Barrie Draper retires
Trainer Barrie Draper, a legendary figure within the greyhound racing community in the northern region and one of the most accomplished trainers in the United Kingdom for well over thirty years has retired, writes Patrick Kelly. He has passed his contract over to his 25-year-old daughter, Rose.
His longevity speaks volumes for his enduring aim to give those who support him – a loyal collection of owners that inevitably change during the passage of time – and the greyhounds in his care the best possible attention possible.
“I am travelling all around Europe for a six-week holiday in January, and it now seems the right time for Rose to take over the kennel,” said Draper. “It’s a natural progression, she is super-interested in greyhound racing and has been involved in our training operation from a very early age.”
Respected throughout the industry as a great family man, Draper trained a fleet of outstanding top-level performers, including He Knows, Farloe Cobbler, Im Okay, Farloe Hurricane. Boherna On Air, Boherna Best, Eden Star, Farloe Warhawk, Ballymac Eske and Ballymac Mossjoe.
40 years with a training license
“Our kennel has always been a big team effort, as my father [Albert] was always in the background,” said Draper. “I actually took over the trainer’s license from my brother [Trevor} in 1984 and immediately secured a training appointment at Sheffield.”
45-year-old son Mark, who began his working involvement in the kennel on leaving school, has been a very important member of the team and he will, of course, continue with his unyielding day-to-day input.
“Mark is a fantastic back room member of the team, he knows the game particularly well and the significance of him driving a 1,000 miles per week throughout the past 20-odd years cannot be stressed enough. He’s an unsung hero of the sport in many ways,” said Draper.
The Rotherham-based trainer landed the Harry Holmes Memorial (500m, Sheffield) on no fewer than seven occasions with Farloe Cobbler (1999), Cool Scenario (2001), Dukeries Joker (2004), Farloe Niall (2007), Droopys Billy (2008) and Farloe Rocket (2009 & 2010)
The Three Steps To Victory at Sheffield, inaugurated in 2003, is a tri-distance competition and Draper has captured this novel competition a record four times – Farloe Hack (2004), Ballymac Eske (2014), Bull Run Button (2019) and Distant Emma (2023).
Draper was born on May 24, 1958, and he has engraved a splendid record in the sport’s big races during a training career that has spanned five decades. It would be conclusive to assume that he and former trainer Elaine Parker are the two most successful handlers in the colourful history of the Owlerton venue.
The beginning of a training appointment at Sheffield for Barrie Draper in 1984 dovetailed with Harrison Ford starring in box-office movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, athlete Carl Lewis winning four gold medals at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Wham! topping the charts with Freedom, and the government announced that O-level and CSE exams will be replaced by GCSE’s.
Draper’s top dogs in the 1990s
He Knows is arguably the greatest dog that Barrie Draper has had through his hands.
Photo: © Steve Nash
One of the fastest middle-distance greyhounds to represent Draper on the big stage was He Knows. The dog showed his class when runner-up to Some Picture in the final of the 1997 Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon and subsequently won the prestigious Blue Riband (490m) at Wembley.
“He Knows was the most exciting dog we’ve ever had at the kennels, the George Best of his day if you like, and he beat many of the all-time greats,” said Draper. “He was our first superstar, you could not fault him and he never got any luck in running when runner-up to Some Picture in the 1997 Greyhound Derby final at Wimbledon.”
An ambitious programme was mapped out for the hugely talented I’m Okay, undisputedly one of the best of her sex to be trained by Draper, and she journeyed to Shelbourne Park on the eve of Christmas in 1998 to plunder the National Puppy Stake (525 yards).
“I’m Okay was a great bitch and she was very easy to train,” said Draper. “All tracks came alike to her, she always ran her heart out and being a classified wide runner was sometimes a help to her.”
In 1999 Im Okay, a March ’97 fawn bitch, was victorious in the Racing Post Juvenile Championship (480m, Wimbledon) and Brighton Belle (515m, Hove) – she also made her way through to the finals of the Steel City Cup (500m, Sheffield) and Oaks (480m, Wimbledon).
In 1999 Farloe Cobbler, another standard-bearer for the Draper operation, floored the odds laid on the great Plasterscene Gem in the Harry Holmes Memorial (500m) at Sheffield.
Farloe Cobbler, a greyhound for all seasons, had a fantastic year with big-race wins in the Gorton Cup (465m, Belle Vue), Steel City Cup (500m, Sheffield) and Stones Silver Collar (500m, Sheffield).
