Cloncunny Lark

GREYHOUND RACING: Record Breakers: Cloncunny Lark

The Magnificent Seven

Record Breaking Seventh win for Cloncunny Lark

Cloncunny Lark's record breaking seventh in a row win at Yarmouth Stadium on Friday 9th February 2007, was a sensation.

An insight into Cloncunny Lark’s life at her Home Kennels

As Mike French opens the doors to his kennels, Cloncunny Lark skips off her bed and greets him with excitement, just as her kennels mates do, it's exercise time and she knows it. Seeming to be very laid back and reserved compared to some of her kennel mates, the average onlooker would never guess she had just made a recording breaking triumph the night previous, clocking up her seventh win in a row.

Mike French explains: " I've had time to reflect on last nights achievement she had made and I just still can't believe it, she is just doing the business and not giving me time to take it in. Her seventh win notched up last Friday over the 659m S1 trip was just breathtaking, at trap-rise she took an early advantage to just pace along in third, and with a cut in here and a gap opening there, on entering the last turn she found another gear and finished with the minimum of fuss 5 3/4 lengths in front of Biltan Jays Girl. Coming off the track I was lost for words, it was like I kept kicking myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, had she really done it”?

Coming out of her kennel for exercise the 'Queen of Cool' doesn't want to be bothered about the fuss, she contented with just getting on with the job in hand. Mike who works locally in the Marine Industry continues: "Exercise starts early in the morning here, around 6 to 6.30 am, and when back they have breakfast which is all completed just before I go to work. This is when my wife Ann takes over for the day till I come home from work, so there is an afternoon and evening workouts along with their general feeds, in between this the kennels are cleaned and the dogs checked over daily. Our basic kennel set up here is very homely for them, and as you can see all our dogs seem happy and contented in their living quarters. Cloncunny Lark is still making her mark really, being only just over two years old, in time she will need open races at other tracks, but until she tells us this, Yarmouth is where she will stay as she obviously likes performing on the tight bended track.

While enjoying her morning exercise with kennelmates, breakfast is prepared at home, high protein mix with vegetables and surprisingly enough Bananas! "They love em" Mike laughs: "That’s not a secret either, and there is no secret to success or in making a record breaker, If anyone could work out the secret to success, they could make themselves a lot of money in this game. I have been involved in racing greyhounds for ten years now, I first started this as a hobby, with just one dog, now I have seven at my kennels and two retired as pets. I was always told in my early days to ' feed em right and treat them properly and they will work for you ', and this method works for me. Myself and my Wife Ann make a fuss of each one of them and give them plenty of TLC, which creates that special bond between trainer and dog.

Owner Tony Jubb, shown on the right of the picture, said on the night of her seventh win: " She's fantastic isn't she, I have been involved in racing greyhounds for thirty years now, and I have never had a dog like this before, this is certainly the highlight so far. Cloncunny Lark really is a clever greyhound and runs with her brain, it's pleasant to see her perform in this way". The 47 year old Bank Manager from Hemsby added, " All credit to the trainer Mike and his wife Ann, they have really brought her on leaps and bounds, since October when she was first kennelled with them, the first of these consecutive winning runs starting at the end of December 2006 right up till now, it’s truly amazing."

A representative of The Stadium Bookmakers says that the Bookmakers are relieved that none of their punters asked for a £10 accumulator at the start of Cloncunny Lark’s run of wins, the rollover bet would now be £21,400, on her achieving the Straight Eight run of wins. Cloncunny Lark’s string of wins has created a deal of interest `on the books`, with just as many bets on her opponents in the races, none of the punters are ever likely to have witnessed such an event as Cloncunny Lark’s run of seven wins.

Cloncunny Lark’s success has Stadium Owner Stephen Franklin actually smiling, as the new Restaurant and Executive Lounges his company opened at the end of 2006 are a buzz with those wanting to see Cloncunny Lark’s unique run. Mr Franklin stated “Not in my fifty years in greyhound racing have I come across such a run of graded race wins, I remember Jack Lambert, from Bungay, one of the top Owner Trainers in 1971, his Open Race greyhound Stylish Ally, a black and white dog, recorded nine open race wins in succession at Yarmouth, taking on open race greyhounds from around the country throughout that summer, but so outstanding was Stylish Ally he usually started as odds on favourite. The run ended in the Semi Finals of that year’s 25th running of the East Anglian Greyhound Derby.

What Mike French and Cloncunny Lark have achieved is amazing, rewriting the record books at Yarmouth.”

A congratulatory hug Celebrating Cloncunny Lark's Seventh win