Shelbourne Park had 80 confirmed entries for the 2019 Boylesports Irish Derby by lunchtime on Thursday but track boss Patrick Flynn is confident of reaching the required 144 by the close of play on Saturday.
He said: “Most of the large kennels are still to finalise their teams and experience suggests we are a bit ahead of where we need to be.”
The draw takes place on Monday and the event gets underway next Friday/Saturday (August 16/17) – with 12 heats each night. It concludes on Saturday September 21.
Patrick said: “We expect a decent number of visitors from the UK for the later stages, and although the Dublin hotels are invariably busy, at least the final doesn’t clash with the All-Ireland Final this year.”