The following year, Im Okay led home a one-two for Draper when accounting for kennelmate title-holder Farloe Cobbler, himself a multiple competition winner, by half-a-length in the decider of the Stones Silver Collar (500m) at Sheffield.
Lots of kennel success at the turn of the century
LOUIS SAHA with owner Russell Hulme, his wife Susan and son Liam after winning the Gymcrack at Hall Green in August 2002.
Photo: © Steve Nash
The Barrie Draper success story continued unabated in 2001, as more silverware was picked up courtesy of Feoras Field (Gorton Cup), Cool Scenario (Harry Holmes Memorial) and Jennie Come Home (Victor Chandler Marathon).
The Draper flag was again waving gaily in 2002 with a trio of major open-race titles bagged by Louis Saha. He crossed the line ahead of Special Trick (second), Maxie Rumble (third), Jurassic Jack (fourth), Full Cigar (fifth) and Hallam Heskey (sixth) in the final of the Gymcrack (480m) at Hall Green, Cool Scenario (Northern Flat) and Farloe Hack (Racing Post Festival Maiden Derby).
In 2003 Farloe Hack occupied the runner-up spot behind Tucks Mein in the final of the Three Steps To Victory (500m, Sheffield), was fifth to Blonde Ranger in the Masters (465m, Reading), was second to One Yard in the Northern Flat (465m, Belle Vue), third to Burberry Boy in the East Anglian Derby (462m, Yarmouth) and was triumphant in the Birmingham Cup (480m, Perry Barr).
The same year Knock Split, whose career was eventually prematurely curtailed by injury, stamped himself a top-class prospect when accounting for Jessey James (second), Prince Toff (third), Droopys Oasis (fourth), Glads Boy (fifth) and Rathnew Girl (sixth) in the decider of the Midland Puppy Derby (480m, Monmore).
In 2004 Dukeries Joker showed great battling qualities to foil Hove’s 515-metre track record holder Ballybrazil Hero in the Harry Holmes Memorial (500m, Sheffield), while more big-race successes came his way the following season with Droopys Sporty (Cock o’The North) and Camp Bugler (Trafalgar Cup).
Boherna On Air carried all before him in 2007. After playing second fiddle to kennelmate Farloe Hurricane in the Gymcrack (480m, Hall Green), he subsequently won the Ladbrokes Gold Cup (480m, Monmore), Steel City Cup (500m, Sheffield) and was fifth to Kylegrove Top in the Laurels (470m, Belle Vue).
The kennel’s strike-rate in opens was always impressive and 2009 proved another highly successful year with big-race victories supplied by Glenroe Ginger (Golden Sprint) and Boherna Best (All England Cup), while Farloe Rocket trumped the opposition in the Harry Holmes Memorial (500m) at Sheffield in 2010.
No slowing up for Draper in the 2010s
Ballymac Eske was exceptional in the early 2010s for Draper.
Photo: © Steve Nash
The remarkable spree of success achieved by the magnificent Eden Star in 2011 made him a leading contender for the Greyhound of the Year gong. Although sprint ace Jimmy Lollie ultimately collected that award, Barrie Draper’s all-time great shone like a beacon in the latter part of a glorious campaign.
“Eden Star, who weighed in at 90lbs. was undoubtedly one of the fastest greyhounds I’ve trained and a brilliant competition dog,” said Draper. “His record-breaking win in the Puppy Cup at Romford was sensational, he was amazing.”
The October ’09 son of Top Savings won the Nicol Alloys ‘Monkey’ Stakes (480m, Sheffield), Puppy Derby (480m, Wimbledon), Romford Puppy Cup (400m, Romford), Laurels (470m, Belle Vue) and he went on to star in the Juvenile Championship (480m) at Wimbledon the following season.
In 2012 Farloe Warhawk established himself as one of the fastest middle-distance performers in training with twin big-race successes in the Puppy Derby (480m, Wimbledon) and Laurels (470m, Belle Vue). The emergence of canine superstar Ballymac Eske, who landed the Puppy Classic (500m, Nottingham) and Olympic (515m, Hove), was a racing highlight of the season for Draper.
