We are delighted to announce that George Sell has joined us as a regular columnist and feature writer at Greyhound Weekly. George runs two syndicates and is the proud owner of a recent Category 1 winner. Here’s a wonderful introduction from the man himself.
Whippets were my gateway drug to greyhounds, having raced and coursed them for many years. It was through whippets that I got to know trainer Kim Gooding, who was attached to Peterborough at the time.
My first involvement with a greyhound was with a syndicate dog in Ireland, who didn’t really live up to expectations over there. That led to a few of the people involved losing interest. I asked Kim if she fancied giving him a go over here. She agreed and he went and won his first two races for her. I can still recall the buzz that first night, and I was definitely hooked for life from then on.
Over the years I’ve had quite a few dogs – in Ireland with Beatrice Steiner, and in the UK with Kim, Ben McBride, Jason Bloomfield and Matt Dartnall.
I’m currently involved in several syndicates, two of which I run. This year I’ve been lucky enough to have my first Cat 1 winner, in the shape of Long Fellow, who won the Cowley Puppy Collar at Oxford. It’s been an amazing experience with him so far and I think there’s plenty more to come. It’s been all the more special as I bought him at 12 weeks old, and got some good friends involved in with him.
As well as racing I’m a bit of a pedigree geek and am fascinated by the breeding side. One of my former racers Boreen Magic had a litter in Ireland, which my friend Natalie Abedi at Jaxx Kennels reared. On the night I’m writing this, one of her pups won the first race of the Winter festival at Shelbourne Park, which has made me very happy!
