EMILY WALLIS: Greyhound Derby Blog #4 – First Round Review

Welcome back to my Derby blog for this week where we’ll be reviewing the first round, which brought plenty of shocks and big name exits as well as many impressive performances and a new track record as well as looking forward to the second round this weekend, writes EMILY WALLIS.

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⭐ Being at Towcester on Friday and Saturday for the first round was very enjoyable; the racing was excellent and, although we’re not used to 14 races per night, the quality of all the runners made it absolutely fly by! The sun shone down on the terraces on Friday and the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant. Saturday had periods of torrential rain which wasn’t so fun but thankfully it didn’t last the whole night!

⭐ The antepost market has had a real shake up with lots of big names exiting the competition and some of the younger, less exposed greyhounds really making a statement in the first round.
Ballymac Duffle was the main one of those, he was only having his eighth ever career start on Friday but made all in his heat winning in a track record time of 28.37! We knew the track record was going to be broken but it was a brilliant run and easily the fastest time of the whole first round. He faces a harder race and a trickier draw from trap 4 in the second round but his impressive win on Friday has put him as the current outright favourite, he is 9/1 with Star Sports to go all the way.

⭐ The first big shock of the first round came on Friday night when 2024 Irish Derby champion and a finalist at Towcester last year, Bockos Diamond, made an early exit out of this year’s renewal. His draw always looked potentially tricky with plenty of early pace on his inside, he managed to turn second to Gav Nificent who was setting a good pace out front but Bockos Diamond found trouble round the last two bends, was shuffled back and finished fifth. Gav Nificent took his chance well in the race, I went to see him on my last kennel visit before the competition last week and he’s an incredibly well bred puppy who’s not two years old until September, he should be improving throughout the competition and could be one to look out for!

⭐ Paul Young proved further the good form that his team are in when Droopys Alldeway beat a classy field to win his heat. The race was billed as a match between Glengar Silent and Ballinabola Joe but moderate exits from both and then crowding at the first bend put their chances of even qualifying at risk. Glengar Silent was fortunate that it was a heat where the top four qualified but Ballinabola Joe was another big name first round exit.

⭐ The next huge shock came early on Saturday when Ballymac Setanta finished fifth in a heat where four dogs qualified, perhaps made even more surprising with all of Liam Dowling’s other Ballymac dogs flying in the previous heats. Due to reaching the Kirby final in Limerick a couple of weeks ago, he hadn’t trialled around the track and this perhaps showed as he didn’t come away from the traps and found trouble at the bend despite showing all sorts of pace. Clearly a rising star, it was a shame to lose him from the competition but he is certainly young enough to give it a good go next year!

⭐ In the next heat, we also saw Cheap Sandwiches, last year’s Irish Derby champion, walk out of the traps. In a scrappy race, he managed to just hold onto a qualifying spot in fourth but unfortunately was withdrawn from the second round lame on Tuesday – another big name out of the competition.

⭐ Perhaps the final big shock was the exit of one of England’s leading contenders, Romeo Tomcat. He also failed to qualify in a heat where four went through after finding early crowding; he certainly doesn’t have to lead to win or run well so that would have been a big disappointment for trainer Patrick Janssens. That race was won by a dog I was very impressed with (and another Paul Young runner!) in Underground Gold. After winning the Monmore Puppy Derby in style, many people had their doubts if he’d be as impressive with a big step up in class and, to me, he really was. He had to show bravery and determination to get around the first bend on Saturday showing that he’s got a good racing brain as well as pure speed. Although the winning time wasn’t there, being just 29.40, I thought he ran brilliant and he should keep getting better…

⭐ As well as Underground Gold, the leading UK contender now looks to be a certain Proper Heiress who won his heat in impressive style last Saturday. It was a tough first round assignment especially as he’d only had the one sprint trial since the Kent Plate final but his early pace took him to front and he pulled away to win in an impressive 28.56 calculated. He is in trap 4 in the opening second round heat on Friday which shouldn’t be too much of an issue as three of his big race victories have come from that trap and he was even in trap 5 when he broke the Nottingham track record in the Eclipse final last November. After an underwhelming English Derby campaign last year, it was brilliant to see him win his heat.

