Derek Frehill
Of all the opinions on this year’s Boylesports Irish Derby there will be few better placed for an informed unbiased assessment of the runners than Shelbourne racing manager Derek Frehill.
So we asked Derek to nominate six runners from the competition who thinks racegoers should be looking out for in this weekend’s semi finals.
He elected to go for three impressive winners who he expects to kick on again, plus a trio of hounds who he considers were unlucky in the opening round.
“Wolfe is an obvious choice but he was massively impressive in the first round. He might be slightly vulnerable when drawn in four or five but from the inside he runs the track so well.
“You didn’t need to see the clock to know how good the first round run was. He is just so smooth and you just don’t win Derby heats by 12 lengths.
“But he needs to get everything right on Saturday. Deadly Dynamite is a very fine hound himself and Karol Ramsbottom’s dogs are absolutely flying at the moment. Dynamite is a prolific trapper and it should be a great battle to the corner; I wouldn’t think there would be half a length between them.
“I first noticed him when Declan Byrne brought him along for trials. He just seemed to glide along the ground and looks among the best of the younger dogs in the competition. Ballymac Cooper would be another, and he looks better drawn this week than last
“I thought Bocko was massively impressive on Saturday. He is in one of the best heats of the second round and one way or another there will be some good dogs going out. Although the two and four are the big names, Droopys Neymar is an excellent Shelboure Park dog who will go to the turn as well as any.
“That should suit Lenson Bocko providing he breaks as well as last week.”
“Pat Buckley’s dog reminds me a bit of Ballyanne Sim last year. He probably isn’t the fastest in the competition, but he is a brilliant consistent trapper and will do 29.50 every week.
“He would be the kind of dog who looks a likely semi finalist for his consistency and then you never know.
“He is in a tough enough heat on Saturday with Droopys Tornado and Ripley Lad likely to be coming strong at the end, but you fancy he should get a decent run and he would be good enough to get through.”
“Blinder might have been beaten on Saturday but was mightily impressive. He was drawn one, which probably isn’t his box, and was led up by Grangeview Ten who clocked the fastest sectional to the third bend.
“We know how good Blinder is at his best and I thought he showed signs of being somewhere close to that last week. He has Bakery Lane on his outside this week but should get a better run and I think he will take a lot of beating.”
“He is a young dog trained by Pat Guilfoyne who had been impressive in his previous runs at the track.
“Although he ran second to Magical Bale last week, and was beaten nearly four lengths, that doesn’t reflect how well he ran. Bale didn’t get away from him until the latter stages.
“He is up against some good seasoned campaigners in heat 14 on Saturday but I don’t think he will be out of his depth.”
“He fluffed the start on Saturday but showed tremendous pace once he got motoring.
“He stays on very strongly and although he hasn’t put it all together yet, I think he will return some performance when he does. But he is up against a very good bitch in Droopys Hunch, who might easily have been one of my six selections, so he will need to be at his best.
“I would also keep an eye open for Worseforwear. Peter Cronin doesn’t get too many superstars but he consistently reaches semi finals and finals by getting the maximum out of the ability.”
James Murray (Shelbourne Park) presents the trophy to Sarah Buckley after Run Happy won heat 11 R- pic Imelda Grauer
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