AUTHOR: Star Sports Content
EMILY WALLIS: Greyhound Derby Blog #8 – The Final!
It’s officially the week of the 2026 Greyhound Derby Final and we are now only a couple of days away from finding out who our champion will be, writes EMILY WALLIS.
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⭐ It’s been such an enjoyable past five weeks watching all the heats and the competition progress all leading up to the final race on Saturday. It’s a shame that it is almost over, although what a summer of sport we are in for! The final itself is great and incredibly open, you really could make a case for every dog in it.
⭐ Unfortunately, huge news came earlier this week that Lennies Tank has had to be withdrawn from the final after pulling up lame in a gallop at home. This is such a huge blow for Paul Hennessy and owner Lee Craze, they do have a huge consolation in that they still have Lennies Eddie going for them in the final and the feeling of withdrawing a dog from the biggest race on the calendar would certainly be a lot worse without that.
⭐ Still, it’ll be a huge disappointment for the team as Tank has had to battle every single week to get to the final, as he hasn’t been able to show his natural trapping ability, and did incredibly well to get there. I wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully we’ll see him back on a track soon!
⭐ Every runner in the final is Irish trained so we are guaranteed an ‘away’ winner, perhaps surprising to not have one English trained dog in the final but fair play to all three trainers who have made the final as it really is such a huge commitment to travel over each week or base themselves over here for what turns into around seven weeks! For all, the travelling has paid off and for one trainer, they will be highly rewarded.
⭐ Looking back at the first semi-final last Saturday, it was won by Ballymac Deniro in a very impressive 28.15, just one spot off the track record. The favourite for the competition beforehand and current track record holder, Epic Ace, unfortunately missed his break and from there, he couldn’t recover.
⭐ I must say, Strike It Skye was incredibly unlucky to not make the final. She flew out of the traps but Lennies Eddie paced up alongside her and she had nowhere to go at the first bend. She made up eye catching ground but it’s a very hard task picking up the fast Derby dogs in front of her.
⭐ They were Lennies Eddie, who is so game and never knows when he’s beaten, and Ballymac Duffle who overcame more crowding to turn in a qualifying position.
⭐ The second semi-final brought more shocks, the winner definitely wasn’t a surprise though. Hackney Corner, much like Ballymac Deniro, seems to be getting used to the traps now and he put up a very fast 3.73 sectional to lead and was never for catching.
⭐ Proper Heiress turned second and looked the leading hope for an English finalist but after checking off the back of Hackney Corner coming around the last bend, he couldn’t recover and it was Ballymac Ralf, who has been flying home in recent weeks who ran on into second and Lennies Tank, who grabbed that third spot.
⭐ Scooby The Lady couldn’t get loose like she had been and also made her exit from the competition, what a brilliant campaign she had though!
⭐ Those who made it through got to celebrate at the Derby Lunch on Monday, which kicked off with an emotional tribute to the legends of the sport we have sadly lost recently in Linda Mullins, Nick Savva and Bob Morton.
⭐ Afterwards, the draw was made, and connections got to go up and talk through their chances in the final. It really gets the excitement going for Saturday and it was nice to see Liam Dowling and Susan Hennessy both there to represent their dogs.
⭐ So, a look at the draw and who is lining up in Saturday’s big final…
⭐ Out of trap 1 on Saturday is Ballymac Duffle, and what a journey this dog has had at Towcester! Before his attempt at the English Derby, he had only had the seven races in Ireland, which included making the final of the Juvenile Classic at Tralee where he finished fifth behind a certain Ballymac Deniro… He then got to the semi-finals of the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial at Limerick. Some solid form on his card but it was perhaps a small surprise how well he took to Towcester and performed in the first couple of rounds. Round one and two were processions, he blasted out of the traps and broke the track record in both races which put him straight at the top of the market. Those that had backed him would have been worried in the third round where he fell out of the traps and turned last, we saw a different side to him that night when he picked his way through the field to not only qualify but win the race! In the quarter-finals, he again looked in big trouble at the bend but somehow managed to stay on his feet and run on for third place.
⭐ Duffle is a brilliant dog with pure speed but also a great racing attitude, he’s managed to win off the front and run well coming from off the pace throughout the Derby, it seems like nothing at all fazes him and he’s also only just turned two years of age! At the Derby Lunch, Liam Dowling said that he doesn’t perhaps have as much early as first thought but trap 1 is perfect for him. It could see him get a clearer run than he has been getting and if he can find his trapping boots that he had at the start of the competition, he’s got every chance.
⭐ Ballymac Ralf, littermate to Duffle, will come out of trap 2 and he is probably the one I’ve been most impressed with throughout the Derby. He had just the five races on his card in Ireland and wasn’t quite as successful as his brother but he’s developed a lot these past few weeks and he really is a star of the future. In the first round, he ran well and came home strong to just be beaten by Priceless Romeo. He managed to get his head in front in the second round where he showed nice early and determination to barge Coloursaregreen out the way at the first and go on for an impressive victory. In the third round, from trap 2, he put up a 3.75 sectional and never saw another rival, Hackney Corner turned second but could only get within just under five lengths of Ralf! In defeat in the quarter-final, I think he was even more impressive, he didn’t get a clear run but ran past Hackney Corner and Getup The Boy round the last couple of bends and almost caught Strike It Skye to win the race which is not an easy feat. Liam Dowling admitted to me on Saturday that he was delighted to see him go through but it wasn’t until he watched the replay that he realised how well he ran.
