Gone to the dogs but he loves every minute of it

Talking Sport with Stephen Glennon

SOME people might say that ‘life is a bitch’ but for renowned Gort greyhound trainer Noel Mullins, his life is more often than not about his pack of bitches!

Taking time out from the daily routine at the well-known family bar and restaurant business, O’Grady’s of Gort, an unassuming Mullins, who is grand-uncle to former All-Ireland winning minor hurlers, Albert and Michael, sits and chats about a remarkable career in greyhound racing that dates back to the late 1970s.

The achievements of Mullins as a successful greyhound owner, breeder and trainer were recognised a fortnight ago by the Irish Greyhound Board when it inducted him into their Hall of Fame at their annual awards function which was attended by over 200 guests at Curraheen Greyhound Stadium in Cork.

Growing up, Mullins always had an interest in greyhounds – a passion he inherited from his father – and hurling. Indeed, he was a noted exponent in his youth, captaining the first Gort minor hurling team to win the Galway championship in 1957.

“I wouldn’t make too much of that. I was not as good as they are saying,” chuckles Mullins. “So, we won’t say too much about that, but yeah, I captained the Gort minor team alright in 1957 and we won three-in-a-row that time.”

With injury cutting his hurling career short, he turned his attention to greyhound training and in the late 1970s his dogs began to make a name for him with the likes of Spring Fort, which he trained for a Corkman, winning the Carrolls Irish Derby Trial Stakes at Galway Greyhound Track in 1977.

Other dogs, such as Banjo Echo, which won at Shelbourne Park and Newbridge, and Spring Wood, owned by Noel and which won the 1981 Hurry On Bran Munster Puppy Cup at Clonmel, subsequently featured on race cards around the country.

Indeed, it was at Clonmel that one of Mullins’ charges, Captain Miller – bred by Sean Cooke and owned by Tom Dolan – skipped around the 525 circuit at the Tipperary venue in a sizzling time of 29.24 to set a new track record in the early rounds of the 1983 Produce Stakes.

It was big news at the time, so much so Captain Miller attracted the attention of Ger McKenna who bought the dog. Later that year, Captain Miller went off as joint favourite in winning the Irish Derby.

In 1983 Mullins also made the national headlines when Spring Light was only one of two greyhounds – the other was Keady Imp – to fetch over a thousand guineas on the second day of the Shelbourne Park sales. Spring Light had impressed when winning his trial in 30.01.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.