Ballymac Eske, the champion juvenile of the previous year, trounced Jaytee Hellcat by more than seven lengths in the Racing Post Juvenile Championship (480m, Wimbledon) in 2013 and then hacked up by seven lengths from Mags Gamble in the Ladbrokes Scottish Derby (480m, Shawfield).
“Ballymac Eske was a freak, very, very quick and a fantastic all-round dog,” said Draper. “I particularly enjoyed his success in the Three Steps To Victory over 660 metres at Sheffield, as it wrong-footed a lot of people. It was an under the radar plan and no-one saw it coming.”
2013 proved a watershed year for Draper, as other major open-race final wins came through the exploits of Ballyard Buddy (Ladbroke 630), Farloe Barracuda (Golden Sprint), Glenpadden Post (Derby Plate) and Mustang Blitz (Ladbrokes Festival Puppies).
There was a glorious swansong for the mighty Ballymac Eske, who could possibly have been the greatest stayer since the halcyon days of Ballyregan Bob if extensively campaigned over six bends, with a ten-and-a-quarter lengths defeat of Droopys Dave in the final of the 2014 Three Steps To Victory (660 metres) at Sheffield – the winning time of 38.61sec smashed the track record.
Ballymac Mossjoe, who showed huge promise when scoring in the Ryan Holmes Puppy Cup (500m, Sheffield) the previous year, made the long trek to Hove worthwhile by landing the 2015 Sussex Cup (515m). Earlier in the season, Glenpadden Post proved too good for Honest John (second), Vatican Baloteli (third), Romany Rouge (fourth), Patchys Kerry (fifth) and Teejays Panther in the final of the Ladbrokes Puppy Derby (480m, Monmore).
The last decade of winners
Other big-race wins achieved by Draper in the twilight of his career were Ballymac Ramsey (2016 Juvenile Championship), Ballymac Mossjoe (2017 Sky Sports Seniors). Bull Run Button (2018 Juvenile Championship & 2019 Three Steps To Victory) and Distant Podge (2022 Puppy Classic).
In 2019 the versatile These Old Shades, owned by David, Jean and Ben Tompkins, collected the prestigious GBGB Graded Greyhound of the Year after winning 16 races at Sheffield over 500m and 660m.
“Greyhound racing for me began as a passion and I will still retain a big involvement in the sport as an owner,” said Draper. “I’ve got another business in the steel industry that requires a lot of my time as well – training greyhounds is really a young person’s game.”
Followers of the sport have long since revered the Draper family, who would always rise before daylight to begin a normal working day at the kennels, and his achievements on both sides of the Irish Sea have been gained with typical modesty, good manners and grace. Draper has made an incredible contribution to the sport and, in particular, at Sheffield.
The Greyhound Star would like to extend seasonal greetings to the Draper family for the festive period and to wish Rose all the best with her new adventure for 2025 and beyond. Simplicity has always been key to the success of their kennel and, much more than that, the entire family adores the breed.
“I’ve met some fantastic people in the sport, Sheffield greyhound stadium has always been a vibrant area – the Saturday night fixture has a great atmosphere and is extremely busy,” concluded Draper.
BARRIE DRAPER APPEARANCES IN TRAINERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
(2008-2014)
2008 (Wimbledon): Seamus Cahill (49pts), Charlie Lister (43pts), John Mullins (34pts), Barrie Draper (30pts), Elaine Parker (27pts), Mark Wallis (25pts).
2009 (Sheffield): Charlie Lister (66), Mark Wallis (37), Barrie Draper (31), Pat Rosney (29), Seamus Cahill (24), John Mullins (20).
2010 (Doncaster): Mark Wallis (49), Charlie Lister (48). Barrie Draper (30), Chris Allsopp (27), Seamus Cahill (27), Dean Childs (27).
2013 (Yarmouth): Charlie Lister (54), Paul Young (48), Mark Wallis (32), Seamus Cahill (27), Chris Allsopp (24), Barrie Draper (22).
2014 (Sheffield): Paul Young (46), Charlie Lister (43), Seamus Cahill (41), Mark Wallis (32), Barrie Draper (30), Chris Allsopp (16).
BARRIE DRAPER STATISTICS FOR GRADED RUNNERS AT SHEFFIELD
(2014-2024)
WINNERS RUNNERS
2014 115 538
2015 145 604
2016 217 930
2017 234 1003
2018 223 954
2019 193 784
2020 212 941
2021 300 1351
2022 360 1573
2023 370 1422
2024 357 1399
