Jet Will Attempt to Fly Home in Greyhound Derby Final
Author:
Megan Butler
It has taken five weeks to whittle 188 greyhounds down to a field of six. It was champion jockey Oisin Murphy who conducted the trap draw on Monday. He handed defending champion Deerjet Sydney a great opportunity by giving him trap-two in Saturday’s ￡175,000 to-the-winner final.
Trainer’s assistant Emma Buckley with defending Derby champion Deerjet Sydney. ?StarSports
Wide Open Contest
No individual greyhound has reached the 2021 Greyhound Derby final, staged at Towcester Racecourse, unbeaten. When both favorites were eclipsed in last weekend’s semi-finals, the stage was set for Saturday’s final to be of the most open in recent memory.
Bookmaker’s, such as former big-race sponsor’s William Hill have Ballymac Fairone listed as their marginal favorite. One of four finalists representing Irish trainers, this lightly-raced greyhound catapulted from the starting traps to win his semi-final in impressive style.
Only just two-years-of-age, Ballymac Fairone is the youngest greyhound in the final and therefore could be open to the most improvement. Odds compilers still like the prospect of Deerjet Sydney retaining his title and he is second best in the betting lists at 11/4.
Smart Session
Third in the Greyhound Derby betting, at 4/1, is Newinn Session. His trainer, Graham Holland, is yet to land an English Derby but has won the Irish equivalent three times. In winning the second semi-final at odds of 8/1 Newinn Session looks like he is peaking at the right time.
Champion jockey Oisin Murphy drew Newinn Session’s name from the drum first when making the Derby final draw. This means he has the advantage of trap 1 in the big race. But, as the only greyhound confirmed to be a wide-runner, Thorn Falcon also has an excellent starting box in trap 6.
Top-priced 6/1, Thorn Falcon is the best of the two British hopes in the Star Sports sponsored Greyhound Derby final. His best recent times may indicate he has something to find with his rivals. But, with a record of six wins from eight starts, all from trap 6 at the Derby venue, it is hard to dismiss his chances.
Bookies Not Wild About Lion
At 7/1 and 25/1 respectively Ballymac Wilde and Kilara Lion complete the line-up. Ballymac Wild is a very experienced greyhound. However, as a dog who hugs the inside running rail, he has not fared well in the draw. He goes from trap 4 in the final.
Kilara Lion is the second of the UK’s hopes. Another with plenty of experience, he won the Blue Riband final over course and distance in February. He is the oldest dog in the decider and has reached the final without winning a race throughout the competition.
Trainer Liam Dowling with 2021 Star Sports Greyhound Derby finalist Ballymac Wild. ?StarSports
An Experts Opinion
Jonathan Hobbs, master of ceremonies at the traditional Derby draw, has given the online-casinos.com news desk his opinion on how the final will be run. “If any greyhound brings their absolute A-game they will win, the race is that competitive.”
“The draw has worked pretty-well for all the runners, and we should see a clean-run race. But timing the break right will still be absolutely vital,” says Hobbs’, a respected greyhound journalist who has seen over 30 Derby finals.
“Ireland had a very strong entry at the outset, and they are still favorite to take their third Derby in a row. The home guard is led by Patrick Janssens. He is flying the flag for the UK trained dogs albeit he is from Belgium. The UK’s last Derby winner was Astute Missile in 2017 and he was trained by Seamus Cahill, an Irishman from Tipperary!”
So how does the expert see the big-race unfolding? “Newinn Session has the advantage of trap 1 and he is my idea of the best bet. But everyone in the sport would love to see Deerjet Sydney land a second Derby after taking the title at Nottingham a year ago. The UK’s dogs – Kilara Lion and Thorn Falcon – may have a little too much on but Patrick Janssens is the reigning champion trainer so clearly knows how to prepare a dog for the big occasion.”
*The Star Sports Greyhound Derby can be watched live on SportyStuff TV (Sky channel 437 and Freesat channel 250). It is also streamed free at major online bookmaking sites.