⭐ He’s another dog that seems like nothing fazes him, he’s got great all-round pace and if turning in any sort of position on Saturday, he’ll be very dangerous. He has a 100 per cent record out of trap 2 at Towcester so far, it has been the best trap throughout and most dogs have been breaking well from there…
⭐ In trap 3 we have Lennies Eddie, who also just had the five Irish races under his belt before travelling over. He did have a couple of trial stakes before the competition, where he excelled and looked to take to the track brilliantly. He then had to settle for second place in the first couple of rounds but lost nothing in defeat either time. Patience paid off in the third round when Swords Style, who is like clockwork with his trapping, came out well but Lennies Eddie showed brilliant pace to get to the bend and was determined to go round in front which is what he did. In the quarter-finals he ran a monster of a race in behind Ballymac Deniro clocking 28.34 in defeat and in the semi-finals last week he was super solid again to book his spot in the final.
⭐ He perhaps hasn’t had any particular moment of flashiness in the Derby, but we so often see consistent and tough dogs go on to win it. His sectionals are so consistent and would put him right in the mix going towards the bend, if he could go round in front, he’ll be hard to catch! He is trying to win Paul Hennessy a third English Derby title after he has won it at both Wimbledon and Nottingham, if he could get a third title at a third different track, it would be a great story.
⭐ The first of the seeded dogs coming out of trap 4 will be Hackney Corner. When filming the Star Sports Kennel Visit at Pat Buckley’s back in April, this dog really was the apple of Pat’s eye, and you can see why. He hasn’t had too much consistent racing until now but did make the Shelbourne Champion 550 final last June, his real eye-catching run and why a lot of people may have an antepost slip going on him, was in the Winter Racing Festival last November, when he ran a great race against Irish Derby Champion Cheap Sandwiches and rising star Ballymac Setanta, matching their pace to the bend and sticking on well. A victory the week after this was his last race until the first round of the Derby, he won his first round well in a great tussle with Strike It Skye. In the second round after a slow break, his place in the competition looked in danger but he showed his class bursting through the field around the first couple of bends and went on to win. As the races have gotten tougher, he’s looked like he’s biding his time slightly but was still running well in defeat. After his semi-final win it now looks like he’s at the top of his game, it was a great performance and any sort of repeat could see him go round in front, if he does then he will also be hard to catch. A brilliant training performance from Pat as he has steadily improved throughout as he regains racing fitness, trap 4 should suit well in the final too; he is the oldest and most experienced of the lineup which could play a big part.
⭐ Finally, we have Ballymac Deniro coming out of trap 5, and he looks likely to start as the favourite. He only had the four races in Ireland, so came in the most inexperienced despite winning the Juvenile Classic at Tralee as mentioned. In the first round, he was slow away and did just a 4.01 sectional, from the second bend, he flew though and demolished the field, the whole crowd were amazed that night at how well he ran and he certainly went into a lot of notebooks. In the second round, he was in just a four dog race, again he didn’t trap but showed good pace to the bend against Proper Heiress, he had to settle for second that night but lost nothing in defeat. It was like deja vu in the third round where a moderate break left him with work to do but he made his way through the field running on for second behind Strike It Skye. In the quarter-finals, things clicked and it seems as if he has finally gotten used to the traps as, in the last two weeks, he’s had flying sectionals and flying times and if he can repeat this one more time, it’ll be hard to see him being beaten.
⭐ Just like Liam Dowling’s other two in the final, Deniro seems so robust, he also looks to be able to do things both ways and he seems to see out the 500 metres strong. Will just his tenth race of his life on Saturday be an English Derby victory?
⭐ It’s such a talented and young field this year, which makes it so exciting, they could all be contenders for the Irish Derby later this year and even the English Derby next year. All five of them are true stars and every single one will be going to the traps with a live chance on Saturday.
⭐ It’s such a fantastic achievement from Liam Dowling and his family to have three in the final, all three that they’ve bred themselves too; to see all three battle so hard every week and give themselves this chance must be so rewarding! Of course, he won the final two years ago with De Lahdedah, which gave him his first win in the competition that he had been searching years for, he now has a great chance of making it two wins in three years. However, both Pat Buckley and Paul Hennessy are English Derby-winning trainers as well but all three will desperately want to get their hands on the trophy once again.
⭐ It should be a brilliant night all round, the supporting card is fantastic, and plenty that went out in the Derby will get their chance to be a winner on the big night. The consolation is extremely hot, and features beaten semi-finalists in Scooby The Lady and Strike It Skye as well as two beaten quarter-finalists in Goldcash Warrior and the exciting Underground Gold, what a race! Ballymac Iroko also went out in the semi-finals last week and will make his staying debut on Saturday over 712 metres and will be a popular winner. Elsewhere on the card, there are loads of different finals over a variety of distances; there are 15 races altogether to get stuck into.
⭐ Derby final night really is the best night of the year in greyhound racing. The stage is set, and it should be fantastic from start to finish. Gates open at 3pm where there will be entertainment before racing, although there won’t be too long to wait with the first race kicking off at 5.18pm. On a big day for sport, Towcester is the place to be, you’ll be able to watch the Epsom Derby at the track and then enjoy a full card of top-class greyhound racing.
⭐ If you are going to be there, have a great night. To anyone connected with a runner on Saturday and especially to those in the Derby final, good luck! May the best greyhound win…
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