Romance and love have proved to be a winning formula for one Carlow dog-owner, whose long love-affair with racing greyhounds has netted him a top racing award from Sporting Press and a puppy with an unbeaten record.
But luck has long smiled on Carlow man Jim Hayden because of his fine dogs. Jim, who hails from Pollacton, is a well-known international greyhound owner/dealer who has enjoyed luck on his dogs for over half a century.
His luck is still holding out with his latest winner, Romance Alsation, son of Charity Jack and Breda’s Angel. The unbeaten puppy, who has enjoyed odds-on favourite status in several races this year, has captured the imagination of so many racing fans, that even when he has had money on him (odds like 1-3 ) entering a race, backers have still bet on his winning. And win he has for Jim, and trainer Brian Kirwan. The December ’06 puppy has won his races by an aggregate 25 lengths.
So it was no surprise to fans when Jim announced he had been awarded the September Star prize from the Sporting Press last week, following last month’s win in the Leinster Puppy Stakes in Enniscorthy.
And Jim and Brian are treating Romance with all the love and care they can muster because he is heading into the Leinster Puppy Derby in mid November. With two preparation races to run in the next fortnight, Romance is sure to create a stir.
“He is looking good now, and his odds would be good,” Jim told Carlow First this week. So anyone looking for a good night’s betting could do worse than to swing by the derby in Harold’s Cross in November.
Jim’s success with romance is of course no fluke, it is the product of hard work and many years training his dogs. Romance, a fifth-generation pedigree, is just the latest in a long line of winners for Jim. His other dog We Love Alsation has been winning his own heats, and of course, everybody has heard about Let’s Out Alsation who has been beating off stiff competition this year.
“I call them all Alsations because my wife loved Alsations,” said the sentimental Jim who keeps his age a secret. But it’s no secret that he knows something about greyhounds and if you see his name at the races, you can rest assured his dog will be a winner.