⭐ Proper Heiress will have Ballymac Deniro to contend with in his second round heat, who will probably be a lot of people’s most impressive first round performer. He was having just his fifth career start and took a slight stumble coming out of the traps, he ran the first couple of bends so well though and showed huge backstraight pace to take himself to the front and win well in a quick time considering his slow start. This looks to be a very exciting match up in the first heat on Friday!

⭐ Another trainer who was in brilliant form at the weekend was Kevin Hutton, he had three dogs entered the Derby and finished the first round with two winners and a second! Rebel Alaska is a dog I am a big fan of, he’s a big dog weighing in at around 39 kilos but he’s got a lovely personality. Saturday was only his tenth race but he’s got some rapid times on his card around Oxford, Monmore and Towcester and I think there’s still improvement in him as he has more races. In the second round, he’s drawn trap 6 which isn’t ideal but I can certainly see him qualifying and could be one to keep an eye on.

⭐  Although we only had two of the 28 heats won by bitches, they fared well in the opening round and we still have nine left that’ll go to traps in the second-round. The winners came from Slick Skylark and Singalong Polly who both won quite hot heats. Scooby The Lady was highly fancied for her heat on Friday but the line didn’t come in time and she was picked up by her kennelmate, Texas Jack. Scooby The Lady’s early pace is her weapon but there’s a lot of strong running bitches that can hopefully keep qualifying like the two that won their heats along with Strike It Skye, Unassuming and more! Star Sports have priced up the Top Bitch market ahead of the second round in which you can get 3 places each-way!

⭐ The Star Sports/GWA Media Tipping Challenge is now in full flow and our early leader is David Branch profiting an impressive £22.54 for the first round! Out of the 53 entries, only 13 people are in profit so well done to them as it wasn’t easy to find winners over the weekend with a lot of favourites and well fancied greyhounds turned over. It’s a marathon, not a sprint though…

⭐ Of the second-round heats, I am looking forward to them all but there’s a few in particular that look very hot. As I mentioned, Proper Heiress v Ballymac Deniro in the first race on Friday should be interesting; the last race on Friday also looks very competitive. Underground Gold goes from trap 1 and looks to have a brilliant chance of leading the inside. In trap 2 we have Ballymac Odin, a first ever entry in the Derby for young trainer Laura Pruhs, Teejays Chelms will go from trap 3 having just his second race since the Derby last year, he is sure to come on for his run on Saturday.

⭐ In trap 4 we have Lennies Eddie who was flying in trial stakes before the competition, he did get beat in the first round at very short odds but perhaps will come away better from trap 4. In trap 5 will be Zenith Legend, if you haven’t watched his heat from last Friday then go and watch it as he gave them all about a six length head start but flew from halfway! Finally, we have a certain Irish Derby finalist in Glengar Silent who should run better than he did last week and, if he does, he’s dangerous. What a race!

⭐ On Saturday, I am looking forward to the 15th heat which includes Goldcash Warrior, Glengar Kane, Ballymac Blanco, Singalong Polly and Cartoonist. We have three impressive heat winners in the line up as well as two dogs that, in theory, are hard to keep out of the frame.

⭐ As well as the last eight second-round Derby heats on Saturday, we also have the three heats of the prestigious TV Trophy taking place sponsored by Barking Mad Betting, certainly worth sticking around for! The final will then be run alongside the third-round of the Derby next Saturday which will make for brilliant viewing.

⭐ Therefore, once again, if you can make it to Towcester this weekend then please do! There was a decent crowd last weekend and the atmosphere was brilliant – even in the rain on Saturday! There’s truly nothing like it.

⭐ The draw for the third round of the Derby will take place after racing on Saturday evening. If you’re not at the track, you’ll once again be able to watch it exclusively here on the Star Sports website. Will all the big names make it through to next weekend or are we in for more Derby shocks? I’m looking forward to finding out!

⭐ To all the remaining greyhounds and their connections, best of luck this weekend!

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