In a previous article, I covered the mental, physical and breeding qualities that are important when considering any greyhound to purchase or own. For this reason, I won go into this again, but there are many other factors which one can add to the mix when taking it upon yourself to make such a purchase at the nationals. Let’s talk about them for a minute.
The first thing one should consider is what their goal to accomplish is, then stick with it. Do you really have the experience to make a selection to purchase a greyhound which can qualify to race at Wheeling, or the track you want to send it to? You must have the confidence that you can do this, or leave it up to the kennel operator who is going to run your greyhound for you.
Rodney and I have both been guilty in the past of agreeing to take on greyhounds others purchase to race at Wheeling when we know the chances of such a greyhound making it are going to be expensive for the kennel, and almost impossible to begin with. We could have saved thousands of dollars for certain owners and ourselves had they spent the time to discuss such choices. It is tough to turn an owner down who is a great person, loyal to the big picture, and just plain good people. We don’t want to degrade anyone, so have let too many of these happenings go without saying anything.
I only bring this up for you to consider toward saving your own money, and the side of the kennel operator who has to pay for 100% of the care, and do all the work for your greyhound to be successful from that day forward. So, ask yourself . . . wouldn’t you want to know that the trainer of your greyhound wants him in his kennel before you spend lots of money for such a purchase? Pick a greyhound which can fit into the total picture, and you will get better results.
Consider the difference in someone who is rarely around a greyhound, and a trainer which works with them every single day. You can read about plumbing all day long, but if you have never done your own plumbing before, then it can be difficult to compare your work with a well qualified plumber. Make sense?
Now, that I have deflated your ego, allow me to put you back on course to making such a selection on your own. Nothing says you can’t rise to the occasion. Just go about it the right way. Here are some things to consider . . .
Realize that there are those farmers who prepare their greyhounds far differently from each other for each meet. Know who the best ones are. It is that time of year for them to compete, not only on the race track, but in the auction ring to bring in the greatest share of their income for the year. There are those you can depend on to bring top quality greyhounds to each and every meet, and there are those who rarely ever win a race. The work put into these greyhounds shows on the race track, and all the qualities one looks for are there to be found if you want to work at it hard enough.
Lets assume you are making plans to attend the upcoming meet in Abilene, Kansas this April. Your purpose is to participate in our auction group, and to make a single purchase of your own. Before you leave for the meet . . . do you have a game plan? Who are the top farmers you can depend on to provide you the talent you are looking for? What farmers should you avoid at all costs? Have you selected what bloodlines will provide you the highest percentage results on the race track? Do you know enough about breeding to make this a valuable trait in your selections? What size greyhounds should you avoid or purchase for the best results? Do you know how to find each farmer (owner of each greyhound) to ask the right questions, and do you know what the right questions are to ask? How well can you watch a race, and the stride which a greyhound exhibits to measure it properly? How can you avoid selections with poor dispositions when watching them on a race track? Are you prepared to select potential stars by any other method than simply following the winning time of each race? More people follow time than any other thing since it is the easiest, but most expensive way out.
These are just some of the things one must consider in making your selection at the NGA auctions. There are many more. Being at the right places at the right time, and being a good listener is another most important move on your part. This won’t mean anything to you, unless you have worked with greyhounds in the past . . . in farm training, or in a racing kennel. You won’t know how to relate to many things one can pass through their mental calculator once properly programmed in their mind. No one can learn the complete greyhound business by reading it from a book.
PRICE is important if you want to be placed in the highest category for success toward finding that special greyhound. You may prefer to take on added gamble should your limit be less. Or, you may really take a flyer at some less expensive greyhound that catches your eye. Regardless, of what greyhound you select . . . just make sure you have some good solid reasons for making such a selection. If you want a “white” greyhound, then get one, but that won’t make it run any faster if it doesn’t have enough speed and track smarts to make the race track you want it to run on.
NEVER buy a greyhound you are being told about by the person who owns it. Everyone in Abilene has a good story to tell about the greyhounds they want to sell. Beware of these people, unless you ask specifically about points you want answers for. Make it your own idea to be discussed. Anytime, I have ever allowed someone to talk me into buying a greyhound on their word . . . I can’t remember it becoming a good situation. Note that I am talking about the owner of a greyhound attempting to sell it with words, rather than through results you obtain through better means. Always talk to those you feel can provide knowledge, but you should be the one to pursue them. But, go after it in your own way! Sitting still won’t get you anywhere, either.
There are those owners who go to meets looking for the greyhound which gets in trouble. Everyone knows the worse a greyhound runs, the less money will be asked for it, so trouble is the key which stopped the sleeper we can buy for less. The truth is in over 90% of the cases . . . each greyhound which gets into trouble in their race will likely always get into trouble as they do not have the metal smarts to avoid it. So, you just bought a dumb ass dog you thought was a sleeper! Pardon me for expressing it that way, but I don’t want you to forget this. It is one of the most common mistakes people blow their money on. It is true that a fast football player can be blocked out of a play before he gets free to run. Place the same football player in with a group of lower quality players, and they won’t likely catch him in time to throw such a block. He is too quick and smart for most if he is one of the good ones.
