SAY LITTLE was owned by Mr A.L Cox, a Lincolnshire corn merchant, and trained by Colin McNally at Perry Barr. His sire, Albany, was by Prairie Flash out of The Grand Fire bitch, the blue Clomoney Grand, one of Ireland’s greatest, while Prairie Flash was by Hi There and an outstanding dam Prairie Peg.
Albany was from a second mating between his sire and dam, and the litter included the Derby runner-up Kilbelin Style and Kilbelin Grand, who contested the final of the 1969 Irish Derby. Say Little’s dam, Newhouse Blue, was by the record breaking Derby winner Faithful Hope and the Hi There bitch Grange Liner.
A blue brindle (there was blue on both sides of his family), Say Little was British-bred and trained and, during two years (1972 and 1973), he won more than £5,000 in prize money and established himself as one of the best British-bred dogs of the time. His racing weight was 69lbs and he was equally consistent over 500, 525 and 880yds. He set a new track record at Walthamstow, clocking 28.83sec in his heat of the Circuit and won the final as he liked.
At Powderhall, in the Edinburgh Cup, in his first run round the track, he covered the 500yds course in 27.80sec and won the final in 27.91sec, beating Short Cake by two lengths. The following year saw him contest the Derby, after winning the Select Stakes at Wembley by eight lengths from Mel’s Pupil and Forest Noble.
In the Derby, he won his first and second round heats and in his semi was beaten a neck by Forest Noble. In the final, won for the second year running by Patricia’s Hope, he was beaten only half a length by that great dog in a desperate finish after starting 6-4 favourite. Say Little actually finished third in that memorable race, a neck behind Softly with Forest Noble just a neck behind him.
Say Little then went on to contest the Welsh Derby but, after making a rare slow start, was beaten a length in the final by Silly Rocket, a greyhound who ran through the event undefeated. Chosen to represent his country in the Anglo-Irish International, Say Little won his first-leg race easily but, in the return at Shelbourne Park, broke a toe and was retired to stud.