MARK PIERREPONT’S DERBY PREVIEW

The biggest night in the greyhound sporting calendar is finally here.  The 2021 Star Sports and TRC Events & Leisure English Greyhound Derby Final is the highlight but is ably supported by a full fourteen race card of top-class open racing talent from both sides of the Irish sea.  It’s a night that everybody in the sport dreams of being involved in and if you’re lucky enough to have a winner it’s a night that you will never forget leaving you with memories that will last a lifetime.

The action gets underway at 6.24pm with the Bob Betts Memorial Trophy.  Kevin Hutton’s Great Eastern is drawn wider than ideal in trap 5 but he’s proven himself capable of winning from the box on more than one occasion and he’s taken to smash out and make all.  The runners inside him could more than feasibly become embroiled in a battle for track position and this can only play into the hands of Hutton’s greyhound who reached veteran status in May this year.  Eastern can lead at the turn with Pam Dolby’s Maysthistlecrack who is well drawn on the wide outside running on for the forecast spot.

It’s the Pipped On All Live Sky & RPGTV Races with Star Sports Trophy at 6.42pm and another race where racing room could be at a premium on the middle to inside.  Peter Cronin’s Derby quarter finalist All About Ted looks well housed on the outside and with no doubts over his ability to take full advantage of any such crowding he’s selected to oblige for his shrewd Irish handler.

Next up at 7.00pm is the Greyhoundtrader.com Stakes.  Generously sponsored by the rapidly growing sales company headed by Nathan Corden and son James the race is confined to greyhounds either purchased at one of the Greyhound Trader sales or which has been privately sourced by them.  The John Mullins trained Chelms Tornado (ex-Romeo Tornado) stopped the clock in a fastest of the day 29.87 over Doncaster’s 483m trip when subsequently purchased at the sale by Leigh Harris and James Watson for a top lot of the day £7,000.  It was some run from Tornado on the day given that in my own opinion he left at least 40 spots on the track.  I believe he’s capable of much faster than he’s currently produced around Towcester in his trials and on what is his competitive UK debut from what looks a perfect draw I’m siding with him to ping out and make all for Mullins and the team.

It’s the Download The Star Sports App Now Stakes at 7.17pm and Pat Buckley’s Coom Leo can follow up last week’s excellent all the way victory here in the Irish Focus Invitation.  He’s a tough dog to pass once hitting the front as Warzone Tom found out to his cost last week.  He’s well drawn in trap 4 with Lee Field’s in form Mr Roo likely to head rails from trap 3 and might that rival just miss it a little after switching sides from his sprint victory last week ?  It’s a tough race and not one for huge stakes but Leo to repeat last week’s dose.

 

The RPGTV Notebook Ladies Stakes Final at 735pm.  Angie Kibble’s Ballymac Intent was some way behind her fellow heat winners Queen Dolly (Liz McNair) and Luna Rocket (Lee Field) on the clock but to the eye she was the one who left plenty of time on the track.  Intent led early and looked all over the winner but gave up the lead coming off the second turn and with it looked to have lost all chance.  She didn’t give up though and eventually came through to win quite comfortably.  Intent is more than capable of leading up on the inside and though there is more than a chance that one of either Dolly or Rocket may skip clear it is also more than possible that they may just do each other little in the way of favours.  If they do come together on the run to the first bend Intent could all of a sudden represent big value and that looks a chance worth taking in my eyes.

The Jeal Ladies Stakes at 7.54pm and not as the name might suggest a race confined to the fairer sex but a race named in honour of sponsor Nic Jeal’s wife Amanda and daughters Hope and Chelsea.  Nic puts plenty into the sport both through the purchase of dogs as an owner and as a sponsor and he’s a race to be proud of.  In what is an ultra-competitive race in which all six can lay solid claims I’m siding with Lee Fields Adeles Duke.  He was in great form throughout the Derby when winning each of his first three round heats before being somewhat unluckily eliminated from the competition at the quarter final stage.  With Glengar Bale drawn to his immediate inside he’s going to have to be sharply away from the boxes but both dog and trainer have shown in recent weeks that they’re more than capable of such an outcome and I’m taking Duke to fly out and set sail for victory from the outset.

The BGBF Truframe British Bred Champion Stakes Final at 8.14pm.  Another superb British Bred initiative from Liz Mort and her committee at the BGBF and generously supported by long term supporter of the British Bred scene , breeder, trainer and owner of many top class British Bred greyhounds as well as sponsor of many events over a long period of time David Firmager via his Truframe business.  Seamus Cahill’s Pocket Lola is selected to make all from what looks a good make up.  Lola should be improving her fitness with each run over four bends at the current moment and should have the middle to outside of the track to herself.  King Louis for Liz and Rab McNair will take his usual wide course throughout and looks the main danger.  He can keep on for second and land the forecast in the process.

The RPGTV Derby Plate Final at 8.34pm and the race can go to Peter Cronin’s rapidly improving pup Angry Tornado.  He run a storming race in his semi-final last week to come through strongly on the run in and overcoming a poor draw in trap 1 in the process.  Much better drawn tonight in trap 3 he can smash out and make all.  This is a young greyhound heading to the top and he is one to stay on the right side of in the weeks and months ahead.

