the other racing and show classes which are trophies, rosettes and meal only. And once again Leeview claims my motivation here was to increase the gate money - totally WRONG because these events are pre qualified AND ALL the pre qualified owners get FREE tickets; a magazine subscription and a commemorative hat and it is the qualifying shows that get their initial entry fee!!!

 

. The objectives of these competitions are as follows :

 

1. To give Terrier, whippet and lurcher owners equivalent championships to the clay shooters and gundog competitors.

2.To give Ireland prestigious competitions to attract all Ireland and international competition.

3. To give Irish working dog owners the chance of international competition on Irish soil.

4. To give an annual series leading up to a prestigious final , as happens in other country sports competitions, WITH the QUALIFYING EVENTS benefiting from the qualifying entries! LV - ask any of the shows involved throughout Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England who benefits from gate and entry money by hosting qualifiers for our competitions - they do!

 

Now as I said before you appear to wish to criticise everything we do whenever possible as anyone watching your posts with their litany of criticism can see. I have challenged you before to come to our events and speak to people there or even speak to people who host qualifying events. But you appear to prefer to base your comments on ignorance and conjecture. In future I will again open up a special thread just to deal with your constant whining and complaints.

Edited by AlbertJ
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To b fair the master mc Grath is the biggest joke nw at the shows!!! These dogs that run it and win it are full greyhounds. Wat ever happened two the WORKING DOG SHOWS!!! Full hounds should b at the track nt at working shows.

Rifle Man are roots! - Such a joke that lots of clubs in the Uk and Ireland want qualifiers for it? Nothing fair about your comment! Again an allegation made without any proof whatsoever and so grossly insulting to the owners who work hard to prepare their dogs for such a prestigious competition and the many others who try to qualify. As you can see from the many other racing competitions run at our events everyone who likes to compete with their dog has such an opportunity. I have working golden retrievers and if I have one good enough I like to compete with it in tests and trials and if it is good looking enough I like to show it occasionally. I say a bit 'tongue in cheek' it gives show golden owners a chance to see a dog that is golden and a retriever. I took a dual purpose bitch to Crufts and was third in the top class - did I whinge about the others being 'pure bred ' show dogs. The same bitch won tests and ran in trials but lacked the pace to make an impact - did I whinge that I was up against 'pure bred' working Labradors? No I enjoyed the challenge of training the dog for my sport of shooting and having the extra fun of trying it against the best in their fields. That's how working, show and racing owners should interact. Not whinge . I suspect you are making this rather unpleasant allegation - not against the competition - but as a sideswipe at the dog owners who race in it - because you feel you can't compete. The first dog shows which were held were dog shows for working setters and pointers - did the best working dogs win - no not really. Showing, racing and working are all different.

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Albert wise up u no ritely ffs. Insulting the men hahaha I know the ones n question pulling there pups out track dogs litters before there stamped!! That's a fact!!! How come a typical 7/8 1/8 get left for dust n these races for one simple fact there full hounds! Tym ppl up north put a stamp on these tramps and let them race on a greyhound track...

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RMAR : Why leave it to 'People up North' to sort it out SINCE YOU ARE THE MAN WHO CLAIMS HE HAS THE FACTS! I have heard similar allegations about southern dogs! BUT as I say to all people who make unspecific allegations - have the balls to name names and produce the FACTS otherwise you just appear a sore loser who is against the Master McGrath because you don't appear have a dog fit to win it or perhaps even qualify for it!

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I for one Albert ave full track dogs thou there is no place for them n a working dog show. It's the same as whippets I personally dnt like whippets but come on the ones n question have greyhound n them. Also there is a lot of Southern ones are running full hounds more so them. They done well at the weekend four full greyhounds n the final. And one of there four won at the countryside fair at scarva. Y are they nt running there dogs round the corner frm them at barker park???? Cuse it's 2 hard for them while up north it's 2 easy for them. I myself have no problem naming these ppl cuse this problem needs culled.. Up the working dogs fuk ur full hounds...

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RMAR, People who are running 'full hounds' to win races are only kidding themselves but as you know we have an objection system in place at Shanes where you can put £40 down and have a complaint investigated. Even if the Master Mc Grath was dominated by 'full hounds' which it isn't there are plenty of other opportunities for running your dogs at Shanes Castle and if I had a fast lurcher I would still love to have a punt to qualify it against these dogs. And I although I am not agreeing with you about the dog at the NI Countrysports Fair because I wasn't there - there was no great prize money at that fair. So that defats the argument that the Master Mc Grath is responsible for all the ills in lurcher racing. Love to hear other opinions on this from people who do like the idea of the Master Mc Grath.

