The third round of the Derby is certainly right atop the
list of exciting nights of racing all season with the action reduced to a
single session and the classic beginning to reveal those most likely to lift
the crown as we take a more polarised view of each prospective champion.
This year’s event harbours a quality to rival any in the
modern era, no doubt about that but it’s the depth of this year’s renewal that
is startling, even to the most race hardened of the greyhound community. You
only have to look at the undoubted superstars that have already been eliminated
from the event to appreciate just how competitive it has been.
I got wind of a statement around English Derby time which claimed that we had no real superstar
in Irish racing at present. I laughed at the naivety of that assertion because
I would confidently respond that in 2018, we have had an absolute plethora of
stars revealing themselves throughout the season and the depth of quality has
never been higher. We can’t define a stand-out superstar because we simply have
so many!
And, those superstars that have exited in the opening rounds
will remain just that. I mean the likes of Borna Gin, Cash Is King and Droopys
Davy don’t shed their classic credentials just because they got knocked out on
this one and neither does UK raider Droopys Verve. And, I certainly hope that
his early elimination does not deter others travelling across the pond next year
and beyond.
But, as we all know, this is the nature of top grade racing
at Shelbourne Park. Simply put, it’s viciously competitive. It’s hard to win an
Open race on a Saturday at Shelbourne on any given night with even the most
legendary of racers and to place in the top three for five night’s on the spin
is an arduous task. All rhetoric aside and with all bias ignored, the Irish
Greyhound Derby is the greatest competition on the planet, if for no other
reason than it perennially harbours the greatest strength in depth than any
other, bar none!TRAINERS
With two rounds behind us, and not for the first time, the
early rounds of a classic could be labelled the Graham Holland show. The
kennels have returned fourteen heat wins in the two rounds thus far and have
eleven challengers remaining, nearly a quarter of the field!
The team will be anxious to get over the line for a second
Derby success but will also know that there is a long way to go and nothing is
ever certain, just as in this year’s Produce Stakes when missing out having
filled half the boxes at semi-final stage.
There is an immense depth to their challenge however with
the obvious claims of unbeaten Slippy Cian, now 10/1 co-favourite with
companion Lenson Blinder and Jaytee Taylor. The Golden assault is ably
backed-up by fellow unbeaten runners Totos Park and Clona Blaze along with the
likes of the progressive Clonbrien Prince and rock solid Beaming Paradise, all
attempting to match the previous classic winning achievements of the
redoubtable Clonbrien Hero. Holland is only a shade of odds-against at 11/10
with the sponsors to convert.
Next in at the top of the trainers list ahead of the third
round is Liam Dowling with five remaining, three of whom are bitches! Lightly
raced Ballymac Bolger heads the challenge and although without a heat win as
yet, the team will be hoping that he can improve throughout the event having
spent five months away from racing following his Juvenile Classic success and
the impression he made there means that bookies will only offer 16/1 about his
prospects.
Trainers with
runners remaining: 11) Graham Holland. 5) Liam Dowling. 3) Pat Guilfoyle. 2)
Paul Hennessy, Pat Buckley. 1) Pairic Campion, Martin Lanney, John McGee, Tom
Buggy, James Robinson, Denis Fitzgerald, Liam O’Rourke, Michael O’Donovan,
Peter Cronin, Declan Byrne, Ollie Bray, Margaret Bolton, John Browne, Barney
Mooney, Kieran Lynch, Gerry Holian.
INCENTIVES
OWNER TRAINED
The 2018 Derby introduced a range of incentives within the
wonderful sponsorship of Boylesports and the training incentive which offers
€2000 to the last remaining owner trained greyhound sees eight still in
contention ahead of the third round.
Now my reading of the conditions would rule-out, for
example, the Liam Dowling owned runners here as the incentive states “Any
greyhound who is with an agent or private/public trainer does not qualify for
this incentive.” Assuming that a syndicate runner who is trained by a member of
the syndicate who doesn’t hold a licence, does qualify, that leaves eight.
So, with the rule
strictly applied, they are; Crossfield
Will, Knockmitten Dicky, Burgess Superior, Our Lovely Tune, Coolavanny Gery,
Urban Jet, Dunsallagh Mike, Packing Heat.
BITCHES
The bitches incentive offers €3000 for the last remaining and
three Liam Dowling runners do qualify for this prize! The pups Ballymac Arminta
and Ballymac Trinkle supplement the challenge of one of Ireland’s favourite ladies,
the remarkable Coolavanny Pet.
Of course Pet could go a long way to securing the bitch
prize should she advance from Heat 7 on Saturday as over half the remaining girls
are in one heat which also contains Droopys Floral, Blueberry Diva and Vahsel
Bay who is favourite to claim this prize with the sponsors at 3/1.
