Julie Collier Blog 3: #GreyhoundDerby2022

Ok so now it’s SERIOUSLY close! Irish dogs are trialling and racing at Towcester, our UK team is shaping up very nicely still and it’s all happening, however there was some sad news today …..

⚠️ News came through that the ante-post favourite Coolavanny Shado has had to be withdrawn from both the Maiden Derby and also the Star Sports Greyhound Derby due to injury. The dog was lame after Sunday’s race at Towcester and on closer examination and an X Ray a vet has confirmed that he has a stress fracture. He will come back 100% fine but it is very sad for connections that he will miss the 2022 Derby.  At this stage the East Anglian Derby will be his target – all the best for a speedy recovery Shado.

🐶 Lofty took a bet of a couple of grand each way for Explosive Boy at 20/1 just before his trial. That looks a lovely bet now. The dog was a brilliant winner of the Waterford Select Stakes earlier this month and has now made himself a firm contender for the Derby with a smart 29.37sec first look around Towcester. Trainer Pat Guilfoyle also trialled Vincenzo, a dog who reached the Puppy Derby semis at the track when racing as Alien World and trained by Frank Gray. He clocked 15.92sec over the sprint trip after stumbling at the start and is also likely to make the trip.

🐶 Whatever the Irish can do at Towcester, we can do better though! (Please understand I am saying this in great jest.) Reigning Derby champ, Thorn Falcon came out and bettered the trial of Explosive Boy by a whole spot! Yep, we’ve got this in the bag………

🐶 Ian Fortune has also been impressed, like the rest of us, by the quality of the Kirby this year and thinks there could be as many as ten dogs to come from that competition, that head to Towcester, and all of them should be respected. The strength and depth this year is outstanding, but, when pushed to pick one runner, he chose Magical Kuba, another Pat Guilfoyle dog, as the best of them. Kuba was the fastest winner in the first round of the Kirby and indeed, that was the fastest time of the year. The Kirby final is this weekend.

🐶 On the other hand, if you watched the kennel visit I did with Rab McNair, he was very confident that Havana Bale Out (pictured below) is the best bitch he has ever seen. Quite a statement when you think of the bitches that have passed through his hands alone. Rab will be joining Ian Fortune, Lofty, Joe Conneely and myself on the panel for the Star Sports Derby preview night in Mayfair. By the way, if you were lucky enough to get one of the very limited tickets for the event, it’s now a 6pm start. See you there!

🐶 As a sidenote, it’s been confirmed by Star Sports that Ian Fortune will be making the draw for the first round at the GBGB offices on May 12th, 2pm. It will be streamed live on Star Sports website by our very own Dave Stewart and, let it be said, we are giving the Irish every chance right? Ian, do your worst… To be fair, he can’t hinder our chances much more than Lofty likes to at times! Just ask Kevin Hutton! A reminder that entries for the Derby close Tuesday 11th May at 7pm.

🐶 One Irish dog who is confirmed as not being a runner is Owen McKenna’s Irish Derby winner, Susie Sapphire. She will instead be staying over the water to defend her Oaks title. She trialled at Shelbourne clocking 18.55sec in a 350 yard sprint and Owen described her as ‘coming alive when she got out of the van’. She loves the place. I’m sad we won’t see her on these shores but wish her all the best with her campaign in the Oaks.

🐶 Chatting with Paul Hennessy last week, he was very keen to tell me how excited he is about one of his team, Barefoot Supremo. He compared him to his 2016 Derby champion, Jaytee Jet, telling me he has pace to burn and is the dark horse of the competition. Supremo is a big brindle dog and an October 2019 whelp so a nice sort of age for the Derby and obviously extremely highly regarded by a kennel who have been there and done it.

🐶 It’s no secret that I am a big fan of All About Ted and the Irish Derby finalist has started his preparation for Towcester well. He came over for a trial and clocked an excellent 29.44sec having not been seen competitively since the Winter Racing Festival at Shelbourne in December. He reached the quarter finals last year and won a supporting race on finals night. He just seems to thrive at the track. Ted then lined up in a race on Sunday and finished 5th after taking a bit of a bump but he is also entitled to be a little rusty. I really think he’s one to keep an eye on. That race incidentally was won by Bockos Belly who delighted Patrick Janssen’s with a 29.34sec win. We weren’t even sure we’d see the dog back on the track never mind putting in performances like that! Well done team Janssens!

🐶 Another Irish runner to keep on your radar is the Shelbourne 600 winner, Fast Fit Paddy. His trainer Declan Mcdonagh told me he would definitely be coming to Towcester and that was before he went and won the final last week! Willie Rigney, sponsor of the Open Classic, gave his view that Fast Fit Paddy is ‘tough and consistent’ and looks an ‘ideal Towcester type of dog’. Early pace is definitely an advantage at Towcester, as with most tracks, but a strong runner like Paddy is very useful too.

🐶 What an absolute pleasure it was to visit the kennels of Chris and Phil Hamblin a few weeks ago. The brothers have started training professionally after the news broke that Oxford is to reopen… and they’ve started how they mean to go on! They think the world of their dog Stefans Rocket and he has done them proud since my visit, winning a Derby Trial stakes beating Bubbly Bollinger in 29.61sec. I’d love to see him go deep into the competition for them at a big price. Good luck guys! You’re doing great 🙂

🐶 Signet Ace has made an impressive return to the track after being off since picking up a niggle on New Year’s Day. He posted a 15.52sec (-20) clock over the Swindon sprint trip which compared favourably with the 15.45sec (normal) recorded by Hutton’s sprint final winner, Headford Harry. Ace is a strong contender to be crowned 2021 Greyhound of the Year next month but trainer Kevin Hutton thinks he is every bit as good as last year. You can hear more about the dog in my latest Star Sports kennel feature published later this week.

🐶 Talking of trainer features, you will have seen Richard Rees two weeks ago featuring Whats Up Eva. How good was she in winning the Brighton Belle at Hove? She was unbeaten through the competition winning in 30.32sec and taking home the £5,000 prize. Her early is stunning and essentially that’s what won her the race. But she is so game and strong too. A real little pocket rocket.

🐶 Finally, I am really pleased to tell you that it has been confirmed there will be a race on Derby final night in the name of my friend, Jack Murrell who sadly passed away last year. Jack, like the rest of us, absolutely loved the Derby so it will be an emotional but fitting tribute.

JULIE COLLIER

#GreyhoundDerby2022

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