Trainer of kidnapped dog celebrates ‘fairytale ending’
Limerick drugs boss Christy Keane was one of four men arrested in connection with the greyhound’s kidnapping. A well-known dissident republican is also being questioned by detectives.
Trainer Graham Holland, who previously guided Rocket to an Irish Derby win, choked up with emotion as he described receiving a call from gardaí telling him his beloved racing dog was “alive and well”.
“We brought Rocket home, gave him a good feed, and pampered him. There were lots of tears. I know they broke into the kennels, but it’s like they broke into our privacy. You work with these dogs seven days a week and they become members of the family, and it feels like somebody has been taken from you.”
The father of three, originally from Dorset, England, said he was “over the moon” when he walked into Tipperary Town Garda Station just after midnight to collect the dog he thought he’d lost forever.
“I’m delighted. Obviously, I feel a bit drained. We’ve had a tough 48 hours and it’s just fantastic to get him back,” he said in tears at his home in Golden.
“To be really honest about it we didn’t think we were honestly going to see him again. The feeling was, once it hit national news, that the people who took him would panic and probably destroy the dog and disappear — that was my feeling. Luckily enough the gardaí did a fantastic job, and we are very lucky to have the dog back.”
He praised Tipperary gardaí for bringing the ordeal to a “fairytale ending”.
“I would like to thank our local garda Eddie Nugent, and Detective Martin Steed in Tipperary Town. They’ve been very good. Martin understands greyhounds quite a lot, because he has his own dogs, so he could understand what we were going through. We were very lucky to have two great men on the job.”
Timmy Holland, 18, had been left in charge of Rocket when thieves struck his father’s last Sunday night, Monday morning.
Timmy said he was “heartbroken” when he checked on Rocket on Monday morning: “I tried not to panic too much in the hope that he may have got out and that he wasn’t stolen. You wouldn’t expect someone to come and steal a dog.
“I’m delighted he’s back as I felt responsible that he was taken. I’m just delighted he’s back and he’s happy.”
Gardaí intercepted a car travelling from Waterford to Limerick late on Tuesday night and arrested two men and recovered the dog. Two more males were arrested in a separate operation. All four were being held at Garda stations in Tipperary Town and Clonmel.
The gang behind the kidnapping had demanded a ransom but no money was handed over, Mr Holland said: “I think everybody thought, like we did, that we’d never see the dog again, a bit like Shergar. For once there’s a good ending.”
“He will race again, he’s in good enough condition; they didn’t badly treat him. They obviously fed him and let him have water, he wasn’t dehydrated.”
Mr Holland agreed the nightmare ordeal reminded him of the infamous 1983 kidnapping of champion racehorse Shergar, which was never been seen again.
“If the gardaí never found the dog you’d always wonder was he still out there. It would be a similar type of thing to Shergar.”
Mr Holland said he would be increasing security at his home and kennels in Golden.
He added that he hoped Clares Rocket would compete in next year’s English Derby. The race has commanded up to £250,000 (€290,000) for first place in recent years.
“It has been worth as much as £250,000. It takes a lot of winning and there are a lot of ifs and buts, but (Rocket) is a dog that’s good enough to win it, if he’s lucky enough. He’s lucky enough, he must be, to have come back home safe.”
Gang saw ‘huge investment’
The Clares Rocket abduction investigation took a further twist last night when it emerged a Limerick drugs’ gang suspected of involvement demanded cash and a percentage stake in the ownership of the racing wonder.
In effect, well-placed sources explained, the gang was seeking control of the dog in a multi-million euro gambling market. It is currently second-favourite for the Derby.
The gang, it is believed, saw it as a huge investment. A well-placed Garda source said last night: “This Limerick gang would not be taking such a big chance for a €100,000 ransom demand — that would be small money in their business. They were aiming to be a player in what is a multi-million or even multi-billion gambling market if they had achieved control of a once-in-a-lifetime dog.”
It is also believed a drug addicted industry insider was engaged to help organise entry to the Graham Holland-run kennels on Monday night last. In return, a major heroin debt was to be written off.
The individual concerned reportedly helped transfer the dog a short time later to gang associates who had moved and kept it overnight to Co Waterford.
Two well-known Limerick crime gang figures were among four men being held last night in relation to the investigation.
The greyhound had a potential stud value of up to €1 million, having already won 14 races worth almost €54,000.
It was recovered after a huge operation. Gardaí intercepted a car late on Tuesday night on the Waterford-Limerick road.
The dog was in the car with two men, both well-known Limerick criminals.
Four men are being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act at garda stations in Tipperary town and Clonmel.
