IMPERIAL KENNELS - 1989-2005 - LINDA JONES

Linda’s major breakthrough came in 1994 when gaining a lucrative contract at Romford and, with the kennel picking up bigger prizes and attracting more quality greyhounds, the scene was set for Linda’s rise to the top.  1998 was a special year with the kennel breaking through the 100 open race winners in a year for the first time - 138 winners in all putting Linda into 7th place in the Trainers Championship. Better news came when one of the top six trainers dropped out of the Trainers Championship Meeting (top six invites only) at Walthamstow and Linda was drafted in as first reserve. Despite being 100-1 outsiders, Linda’s team brilliantly won the meeting.  1999 also saw one of the winning greyhounds from the championship meeting, Secret Crystal,  perform admirably to provide the kennel with their first Greyhound Derby Finalist, finishing a creditable 4th.

On 1 November 1999 Linda took another major step on the road to success when landing a contract at the country’s premier track Walthamstow. This was to prove a major success as a month later Honky Tonk Girl raced to glory in the Essex Vase at former track Romford to give Imperial Kennels its first Category One success. This was quickly followed up with Mumble Swerve winning the Eclipse Final at Nottingham a couple of weeks later.

The Millennium Year was another outstanding year with 212 open race winners and 632 points that propelled Linda to second place in the Trainers Championship behind Linda Mullins.  Courts Legal’s East Anglian Derby and Laurels success in the space of a  few weeks was the highlight of a year which also provided the kennel’s second Derby Finalist Greenfield Deal who was a creditable third behind Rapid Ranger.

2001 was to provide not just Linda and the kennel with an incredible year, it was also to see the triple Category One winner Kinda Magic - Pall Mall (Oxford), Golden Sprint (Romford) and Peterborough Derby, burst onto the scene.  Along with Pinewood Blue (Kent Derby at Sittingbourne) Imperial Kennels raced to an incredible 235 open race winners and 1001 points enabling Linda Jones to be crowned Champion Trainer of 2001.

The success continued in 2002 with Kinda Magic making it four Category Ones when retaining the Golden Sprint at Romford.  With Vancouver Jet winning the Arc at home track Walthamstow and Top Power winning the Essex Vase at Romford alongside prolific open racer Rossa Ranger (leading open racer of 2002), Linda and Imperial Kennels ran up an amazing tally of 323 open race winners and 1081 points to land a second Champion Trainer title.

2003 (3rd) and 2004 (5th) were reasonably quiet years with Special Trick (2003) and Ronnies Flight (2004) being the only Category One successes when landing the Grand Prix at home track Walthamstow.   These enabled Linda to amass 13 Category One successes before deciding due to ill health to step down from training with Mark Wallis and her daughter Sarah taking over the reins at Imperial Kennels.

Linda has happily regained her heath and now works tirelessly with greyhound welfare and family commitments and is still on hand to help Mark if called upon.  Her past achievements and continuing work endorse her legendary status in the greyhound industry.

IMPERIAL KENNELS - 2005-PRESENT - MARK WALLIS

After taking over the training from his mother-in-law Mark kept the Imperial Kennels success story going straight away, although after a few near misses in finals few people could have predicted the amazing success to come in 2005.  Fear No One’s Peterborough Puppy Derby win was to start an avalanche of big race wins, Go Commando providing Mark with the first important category One win in the Gymcrack Puppy Final at Hall Green when fairly bolting up in an incredible 28.11 (2 spots outside the track record).  Fear No One then went on to win the Peterborough Derby and the East Anglian Derby (Yarmouth).  Ronnies Champion (Nottingham Puppy Classic), Bell Legend (Steel City Cup at Sheffield), Fear Assassin (Romford Puppy Cup) and Lethal Rumble(Grand National) were all pivotal in making Mark Champion Trainer 2005 at the first time of asking with 1445 points and 305 winners.

2006 started a bit slowly and didn’t get going until the Trainers Championship Meeting at Wimbledon in March and although not as big a price (10/1) as when Linda won in 1999 (100/1) the kennel bolted in with some great winners like the “Queen of Walthamstow” Star of Dromin.  Category One winners were to come in the shape of Fear Robben (Nottingham Puppy Classic) and January Tiger leading home an unbelievable 1-2-3-4 for the kennel in the Grand Prix at the Stow.  Roswell Starship (Puppy Cup Romford) and current sensation  Eye onthe Veto who won the Essex Vase at Romford in December to completed another excellent year with 329 winners and over 1131 points amassed.

2007 has started very well for Imperial Kennels with Eye onthe Veto’s success in the Category 1 Emerald Cup at Coventry being the highlight so far. We’ve had big runs from Butterbridge Ali who’s second in the important Monmore Puppy derby behind Rough Ronaldhinho was a great achievement. This followed Ali’s runner up spot in January’s Zigzag Puppy Championship. Raging Jack has reached two big finals (Birmingham Cup and the Walthamstow Arc) while Daisyfield Seani and Blackmagic Guy were second and third respectively in the Golden Jacket.

This year’s Trainer’s Championship meeting was held at Hall Green. We defended our title won last year at Wimbledon with great credit and only lost on the last leg after an epic battle with Charlie Lister. A great performance by all our team and encouraging for this year’s target of regaining our Champion Trainer title in which by the end of the month we had a 100 point advantage over our rivals. April was the launch of this highly acclaimed web site and Centaur Decree was a great Ocean Trailers winner. Our next big race winner in September came in the shape of Eye Onthe Veto in Romford's £10,000 to the winner Champion Stakes. Plenty of finalists but no wins until that fine specimen of a greyhound Eye Onthe Veto won his fourth Category 1 race in his career when defending his Essex Vase title, a feat that earned him a nomination for 'Greyhound of the Year'. Directors Chair was a fine 4th in the St Leger final and confirmed the promise when winning the Midland St Leger at Hall Green. We ended the year in 3rd place in the trainers' standings with 276 winners and 926 points, about 72 points behind winner Charlie Lister. (To get a complete review of the 2007 go to archives on the guest column page.)