Without the incredible accomplishments of Some Picture in 1997, there is no Hall of Fame that could be considered complete. The "impossible" Derby treble is the pinnacle of success that any greyhound may reach in modern-day racing. It is the hardest thing to do. To be more specific, the versions are Scottish, English, and Irish.
Some Picture came very close to being one of the most renowned greyhounds in history. Even if he had not fought with sickness in the Irish version, he could have been able to finish what was considered to be nothing more than a mad fantasy up until that point.
He initially came to public attention at the tail end of 1996, when he triumphed in the Eclipse competition held in Nottingham in a manner that was quite impressive. That win was sufficient to earn him an invitation to the Select Stakes, and he dutifully chopped up in the annual one-off event, demonstrating that he was definitely out of the top drawer from the beginning.
In spite of this, the accomplishments he accomplished in 1996 were rendered inconsequential the following year, when Some Picture established himself as one of the most remarkable greyhounds of the 1990s. Some Picture's campaign was well planned out, and it was trained by Charlie Lister, a no-nonsense northerner with a fierce edge and the eye of an eagle when it came to observing the greyhounds that he is responsible for.
The Regal Scottish Derby appeared to be a logical choice for this magnificently endowed horse, and he breezed through the competition with nary a blemish. He was quickly becoming a top contender for the English Derby, which was the one that truly counted. Connections, on the other hand, were aware of the fact that Regal was paying a bonus of one hundred thousand pounds to any greyhound who won their Scottish competition and then went on to win the English and Irish counterparts.
When it came to discussing Some Picture, Lister exuded an aura of self-assurance, despite the fact that the majority of greyhound enthusiasts would consider it a dream come true to win the Scottish Derby. With a spectacular undefeated run in the English Derby, the greyhound lived up to some extremely high expectations. His performance in the final positioned him as one of the all-time greats, and he was able to live up to those expectations.
Instantaneously, the 'impossible' appeared to be more than feasible, and some people even began to consider it to be plausible.
Preparations were being made for the most significant accomplishment in the history of greyhound racing in the contemporary era. The Irish held Some Picture in very high regard, and he was considered to be one of the favourites for the most important race that was scheduled to take place on the Irish calendar.
The early rounds went well, and Some Picture appeared to be every bit capable of winning the Triple Crown. However, during the later phases of the competition, Some Pictures appeared to be off-colour. This may have been due to a change in habit, a change in scenery, a change in food, or a combination of all of these factors.
Even though he was obviously not at his best, he still managed to fight his way through to the final. However, he received a hit at the beginning of the big final, which killed his hopes of winning. It was almost remarkable that he was able to make it to the final.
It was the conclusion of a remarkable career, and Some Picture was on the verge of achieving immortality in the sport of greyhound racing until something happened. His accomplishments, on the other hand, drew the attention of the national press, and he was to be featured in a multitude of pieces which compared the canine star to the greatest of his human counterparts.