STAR PREVIEW: DOUBLE DERBY DAY !!

Oh what a day – two Derbys for the price of one! It’s the Investec Derby at Epsom this afternoon and the Star Sports sponsored Greyhound Derby Final at Towcester tonight.

SAX APPEAL

It’s pretty hard to get away from Saxon Warrior at Epsom – Aidan O’Brien bids for a seventh Derby winner but as Wings Of Eagle proved, at 40/1 last year, the market doesn’t always get right which of his raiding party comes out on top.

O’Brien saddles five this year but the Japanese bred Saxon Warrior, the only unbeaten runner in the field, is clearly the expected one with Ryan Moore on top.

He won his first two starts in Ireland last season before stepping up in class to win the Racing Post Trophy Stakes at Doncaster.

This season he took his first Classic, the 2,000 Guineas, on his seasonal reappearance at Newmarket where he took up the running approaching a furlong out and stayed on strongly to win by a length and a half.

The Guineas hasn’t been the best Derby trial in recent years (Sea The Stars (2009) and Camelot (2012) have done the double) and Saxon Warrior has the bogey stall one to overcome but class horses can often defy the stats and I think the drying ground will also suit.

WILL VERVE HAVE THE NERVE?

In around 28 seconds we’ll find out the winner of the 2018 Star Sports Greyhound Derby as the six finalists hurtle around the four bends of Towcester tonight (9.07pm) at speeds of which even Usain Bolt can only dream about.

Last year Towcester became the fourth track to host the most prestigious prize in the sport after Wimbledon closed and the first running at the Northamptonshire venue also saw the biggest shock in the 91-year history when Astute Missile pinged out the traps to win at 28/1.

The dash to the first bend will again prove vital and this year’s favourite Droopys Verve has excelled so far in this department and connections were pleased with trap 4 in Wednesday’s Derby Lunch Draw in London.

Trainer Mark Wallis, now based at Towcester, has two runners, Bombers Bullet in trap 1 and Bruisers Bullet in trap 2. ‘Bombers’ was runner-up to Droopys Verve in an incident packed first semi-final and might need trouble up front again as he’s not the quickest starter.

Bruisers Bullet looked a million to one in running to qualify after taking a hefty bump in the semi-finals but showed great tenacity in the closing stages. Dorotas Wildcat (trap 3) seems to have fared worse in the draw with fast starters on either side.

Charlie Lister has trained seven previous Derby winners but even he may struggle with outsider Dorotas Vic who runs from trop 5 but the trainer would have preferred box 6.

In trap 6 is sole Irish raider Whoops Jack who will need to lead to win according to trainer Peter Cronin. The Irish don’t have the best record though, it’s certainly nothing like the canine version of the Cheltenham Festival.

Home win for Droopys Verve looks the call.

The Saxon Warrior / Droopys Verve double is paying around 7/2 with starsports.bet and if you are a new customer and that double obliges (assuming both start SP favs which look likely) Star will also drop an additional £100 CASH INTO your account !!