The 1st Containers Dorando Marathon Final at 8.51pm and looks a straight matchup between Diane Henry’s Savana Volcano and Mark Wallis’s Aayamza Royale.  There is unlikely to be much between the superstar pairing at the finish but slight preference is for the greyhound owned by Towcester track promoter Kevin Boothby.  A man that has put so much into the sport in recent years and has kept going when it would have been much easier to give up at times I’m sure nobody would begrudge him success on what is without doubt his biggest ever night in greyhound racing.

The main event of the night , the main event of the sports calendar year.  The Star Sports and TRC Events & Leisure English Greyhound Derby Final.  All six runners have done superbly well to reach this stage and all connections can rightfully be proud of their greyhound’s efforts. (halfway splits)

A very open final can go to Liam Dowling’s prodigious Ballymac Fairone.  With just three races on this youngster’s card before heading over the Irish sea with some more high-profile kennelmates he wasn’t too high up on many people’s lists as a prospective winner of the competition.  There was a twinkle in the eye of his breeder , owner and trainer however from the minute he stepped off the boat.  Make no mistake the displays produced so far throughout the competition have come as no surprise to a handler who has produced some of the fastest greyhounds we’ve ever seen.  Win or lose this evening he will be a greyhound competing at the highest level throughout his career and with such a lack of experience he can only get better.

From an ideal draw in trap 3 Fairone can smash out and make all with his kennel mate Ballymac Wild who reaches yet another final running on for second to make it a fairytale night for the Kerryman.  The Ballymac pair will have to be at their best however as nothing less will suffice.  Graham Holland’s Newinn Session hasn’t really looked comfortable around the track but put up his best display so far when winning his semi-final from the same trap he competes from tonight.  Pat Buckley’s Deerjet Sydney run out a memorable winner of the 2020 running of the Derby at Nottingham when running from the same trap as this evening and his legendary Irish handler will be looking to complete an historic double and cement his star performers place in the history books.

The English challenge falls into the hands of 2020 Champion trainer Patrick Janssens.  Doubly represented with Kilara Lion running from the black jacket of trap 4 and KAB Maiden Derby winner Thorn Falcon ideally housed in trap 6.  Falcon represents Janssens most realistic chance of lifting aloft that famous old trophy but the chances of the rock-solid competition greyhound Lion cannot safely be ruled out.  This promises to be a final to remember and whoever emerges victorious will have thoroughly earned their victory.

The RPGTV Watling Street Sprint Final at 9.27pm can go to Kevin Hutton’s Signet Mafia.  Finishing second in his heat to the Liz and Rab McNair trained Havana Class he may well find that a similar performance is enough this evening.  Class isn’t guaranteed as clear a run around the two bends tonight and that can leave the way clear on the outside for Mafia to come through and land the spoils.

The GAIN Greyhound Nutrition Challenge Cup Final over 712m can go to Dave Mullins Kishlawn Shakira.  Mullin’s bitch set a new track record of 43.00 when landing her heat and in the process taking 0.20 spots off the old record which was set just one race previously by Stephen Rayner’s Night Time Danny who won his heat in 4320.  A tough race to call but Shakira to lead all of the way and hold off Mark Wallis’s Fatboyz Trixie for second who incidentally filled the forecast slot in last week’s heat also.

 

The penultimate race of the evening at 9.58pm with the Madri Excepcional Cup Final.  Mark Wallis’s Drumcrow Brent faces some high-class rivals but there’s no getting away from his draw.  Perfectly drawn in trap 6 he’ll navigate his usual wide course throughout the race and is unlikely to face much in the way of crowding with five greyhounds drawn to his inside who will all be looking to take up positions much nearer the rail than anywhere else on the track.  Jim Daly’s Blue Tick George has been in terrific form for some time and drawn one would have rated a strong bet.  Can he cheat what is a horrendous looking draw out in the orange of five though ?  He’ll need a smash and nothing less if he is to do so.  The selection is Brent however to gain some amount of compensation for his desperately unlucky fourth place elimination from the quarter finals of the Derby itself.

The curtain comes down on a fantastic card at 10.13pm with the Star Sports Lay To Lose £5k Guaranteed Stakes marathon over 942m.  Three Ems was purchased for a huge sum for a marathon performer by The Champagne Club Syndicate after some hugely impressive performances for her previous trainer Kevin Boon.  There’s no painting pretty pictures where non exist there is no hiding the fact that Ems has failed to live up to expectations in no uncertain terms even if there have been fleeting glimpses of the talent within.  At her best and from a perfect drawn Ems would be long odds on to take this race.  It’s not a marathon of anything like the Dorando Final earlier on the card and the Bubbly Club members will be extremely disappointed if Ems cannot get them on the podium for the night’s finale.  This really is a race she should be winning and I’m siding with her to do so even if it’s not with anything like maximum confidence.