Gone to the dogs: Offaly dog of the year for 2025 named

2025's racing finished with a track record performance in Enniscorthy and two more Offaly sweepstake winners in Newbridge to add to a great total already won.

2025 was a great year for Offaly dogs winning stakes from Cork to Dublin and mopping up all the majors around the midland tracks. Offaly greyhound owners, trainers and breeders have proved once again they can mix it with the best in the country. More on this later in this column.

Thankfully the cold snap didn't wipe out too much of the racing and allowed 2026  to start successfully with more winners over the weekend.

Early Week Racing

Monday, 29th, Enniscorthy, in the final of the Lord Kennels Open Unraced, Glengar Kane (Grangeview Ten-Mystical Luna) was the standout performer from the start of this stake to the finish, winning every one of the five rounds and the final, in a track record time of 28.26, by eight lengths at 4/7 fav. While the €4K is a lovely pot to win for Pat Buckley knowing he now has a dog to tackle all the major stakes in 2026 must be heart warming. What a prospect. 

Seamount King was second for Eoin Mullins and received a cheque for €1.5k.

Also on Monday, there were a night of finals in Newbridge including three brilliant Offaly winners. In the final of an S3 325 Sprint stake Opera Moment (Ballymac Cashout-Ballymac Sanjose) won in a superb 17.81 by four lengths at 2/1 with €600 going to Daingean owner Conor McGrath and trainer Vincent McKenna.

In the final of the Adopt A Greyhound A3 stake, cream came to the top here as Coff Butler (Explosive Boy- Blacktrench Corr) won in 28.93, going through the three rounds unbeaten, for Mountlucas owners Elaine and Anthony O’Grady. Five lengths was the winning margin for this ever improving young dog at odds of 4/7 fav with a purse of €1.1k heading to the North Offaly owners. Final Offaly winner of 2025 was in the final race on this card as Glenlara Dubh won an A3 race in a messy affair, just getting up on the line after finding all sorts of trouble, to win by a head in 29.99 at 6/4 for Ballinagar owner Liam Kirley.


Friday Racing

2nd January, two Faithful County winners at the matinee SIS meeting in Mullingar. First Offaly winner of 2026 was in an A3 grade as Killeshill Devine won his thirteenth race in 29.64 (50 slow) by four lengths at 2/1 joint fav for Croghan owner Vincent Lynch. Another regular winner was back on the winners rostrum as Lahinch Blaze had his twenty Fourth career win for Clara owner P.J. Cleary in 30.07 (50 slow) by one length at 6/4 joint fav. 


Saturday Racing

Due to the heavy frost all meetings were cancelled for the safety of the dogs with the exception of Shelbourne Park. There were eight heats in the first round of 2026 Dublin A2 Cup won last year by Skidrow Joe for Owen McKenna. Navan trainer Oliver Bray won two of the heats with six other trainers winning one each. Fastest of the six was the classicly bred Bounceback Luna (Grangeview Ten- Mystical Luna) who stopped the clock in 28.37 winning by six lengths at 5/2. Heat six was an Offaly winner as Highview Dynasty won for Croghan trainer Gerry Merriman in 28.73 by one length at 4/1.

Sunday Racing

All racing cancelled due to the cold spell.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, quarter-finals of the 2026 Dublin A2 Cup. 


Tribune Offaly Dog Of The Week

Easy decision this week as Coff Butler gets the nod for the second time in three weeks for winning the final of the Adopt A Greyhound A3 Stake in Newbridge last Monday for Elaine and Anthony O’Grady, in a smart 28.93, by a margin of five lengths. Super run, super dog. 

Offaly Winners

There were six Offaly winners this week. Congrats to all connections.

Rankings For 2025

All statistics are as published on the IGB website.

The dog winning the most money last year was obviously the Derby winner Cheap Sandwiches who also won at the Winter Racing Festival and the Dundalk International and in total won over €159k. Next best on this list was Faypoint Ranger who won over €95k with the winning of the Con and Annie Kirby Memorial in April and success again at the Winter Racing Festival. Third dog was Seven Beach for Jennifer O’Donnell who won over €63k including the Tote Gold Collar in Shelbourne in February, the Select Stakes in Waterford in April, Callaway Prp Am Race Of Champions in Tralee in June and the Boylesports Champion Stakes at headquarters in July. 

Obviously with Graham Holland having the first two dogs on the money winning list he won the most money as trainer with just over €431k. Pat Buckley is second on this list with over €262k with Pat Guilfoyle in third on over €181k. 

Mullingar-  there was a tie for dogs winning the highest number of races in the Westmeath track with both on 13 wins and both for Vincent Lynch Killeshill Ranger and Killeshill Milo. 

Three dogs on 12 wins, Bluejig Teddy for Catherine Lynagh, Lahinch Blaze for P.J. Cleary and Mumbai Pickle for Roger Brereton.