The first round of the meets held in Abilene are the cheapest of all. All the good greyhounds are scattered through many races made up of lesser quality greyhounds. If you are looking for a sleeper, then don’t do it the first round. Any greyhound which cannot run first or second in the first round won’t make my list. They will never see a cheaper race. Think about it! All the worst greyhounds ran that round and were eliminated from running in the second round. In the second and final round, then all the winners are running against one another. The meet is designed that way. So, a real sleeper should only be found in the second round if you have a good enough eye to find one.
All the winners are entered in the FINALS of each group. The second place finishers are in Consolation Flight I, and third place finishers are in Consolation Flight II. No greyhound runs in the second round, unless it came in the top three finishers in the first round. Thank goodness! If you don’t make a purchase from those in a Final Group, then your odds are less in the Consolation Groups. Had you rather have a greyhound from a Final which ran second or third, or a Consolation winner? One has to measure how they ran in the first round to see which one shows the most promise. Some greyhound has to run second behind the fastest greyhound at the meet, and may be super, but you must know this if you are looking into the Consolation races. The NGA provides a roster on the Internet of all the greyhounds by litter before each meet begins. Make sure you get a copy of this. After the first round is completed, then mark each winner, and indicate the time it ran beside their name. You can tell by looking at this which litters stick out with best results. ALWAYS try to make your purchases from these litters. You don’t have to know much to do this, and can bypass almost everything. Try to stay away from greyhounds which are the only good dog in a litter. Require your purchases to have littermates which can actually run fast. This is good for racing and breeding interests.
If you are in greyhound racing for the long haul, then you want to breed only those greyhounds which come from litters in which all the offspring were good. That is the best place to find your sleeper if you are limited on money.
Follow these litter selections through the second round, and you will be surprised how much better you can watch each race for talent. They will teach you traits to look for if you have that ability to search that deeply into each race. It takes hundreds of races to develop an eye for watching races, and properly relate to what you are seeing. Then again, knowing what to look for helps with this. Do you consider a greyhound that runs with his head up better or worse than a greyhound which runs with its head down? When a greyhound’s tail whips while he is running, does this show he has ability to guide himself properly, or is there a problem with this? Do you see a ripple in a greyhound’s back when he runs, or does it float in a smooth manner? Does he run straight down the track, or are there places he might decide to veer to the inside or outside of the track? How does he come out of the starting box, and is this another place he might veer in a different direction? Is all this smart, or should he run in a straight line? Does he throw his lead foot properly when rounding a turn; does he run tight turns; does he run mid-track on turns; does he sweep wide coming out of turns, etc.? How does he relate to the track you are considering him as a purchase for? Does he have enough early speed to use as an advantage? The answers to these questions must be learned through experience, and a trained eye.
You can see these are a few of the things one must consider toward grading the 600 to 1,000 greyhounds which attend these meets. The more research you can do, the better chance you have at making a “sleeper steal”, or paying a deserving price for a quality greyhound.
Every meet carries great mystery. They are all different when approached as a science the way we have in the past. My first meet was during the coursing period in the early 1960’s. Since that time, to include coursing and track racing, no two meets are ever alike. You can feel the difference when you approach them in a manner to learn all you can about them. Some of the meets make you feel that you are walking away with the top greyhounds there. Later, you find that few people scored well at that particular meet as the quality just wasn’t as good as we felt it was. We knew we purchased the best greyhounds that were at the meet. Other meets are highly competitive, and you feel you were one of those who made the top purchases. Then, those greyhounds become better than expected. Look back at the Lonesome Cry meet, and you will see a tremendous group of greyhounds, and wish every meet could be like that.
I don’t feel there are many people that come close to the work this organizations does to prepare for each meet. We are going to leave with good greyhounds meet after meet, because we do everything humanly possible to make the best decisions. There is a lot of teamwork that goes into the big picture of making this work. We always work together. Money management hasn’t even been discussed, nor have we talked about the flow of the auction which provides an order of arrangement we have to work with to avoid losing certain greyhounds, or making a move to our advantage. The day of the meet carries other side effects, such as health certificates, hauling schedules, paperwork to obtain tax refunds, someone to place greyhounds in each hauling rig with the proper care and condition of each greyhound. We work as a team to make all things happen in an organized manner.
Try running an auction group like ours on auction day, and coordinate all these activities at one time, and it will bring you to a rude awakening. I love every minute of it, and the climax of the day is when I sat at those tables, and transferred each greyhound purchased to Charter Kennel, Inc. making them a permanent part of our team. Rodney and Patti have done this many years, and we have learned to make each meet better. It makes me feel tremendous to know they can continue this in all our best interest, and each of you should have great confidence in them. They are the best!
Ken Duffy and Dolores Russell have attended these meets, and have experienced much of what I have covered in this article. They asked the questions which caused this article to be written. There are many more of you who have attended these meets, also. It is part of greyhound racing, and I have always felt a person cannot completely feel they are part of greyhound racing to the fullest without attending an NGA Meet and Auction. Take the time, and make sure you do this. You will never regret it; especially, if you are part of the Auction Group ownership. Then, you can really live every minute of it.
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