The Star Sports Bookmakers & ARC English Greyhound Derby has been eagerly anticipated for some months now and the greyhounds finally headed to traps on Friday evening for the first batch of first round heats -writes Mark Pierrepont.

Many of the Irish entries for the competition headed into the first round with just the one trial under their belts and that very much applied to Pat Buckley’s trio of Deerjet Sydney, Glengar Bale and Knocknaboul Syd.

Friday times in red, Saturday in blue

Given such a lack of experience of the track simple qualification would have been a more than acceptable achievement.

What followed though was a near 30/1 winning treble as first up Irish Derby quarter finalist Deerjet Sydney took heat one at 7/2 in 29.83. Glengar Bale (10-3), fourth finisher in the Irish Derby semi won by Pestana, dominantly beat a good class field here to win heat 3 in a fastest of the night 29.55

Knocknaboul Syd completed the treble at odds of 9/4 when taking heat 7 in 29.66 off the back of a fastest sectional of the night 4.88.

Not many greyhounds break the five second barrier for the sprint these days, sectionals are around 0.06 – 0.07 back on what they were maybe a year ago, so 4.88 is absolutely rapid.

Trapping ability and early pace such as this will prove a potent weapon throughout the competition.

Smurfs Machine was slowly into stride in heat 2 but soon paced up to take command by the bend, he never looked in any trouble from that point on as his rivals crowded each other throughout in behind.

Black Parachute had been well touted for the competition but regular readers of my Derby Diary piece, and those who had taken the time to watch the trial video, will have known he trialled poorly and didn’t look at home on the track.

Also the one look around didn’t prove enough to see him reproducing his best Irish form and despite being crowded on more than one occasion he has very little in the way of excuses.

He remains a classy dog going forward but the Derby simply wasn’t to be. Diane Henry’s Savana Cody run well to take heat 4 in 30.10 from Ernie Gaskin’s Newinn Jacko with Deanridge Rapid just fending off Mister Brentford to seal the third qualifying place for Alison Kelly-Pilgrim.

This was not the Rapid I’ve been watching trial at Nottingham in recent weeks, he did charge the traps shortly before they opened which resulted in a missed break

Possibly this impacted his performance as quite simply from a position of just over two lengths adrift of Cody at the second bend and showed little along the backstraight.

The run was lacklustre and, antepost supporters will be antiipating an improved performance next time out.

Julie Bateson’s Gonzo run well to take heat 5 in 29.86, he narrowly led at the line first time when recording a sectional of 4.96 over John McGhee’s Swanley Chick 4.98.

The latter ran a much better first two bends with Gonzo moving off badly but the eventual winner showed good track craft at halfway when darting inside the Irish challenger.

GONZO (t6) lands heat 5 of the Derby from Look Like Power (t1). Nottingham 2nd October 2020 Photo: © Steve Nash

This was a good run from Gonzo but with the suggestion that there is still plenty more to come.

Distant Star took heat 6 for Carol Weatherall on behalf of Irish trainer Peter Cronin Star won here despite showcasing that there is still plenty left to come, both for experience of the track and fitness.

With all the talk about how the Irish dogs had fared on night one, Gary Carmichael showed that the Scottish are nobody’s fools as his Little Emir took heat 8 in style.

Roxholme Kristof was sent off odds on 5/6 favourite for this heat having run out an impressive winner of the Three Steps To Victory final at Sheffield just 3 days earlier. Heading into a competition like this without a trial is unheard of for the Keightley team but present conditions simply didn’t allow time. It was a gamble but unfortunately it was one that didn’t pay off , moderately away Kriftoff was hampered badly at the first bend and again at the second , it was Derby over before it had even begun but there will be plenty more big nights going forward for a hugely pacey dog.

 

Saturday night was an absolute wash out

In 20 years I have rarely if ever seen the track as heavy as it was for this second batch of first round heats. Regulars will tell you that the back straight at Nottingham can at time get very heavy. But when the home straight in this condition early on, it was obvious that the dogs were in for a tough night.

Groundsman Paul and his track team do an excellent job on the circuit but on this occasion there wasn’t an awful lot any of them could do.

Making a splash: Heat 10 winner Wolfe (t2) challenges Bockos Boss (t5) for the early lead with Bower Luke (t6) close up.
Star Sports /Arc Derby 1st Round Photo: © Steve Nash

Graham Holland’s Wolfe posted a fastest time of the night 30.72 in heat 10, his pace down the back straight where the track was extremely heavy on the inside was a sight to behold.

Pat Buckley had yet another winner, his Doolin Duke taking heat 9 in 30.74 whilst Blue Tick George who has been in terrific form at Central Park over the past couple of weeks took heat 11 for Jim Daly in 30.91.

Vics Charm always led for Jim Reynolds in heat 12, his winning time of 31.46 tells you all you need to know about the track by this stage.

The Richard Rees trained Southwood Jet was impressive in taking heat 13 in heat 13 while Irish trainer Noel Hehir saw his Coolavanny Chick taking heat 14 in 3117 whilst Ballydoyle Valor made it a double on the night for Graham Holland when taking heat 15 in 30.86.

The final race on the card was the heat of the round in most people’s books and though the track at this stage was borderline raceable it didn’t disappoint. Ante-post favourite Newinn Session broke well and looked in total command on the inside whilst his two main rivals KIlara Icon.

Fourth in the Irish Derby final recently and Bockos Doomie were engaged in a battle for ground on his outisde. Doomie just cut across Icon at the turn, Session at the same point running off the turn badly this allowed Doomie to seize what had looked like an unlikely lead by the second turn.

Session meanwhile being caught out of position on the wide outside of Berties Blake. At the back meanwhile Kilara Icon looked in all kinds of trouble, laying in last place some 8 lengths off the pace he looked in serious danger.

How he took off though, backstraight pace that has to be seen to be believed the now Peter Harnden trained greyhound took off, setting his sights on Patrick Janssens’

SOUTHWOOD JET (t1) leads early in heat 13 challenged by Blastout Billy (2), Feudal Spirit (t3) and Faughan Rebel (t6). At the back is almost hidden Sparta Master (t5) with Ballyard Ricki (t4 left) also just getting into shot. Photo: © Steve Nash

Doomie and the Graham Holland trained Session who was moving into second position.

Session got the upper hand on Doomie on the run in, with Icon also claiming that rival in the latter stages. The race promised much and didn’t it deliver. There is better to come from all 3 greyhounds who showed guts as well as class in an enthralling finale to the first round.

 

Following the meeting, Nottingham spokesman Nathan Corden paid tribute to groundsman Paul Smith.

He said: “It was slow but safe. They were not ideal conditions, nobody wants it like that. But there were no injuries. Paul Smith and his team did an amazing job in very difficult circumstances “

 

The seeding panel have received three requests for changes of seeding: Newinn Jacko ‘rails from middle’, Tommys Panther ‘rails from middle’ and Sparta Master ‘rails from middle’.

Two more being considered by the stewards are Swanley Chick ‘rails to middle’ and Lenson Bocko ‘rails to middle’

Another winner for Ireland as COOLAVANNY CHICK wins heat 14 Photo: © Steve Nash