A greyhound bought by a syndicate in memory of a friend who died from cancer has gone on to win several high-profile races in his first year. The story behind the dog, who is called Mickey's Barrett, could also be developed into a film.
The syndicate bought the dog after their friend Mickey Barrett passed in 2021 and the greyhound has been incredibly successful. The group has since gone on to purchase a second dog which they have named Nottingham Forest after their beloved team.
An open race was held at Nottingham Greyhound Stadium in Colwick in November in Mickey Barrett's memory, with the syndicate's greyhound going on to win the race. Ashley White, a close friend of Mickey's and head of the syndicate, said it was an emotional and well-attended day.
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"There were about 250 of us down at Colwick for the memorial race which was in November. We had a three-course dinner and then Mickey's Barrett actually went on to win the race. It was an open race with some of the best dogs around taking part so it was an amazing experience for us," he said.
The group invested £5,000 to purchase Mickey's Barrett and since then he has gone on to compete in races across England. The original idea was to honour their friend, but Ashley highlighted that they never expected the dog to be so successful.
"We've all lost a good friend at some point in our lives and people do things like making chairs or plaques to remember them. So we came up with this idea and we never thought the dog would be a superstar. We just wanted something fun to bring us together on a Friday night in Nottingham to get us out of the house where we could have fun and talk about our friend," he explained.
"We've ended up going all around England following the dog in some amazing races. After just six months of racing, we were offered £35,000 then £75,000 from people looking to buy him but he isn't for sale. We never did it for that as we wanted to honour our friend."
He added: "We ended up in the most prestigious race, The English Greyhound Derby, in the first year and he came third. There are four of us on a committee who went to the private dinner at Towcester where you sit with all the professional people in the dog and horse racing circuit and we were interviewed on Sky Sports. We never thought anything like that would happen."
Known as a huge Forest fan, Mickey had many friends who all miss him. The syndicate has meant a lot to many of them including some of the men who were struggling with their mental health, especially during tough Covid restrictions.
"Mickey was an amazing character and he was a big Forest fan. He was a lovely gentleman and very hard-working. He had three daughters and was just looking forward to enjoying his retirement when he passed away within four months," Ashley said.
"The man in the sky is probably laughing his head off at this as he was never one for attention. He would be going, what are you doing this for then? He would be laughing at what's happening but he would love it."
He added: "We had a few people struggling with their mental health over Covid times and living alone. Some of them said I don't think I'd be here now if it wasn't for this syndicate as all of a sudden you have sixty friends who care about each other. It gave a lot of the lads a new lease on life by following the dog and getting out of the house to start mixing again."
Ashley is now living in the Czech Republic with his wife but he returns home to Nottingham for every race. Mickey's Barrett has already brought in a large sum of prize money which the syndicate has kept aside.
The syndicate is now in discussions with some production companies through one of the members, Johnny Owen, who is based in Nottingham with his partner Vicky McClure.
"We are now talking to production companies through Johnny Owen who is also in the syndicate. I want to do a film because its too good a story. Anyone who has lost someone could come to see it which is why we think it has a good chance. When you do a football movie, you have automatically got 30,000 who want to come and see it but billions of people will have lost someone and want to see this."
British producer and actor Jonny Owen commented: ‘I was lucky enough to meet Mickey and he really was a gentleman. One of the loveliest lads you could know. When he passed his best mate Ashley White had this idea of getting a greyhound in his name as a way to keep his huge circle of friends together. To be honest I was happy to help just because it was a lovely idea.
"Lo and behold the dog turns into a champion! People have travelled the UK to support him. Last week some of the lads said they should make a film about it! I said I’d be happy to pass on any ideas they have."
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