The full list reads;
Ballymac Arminta (Ht 1), Jumeirah Charm (Ht 6), Droopys Floral, Coolavanny Pet,
Blueberry Diva and Vahsel (Ht 7) with Ballymac Trinkle (Ht 8).
SYNDICATES
There is also €2000 on offer for the last remaining runner
in syndicate ownership and the six remaining challengers for this prize would
grace any Open final. Slippy Cian will of course be the fancy of many and is
the shortest in the market at 10/1.
Syndicate runners
remaining are Slippy Cian (Ht 1), Crossfield Will (Ht 2), Magical Bale (Ht 3),
Doggy Mcdogface (Ht 5), Ballymac Trinkle, Packing Heat (Ht 8).
EIGHT REMAIN UNBEATEN
Eight runners have managed to return back-to-back heat
victories in the opening two rounds and the first heat on Saturday will see the
Holland runners Slippy Cian and Totos Park put their records on the
line and in the form of his career, the latter can put Cian to the sword with
his slick early pace in a very interesting clash.
Uneaten in the Derby and in his three Irish races, Pat
Guilfoyle’s Magical Bale will have
his unbeaten record on the line in a very tricky Heat 3 with plenty of early
pace around him from Trap 4 when likely to vie for favouritism with Lenson
Blinder.
The hugely likeable Whoops
Jack has begun this campaign with real intent for Peter Cronin and how
worthy a champion he would be if able to keep reproducing his sizzling early
paced efforts. From his favoured Trap 6 berth in Heat 4 on Saturday, he will
face the sole remaining Michael O’Donovan runner Stonepark Noel who has been superbly impressive in his heat
victories. Progressive, it is likely that the full extent of his abilities have
not yet been totally revealed and this could be a fascinating clash of big
outright fancies.
Those latter comments can also apply to Paul Hennessy’s Jaytee Taylor who burst on the scene as
a prodigious raw talent in the Kirby Memorial back in May. Unsuited to
Towcester, it is probably fair to say that his career with his multiple classic
winning trainer is truly only taking full shape now and how impressive it is
proving to be. He has another big test to pass on Saturday, especially in light
of Clonbrien Prince’s latest victory but the lightly raced Taylor is as
exciting a prospect as any in the sport right now.
The remaining two unbeaten runners are the last two names on
the Derby card for Saturday and Clonbrien
Hero will have a proper early test to deal with from kennelmate Clona Blaze if he is to continue his
campaign with victory. In traps 5 & 6 respectively, it will be extremely
interesting as to how the pair match-up to the second bend if indeed they do
dominate the heat which they would want to do with strong runners like companion
Beaming Paradise and Packing Heat lurking to their inner, let alone the Laurels
champion Rockbay Foley!
SEEDS
If I recorded correctly, we began the Derby with fifteen
middle and twenty-four wide seeds. In any case, this week we will start with 8
middle and 8 wide with all heats housing at least one seeded runner.
BETTING
Lenson Blinder 10/1
Jaytee Taylor 10/1
Slippy Cian 10/1
Whoops Jack 12/1
Magical Bale 12/1
Clonbrien Prince 14/1
Totos Park 16/1
Ballymac Bolger 16/1
Stonepark Noel 16/1
Cabra Hurricane 16/1
Skywalker Logan 20/1
Crossfield Will 20/1
Clona Blaze 20/1
Doggy Mcdogface 20/1
Clonbrien Hero 20/1
Packing Heat 25/1
Beaming Paradise 25/1
Rockybay Foley 25/1
Coolavanny Gery 33/1
Vahsel Bay 33/1
Ballyanne Sim 33/1
Panther 33/1
Burgess Superior 33/1
Bakery Lane 40/1
Drive On Tipp 40/1
Kilgraney Master 50/1
Droopys Denny 50/1
Uncut Diamond 50/1
Blueberry Diva 50/1
Nice Charmer 50/1
Boyhero 50/1
Jumeirah Charm 50/1
Coolavanny Pet 66/1
Our Lovely Tune 66/1
Newhall Missile 66/1
Macaroon Cruz 66/1
Jelly Flood 66/1
Droopys Floral 66/1
Mc Razl 66/1
Ballymac Arminta 66/1
Beara Gig 100/1
Parlow Sanka 100/1
Ballymac Trinkle 100/1
Loskeran Vardy 150/1
Urban Jet 150/1
Dunsallagh Mike 200/1
Knockmittendicky 200/1
Natural Wonder 500/1
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| 2017 WINNER GOOD NEWS |
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