Ben Collins

Where it all began - Rookies Fantasy (Rodney) my first ever runner 2nd April 2009. This was after a young naive me purchasing him and a bitch (Rookies Hawk - Cassie) at 12 weeks old and rearing them through until about 13 months in the back garden (!). This boy was a cracker - I picked him on his breeding off of data - Premier Fantasy x Gunboat Karen. The shrewdest of you out there will recognise this turned out to being the same breeding as the machine Barefoot Bolt. Seeing him get to the track was incredible, I actually documented the whole journey on a poker forum at the time and often go back to read it even now. He had a big following as you can hear from the roar that went up as he turned too close down the back and we knew the boy was ready to pounce around the @Oxford_Stadium 450m trip. Absolutely loved this boy, he went on to win his first three races but unfortunately his career got cut short on 12th September 2009 due to a hock injury after he actually led round in top grade. It was devastating but I’ll never forget this lad and the joy he brought to me, my family and friends - phenomenal boy who loved everything he did and everyone he met. The love, the anticipation, emotion, excitement and the buzz on the video captured forever and always one we revisit. Love you Rodders ❤️

Just back from the vet and this happy girly DOTTY got the ‘all clear’ this morning. No further appointments needed! 🎉 ❤️ So much hard work and patience by her over the last 6 months, operations, bandage changes and muzzles and she’s managed to get to this point. Can’t thank and recommend Nikki at Thirsk Veterinary Centre enough. After the disgrace that was Pets 4 Vets Durham we have severely been on the back foot (pardon the pun) in the battle to keep her leg. Still plenty of muscle to build up and confidence to reinstall so we begin some pool work from tomorrow to help with that down at @LinkKennels Dotty should have only gone through 1 sedation/xray/op to sort this out, she’s been under 6 further times because of it. That’s why it’s even more amazing to me that not only have we kept the leg, but we have no metal in the leg at all either, it’s purely her body doing the work. Please anyone who needs greyhound work done, put Nikki very much at the top of your list if you can get to her. There are plenty of others who supported/was a soundboard for me in this and for that I’m incredibly grateful, notably @Maxine_locke /Stef’s input & @PhilMilner who put me in touch with Nikki in the first place. Massive thank you to you both and of course everyone on here who kept wishing her well and asking how she is doing. She’s such a happy girl who honestly wants fuss from every person she sees - her tail goes a million miles an hour 😂 Hopefully you’ll get a chance to meet her at a track fundraising at some point in the future as I think she’d absolutely love that ❤️ Here is hoping the next couple of months go well and she can enjoy playing in the garden with bunny and suzi-woo rather than just spending all day grooming them and watching tv (seriously it’s non stop!) 😂

@porkys22 Disgraceful statement

BHA confident that greyhound racing bans in Wales and Scotland have 'no connection to the future of horseracing' racingpost.com/news/britain/b…

🙏 “What I saw was a stadium with well-cared-for animals…” We are grateful to @PeterFox61, one of the MSs who visited @TheValleyTrack, rather than relying on hearsay Watch his speech in @SeneddWales ⤵️

Exactly! Welfare issues exist everywhere, the difference is greyhound racing actually records and publishes its data, which is why it gets judged on it and used for political virtue signalling.

@GTStips @RomfordDogs 100/1 Jacktavern Don slip would be a lovely winner but I think Sehnsa Amigo is too big a price as the outsider in this field at 13/2.

WHO WINS THE GOLDEN SPRINT @RomfordDogs TONIGHT?? 👇

@DavidGreenwooda I’m not in disagreement - I still can’t tell whether you think I’m for the bill or not or just ranting 🤷‍♂️😂

@TheOracleBen The chances of a new greyhound track being built in Scotland before this legislation was zero. Therefore every £1 spent! On this bill has been wasted and could have been used elsewhere to help people in Scotland.

Whilst it’s true there’s no direct welfare impact given there are no tracks in Scotland, it shouldn’t be dismissed as irrelevant. It closes the door on future development of the sport, and more importantly feeds a public perception and false sense of momentum that isn’t based on full context.

@JohnFranci26467 Droopys Bookem

@TheOracleBen What is his name Ben

This is your 6 week warning for the GREYHOUND DERBY FIRST ROUND. Can’t wait for it! Danno made a nice little return to the track tonight, hopefully have him nice and ready for it 🙏 (28.42 newc).

@DavidGreenwooda I’m not sure whether you’re coming at me because you never read my post properly or just ranting about it….?! 😂

@TheOracleBen 10000 children in temporary accommodation in Scotland and your happy that the Government has wasted money on this. It will have no effect and the legislation will never be used. Children could have been given a better life but you felt your virtue signalling was more important

The data is published. Turning it into a “which track is worst” narrative without context, is exactly how data gets misused. If there are genuine concerns, they should be dealt with through regulation, not social media league tables. The incident you’ve shared was addressed at that level. It’s one of the few sectors that actually records and publishes everything, which is why it’s constantly targeted.

@TheOracleBen @domdyer70 @LBC @IainDale @DogsTrust @RSPCA_official @ZackPolanski Why are greyhound injuries/deaths not reported per track? Which UK track has the highest figure? Where is Sunderland placed on the list of most greyhound deaths? x.com/Jura_Harris/st…

Look forward to joining Ian Dale on LBC Radio 9.05pm this evening to welcome the ban on grey hound racing in Wales & why we need to see the same in England @LBC @IainDale @DogsTrust @RSPCA_official @ZackPolanski

That’s misleading. “One of the last countries on the planet to allow it” suggests it’s banned everywhere else, which simply isn’t true. In most countries it just isn’t part of the culture. What you’ve actually done is ban a long-standing part of UK and Irish sporting heritage for optics, not context.

Greyhound racing has been banned in Scotland! We were one of the last countries on the planet to allow it. But the Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly backed our bill last night. @markruskell who lodged the bill reacts 👇

Let's face it...they needed to distract from the fact that the SNP can't account for millions missing from the public purse, refuse to follow the law, nor accurately define a woman. Anything to avoid reality. Absolute morons.

When a champion, met another one 📹 We love this clip of five-times champion jockey @OisMurphy meeting 2024 @PremGreyRacing Oaks winner Sally, aka Druids Say Go, at Dunstall Park last week. 👉 dunstallpark-greyhounds.co.uk/racing/welfare… 👈 #DunstallPark 🐾

🗨️ "This is gesture politics and virtue-signalling legislation that is designed to look busy rather than make a difference" @FinCarson MSP, @SP_RuralAffairs Committee Convener, widely criticises the move to ban greyhound racing in Scotland, where no racing even takes place ⤵️

Scotland bans greyhound racing following Wales in historic animal welfare move chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/s…

This constant “now only legal in…” line is misleading, much like most of the noise from antis. In most countries it isn’t illegal, it’s just not a heritage sport or never existed at scale. In the UK and Ireland it is part of our sporting heritage, and that context, along with the facts, matters when people talk about banning it.

@deepblue0001 100%!

@TheOracleBen A well reasoned and articulate article like that has no place in modern politics. Sensible policies don’t win votes, headlines do

Another example of MPs virtue signalling on something they clearly don’t fully understand today. Pushed through on headlines to suit agendas, not actual context. If you actually look at the data, the picture is very different 👇