Barking mad about his pack of greyhounds

GLENAMADDY native Conor Fahy doesn’t know if he is the youngest greyhound racing trainer in Ireland, but at just 21 years of age, the Cox Cup winner can certainly be classed as a child of the sport.

Son of renowned Tyrur breeder, PJ Fahy – who has bred winners for both the Irish and Scottish derbies – it was always a strong possibility that at least one of PJ’s six children would pursue a career in the greyhound racing industry. Conor’s insatiable interest dictated that he would be the first.

So, just a little over two months ago, the 21-year-old applied and received his trainer’s licence from the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB). “They send out the stipendiary steward for the area and he inspects the kennels to make sure they are up to standard,” says Conor, as he sits in the family home. “So, he came up here at the start of April.”

In many respects, there was never going to be an issue with the facilities. The Fahy complex is the greyhound equivalent to a five-star hotel, with each litter of pups enjoying their own quarters and garden, while the racing dogs are housed in specialised kennels and exercised in both the adjacent paddock and on the state-of-the-art gallop.

Under the six kennel ‘hands’— including Conor – they are walked, groomed and fed, with the finest of meat often featuring on the daily menu. If horseracing is the sport of kings, then greyhound racing must be the choice of emperors. “We have a brilliant team of lads here,” says Fahy. “It is not all about dad or me. They are good lads and without them we wouldn’t have the success we are having.”

In any event, the IGB granted Fahy his licence on April 15, and on that very night, he had his first two official winners, in Tyrur Nama and Tyrur Audrey, in the first round of a stakes competition in Shelbourne. Since then, Ireland’s newest trainer has had approximately 70 winners at events in Galway, Shelbourne, in the Macroom Motors Stakes in Cork and, of course, in the prestigious Cox Cup in Newbridge.

That Cox Cup was a special one for the Fahy family, given his father PJ had bred the dog, Tyrur Bucko, Conor had trained him, and his older brother Daryl headed up the owning syndicate, Seven Pioneers.

Conor says it was a night to remember, but adds he was always quietly confident that Bucko could produce a winning performance.“Bucko is a dog with early pace, so it is all about getting him out of the box. If he gets out in front, he has a huge chance. In the final, he was in trap three and there were two serious dogs, derby dogs, in traps two and four. In trap two was Definate Opinion and trap four was Westmeath Bolt. To win the race, he had to lead from the off, no question. He definitely was not going to come from behind.

“Now, the split record before the competition started was 2:54. In the second round, Bucko did it in 2:52. In the final, we felt he had to go close to that again to lead up. Then, he had a huge chance. He did 2:50; he broke his own split record. To do the time he did after that, 29:51, was just phenomenal. He won it by five lengths, leaving the other dogs in his wake.”

The excitement and pride is clearly visible as Fahy talks about keeping the dogs “happy and buzzing” the week in the lead-up to the race. Indeed, he maintains the week before is just as vital to securing a victory as it is to the dog making his break.

“Every dog is different,” states the trainer. “Bucko ran the semi-final on a Friday, and he got out on the gallops on Monday and Wednesday. He got two gallops that week. We had Tyrur Brennan in the final of the Hegarty Bookmakers Open 600 and we didn’t give him any gallops at all and he came second.

For more read this week's Connacht Tribune.