'€100k or you won't see your prized dog again' - Ransom demands made by gang

Clares Rocket was back at renowned trainer Graham Holland's kennels in Golden, Co Tipperary, last night after it was stolen on Sunday night.

Four men were arrested by armed gardaí on Tuesday night after the gang demanded a €100,000 ransom from a member of the Limerick Full House syndicate via a phonecall just hours after the theft of the greyhound.

The male caller demanded the six-figure cash sum and said the dog would never be returned alive unless the ransom was paid.

The Irish Independent understands the ransom was demanded after a major drugs deal involving Keane fell apart.

However, armed gardaí recovered the greyhound when they stopped two cars during simultaneous raids in different locations in Co Kilkenny on Tuesday night. They had been monitoring crime lord Christy Keane (55) and other gang members all day across four counties and pounced on the suspects at 10pm.

Four men were arrested in the two cars at Mooncoin, Co Kilkenny, and at another location on the Kilkenny/Waterford border.

Apart from Limerick drugs lord Christy Keane, a dissident Republican man and a man from Waterford were arrested during the operation.

The four were being held in Clonmel and Tipperary garda stations last night.

One of the cars was tracked by gardaí when it left Limerick on Tuesday and travelled to Waterford where the dog was handed over to the occupants of the car, which including Keane.

This car was then tracked as it left Waterford city area before being intercepted on the Kilkenny/Waterford border. Keane was travelling with the dog when armed officers swooped.

It is understood the criminals had been plotting to kidnap the greyhound for a number of weeks and had detailed knowledge of where to find Clares Rocket.

An emotional Mr Holland, who was reunited with the dog on Tuesday night at Tipperary town garda station, said at his home yesterday: "It's like winning the Derby again."

Mr Holland, who has had numerous wins with Rocket, including the prestigious Champion Stakes and Produce Stakes, choked with emotion as he described a phonecall from gardaí telling him the beloved racing dog was "alive and well".

"We brought Rocket home, gave him a feed, and pampered him. There was lots of tears," he said.

"It is 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".

"I think everybody thought, like we did, that we'd never see the dog again, a bit like Shergar," he said.

"To have a fairy tale ending to a sad thing is unusual. For once there's a good ending.

"If gardaí never found the dog you'd always wonder was he still out there. It would be similar to Shergar.

"To be really honest, we didn't think we were going to see him again. The feeling was, once it hit national news, the people who took him would panic and probably destroy the dog and disappear.

"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."

Security

Mr Holland, who won the Irish Derby this season with Rural Hawaii, said he would be increasing security at his home and kennels.

He hopes Clares Rocket can compete in next year's English Derby, which commands up to £250,000 (€293,153) in prize money. Clares Rocket was listed at 25/1 before this week's crime.

"It is a big prize. 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 said.

"He's lucky enough, he must be, to have come back home safe."

Garda investigations are continuing.