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I can honestly say this was the biggest show I have been at this year and all for a great charity. As the day progressed I took a stroll around the many stands dotted around the field. I stopped of at Mick Mc Cormacks stand. Mick and Lorna are always so welcoming and have a stand full of everything for the hunting fraternity. Next door was flight & bite Outdoor Clothing & Footwear. I had a great we chat with owner Richard Caddell. Richard and I go back a very long time from our times at The Great Games Fairs of Ireland at Shanes Castle. I think most of our outdoor gear for dog shows were bought of this man over the years. You would not go hungry at this show. Burgers/Drinks/ Snacks/Teas and coffee were all available on site. The children had a field day with a child handling class. Every child got a medal and a bag full of goodies. With their barking and crooning canine friends by their sides, these little people were in their happy place and full of winning spirit As the day progressed into evening, it was raffle time and then the excitement began. It is unbelievable the buzz of excitement the raffle generates to the people around the ring. There were some great items in the raffle, and some very happy campers going home with great prizes The Racing started at approximately 12 noon followed by Showing. Here are the Racing and Showing Results: ***Racing Results*** Pups Kieran with Jimmy Kirsty with Sika Whippet James Mullen with Junior James Mullen with Toby Under 21s Lynzi Gardiner Magill with Bill Rose Mc Coy with Arlo Under 22s Lynzi Gardiner Magill with Venus Rose Mc Coy with Texas Under 23 elite Lynzi Gardiner Magill with Lady Lynzi Gardiner Magill with Cody Under 23s traditional lurcher Mj with Lila Under 24 smooth Lynzi Gardiner Magill with Jack Rose Mc Coy with Prada Under 24 hairy Harry Roche with Sula Joyce Scott with Susan Master McGrath Jake with Storm Joyce Scott with Guss Mick the Miller Jed Donagh with Chaz Lynzi Gardiner Magill with Sugar Light bull Yapper Hayes with Lady Leigh Thompson with Roxy Heavy bull Joyce Scott with Mable Leigh Thompson with King Terrier Matthew Wisdom with Rocco Elaine with Ruby Greyhounds Barry Holland with Hunter ***Showing Results*** Overall Champion Pup Clodagh Gentle with Dash Overall Champion Whippet James Mullen with Toby Overall Champion Lurcher Shane Burns with Buster Overall Champion Terrier Marty Mc Donald with Rebel Overall Champion Strong Dog Chris Mc Court with Sandy Overall Champion Hound Iveaghs Grapevine Overall Champion and Best in Show Marty Mc Donald with Rebel Overall Champion Reserve Chris Mc Court with Sandy Congratulations to all above winners and well done. And Finally, may I take this opportunity to thank the judges on the day, for doing a wonderful job.The Judging was delivered with accuracy and integrity, and a job was well done by all. A special word of thanks to these legends in the Doggie world yes The Mc Grath Dog Racing Club Carlow. Again this year Biddy, you and the boys, and you as a team excelled yourselves in everything you done on the day for the Burren Working Dog Charity Show and Club and many thanks for that. You have been so helpful to so many clubs North and South of the border over the years and long may it last. Finally, Finally this top show would not of been possible without this now well experienced and brilliant show organiser. Yes, I would like to thank the coordinator of this spectacular charity event Stephen Mc Nally and his family, Dad Louis, mother Margaret, brothers Martin and Noel, sister Theresa, Philip Mackin, and a most willing, helpful and friendly back up team and helpers for another top charity show and race day. A light went out in the Mc Nally household, when Stephen and his family lost a son and a beloved brother to cancer. This is total heart break for any family, but Stephens reason and inspiration behind the Burren Charity Working Dog Shows is to keep the memory of his brother alive through giving back to the charities, through his dog shows to the people who helped the family in their hour of need. This years chosen charity “Daisy Lodge Cancer Fund For Children “ is a charity that makes a real difference in the lives of families affected by cancer. Their mission is to empower and connect families, giving them the support they need to cope with the emotional and practical challenges of a cancer diagnosis. They also stand beside bereaved families, offering care and guidance to those grieving the loss of a child or parent. This is where your gate, racing, ring and raffle contribution to The Burren Charity Working Dog Show will go to, and what a very worthy cause. For that we truly thank you for your contribution. Thanks to Stephen and the Burren Team for a most enjoyable day, for the kindness you have shown to John and myself on the day. A brilliant venue and a brilliant day full of lovely memories, and I am already looking forward to more of the same god willing in 2026. To we meet again God Bless. Margaret Mc Stay

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