Cesarawitch winner Singalong Dolly won the most money in Mullingar on just over €10k. 

Leading public trainer was Ian Reilly on 101 winners with Beatrice Steiner second on 63. 

Leading private trainer was Rosemary Price on 56 with Vincent Lynch second on 45. 

Newbridge - dog with most wins was Aoife Artist for Shaun Conway on 11 wins. Two dogs shared second on 6 wins Bluey for Conway again and Scarborough Lady for Keith Powell. 

Droopys Bundle won the most money for Robert Gleeson in just under €7k.

Leading Public trainer was Conway on 42 wins with Powell second on 36. 

Rosemary Price was leading private trainer on 41 wins.

Shelbourne - leading public trainer was Holland on 51 wins with Buckley a close second on 49.  Leading private trainer was Barry Clancy on 34 wins. Leading owner was Liam Dowling on 29 wins.

Derby winner Cheap Sandwiches obviously won the most money on just under €140k with Seven Beach second on over €37k. Barefoot On Song was third on over €33k. 

The dog with most wins at Headquarters was Cheque For Cash for Karol Ramsbottom on 9 wins with Surprise Reunion second on 8 for Marie and Skip Gilbert.

All tracks combined

Two dogs shared the most wins nationwide in 2025, both on 15 wins, Killeshill Ranger for Vincent  Lynch and Dangan Conor for Adam Dunford. Dunford also had the dog in third place on 14 wins in Imokilly Roxanne.

Rosemary Price was leading private trainer on 109 wins with Paul White second on 80.  Leading Private owner with the most wins was Derek Kehoe on 207 wins with Liam Dowling second on 93. Two Offaly owners were well up this list, both finishing on 52 winners for the year Vincent Lynch and P.J. Cleary.  Graham Holland was once again champion trainer on an incredible 156 winners with Pat Buckley second on 127. Well done to both.

Offaly Dogs in Stakes in 2025

Fourteen great Offaly stake winners throughout 2025.

1 - In April, Kelpie was our first in an A3 stake in Shelbourne for Margaret Bolton.

2 - also April, Highview Voice won an ON2 Unraced in Shelbourne for Gerry Merriman.

3 - May, Durrow Star was a great winner of the Cork Spring A2 Derby in Curraheen Park for Diarmuid O’Neill.

4 - also May, Kilbride Duchess won the Carrick Aldo @ Stud  ON2 Unraced in Mullingar for David Hanlon.

5 - June, Highview Plan won an A4 stake for Merriman again in Shelbourne.

6 - also June, Carrick Scholsey had a great win in the AO Summer Cup also in Shelbourne for Thomas Glynn.

7 - July, Paddy McCormack had Fahy Shop on the winners podium in the final of the Pat Curtin Memorial A4  Cup in Mullingar.

8 - August, David Hanlon was back in the winners enclosure as Cappy Cailin won an ON2 Unraced stake in Mullingar.

9 - October, Optic Helmet won also won an ON2 Unraced stake in Mullingar for Hanlon.

10 - also October, Aussie Promise won an A3 Bitch stake in Shelbourne for Jeanette MacKenzie.

11 - November, a classic winner here as Gem Friendly won the Pat Doran Memorial Fair Warrior Open Sprint in Mullingar for Conor McGrath.

12 - December, Yorkie Ollie was a fine winner of the Elite Contracting Design Open 575 in Cork for Birr owners Michael Hennessy and Adrian Sheils.

13 - December, Gem Friendly won an S3 Sprint stake in Newbridge for Conor McGrath.

14 Finally, also December, Coff Butler won the Adopt A Greyhound A3 Stake in Newbridge for Elaine and Anthony O’Grady.

Another super year and all brilliant Offaly winners, well done to all.


Tribune Offaly Dog Of The Year

There were many contenders with numerous dogs putting their heads above the parapet with stakes won in Cork, Shelbourne and the Fair Warrior in Mullingar. However, Killeshill Ranger for Croghan owner Vincent Lynch who had the magnificent achievement of being the joint most winning dog in Ireland for the calendar year on 15 wins got the nod for 2025. This remarkable dog has achieved something very few dogs have as he has reached the final of the Fair Warrior over 400 yards, to the Cesarawitch over 600, as well as winning numerous races in the distances in between. 15 wins in a year is an unbelievable strike rate and with no sign of him stopping soon lets hope this winning streak continues. Magnificent achievement to have an Offaly dog top of this list. Well done to Vincent Lynch and well done to Killeshill Ranger, Tribune  Offaly Dog For 2025. 

SEE NEXT: Fixture announced for Offaly Walsh Cup showdown with Galway

Wishing all involved in this industry and readers of this article on a weekly basis a safe and happy new year. Hopefully this will be a year to remember for a lifetime. Fingers crossed.