If you thought the second-round performance of Bockos Diamond was exciting, his performance in the third round was electric. He rewrote the history books with a dazzling display, beating the fastest time ever over the 503m by five spots in 28.94 seconds. I hope some of you took the hint in my early summary before the event started!
Sadly, we were brought back down to earth in the next heat when we lost Bubbly Shadow who sustained a serious injury where Ballymac Briar came out on top in a tight finish.
Untold Dollar takes advantage
In heat 3, we had two withdrawals in traps 2 and 3 which gave Untold Dollar (pictured above) a clear advantage on the inside and eventually powered clear. What a shame dead-heat losers don’t stand as a reserve!
Heat 4 looked to be at the mercy of Tuono Charlie but he moved off at the second bend, possibly caused by his back legs being clipped by the chasing pack. He lost out on qualification with the race won by the rank outsider in Extra Gain. However, March On Freddie rode through the trouble and finished runner-up and the dream lives on.
Ballinabola Jim holds off Da Bold Falcon
In the next heat, Ballinabola Jim kept his unbeaten record intact with a gutsy display to hold off a fast finishing Da Bold Falcon. Unbelievably, we had another dead-heat for the third qualifying position again! This time, Hot Wood lost out on the flip of a coin, but let’s hope the antiquated and unfair ruling is changed in the near future.
Heat 6 went the way of Bombay Pat, who also remains unbeaten in the competition so far. The penultimate heat went to another well-supported wide runner in Cheap Sandwiches. The last heat saw Undulation coming back to her best, winning in 29.16, the second fastest of the night.
Overall, every favourite qualified with four winning their respective races, of which three were odds-on chances. In the outright market, seven out of the top ten are all wide seeds. Come the eventual final, we could have a field of four or five wide runners! Beyond the wides, the top-rated inside runner at this stage is Untold Dollar.
Bockos Diamond gets favourable draw
The best middle now is Undulation as she has improved with every round up to press. The only winner in Heat 4 is Bockos Diamond and barring accident or injury may be destined to win. His performances have him rated at 200 now, with the remainder all downgraded, such is his dominance in the event so far. In recent history, I remember Susie Sapphire was top-rated throughout the 2021 Irish Derby, but not by such a wide margin.
Quarter-final ratings
Ratings of all twenty-four greyhounds are assessed collectively again, with a summary of the top three in each race. Additionally, the best up-to-date ante post prices quoted (subject to fluctuation). In the Derby Plate quarter-finals, the top-rated are Tribal Syd, Miami King, Coosane Pickles and Faypoint Harvey. Harvey is currently available at 10/1 looks good each-way value.
Good luck to all left in both competitions, especially our representative Freddie drawn in heat 1, trap 4. Freddie has unbeaten Ballinabola Jim and Bombay Pat for company on his outside. No easy races at this stage, but guess connections would settle for a first-three finish.
9.06
9.24
9.39
9.54
