Greyhound Racing

2025 Star Sports & TRC Greyhound Derby quarter-finals

Published on

May 27, 2025

Another fantastic evening of racing last Saturday which whittled the qualifiers down to the last 24, writes Peter Walker.

The highlight of the third round went to Sole Mio who kept his unbeaten record intact with the quickest sectional and finishing time in the last race at the track.

Barntick Bear missed out on qualification competing in the same race.

We also lost Sunnyside Broxi (aka Ballymac Gizmo, a finalist last year) and Ballinabola Joe in the earlier heats.

We may see them in the Derby Plate which starts next week.

Big improver

Another big improver on the night was Bubbly Charger who stole a march on Bombay Pat.

The Champagne Club members will be hoping he keeps up this standard next Saturday.

The Irish contingent had plenty to enjoy with Bockos Diamond holding off a fast-finishing Cheap Sandwiches by a diminishing short-head on the line.

De Lahdedah came back to winning ways in commanding style.

Singalong Molly, the only bitch left in the Derby, managed to overhaul Faypoint Harvey on the run-in.

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Home front

On the home front, Slick Sentinel and Droopys Trade (still a puppy and also remains unbeaten in the competition) both won for the Patrick Janssens team as well as Michael Burton’s Droopys Aladdin.

Other qualifiers were Droopys Bookem (Tom Heilbrom), March On Freddie (David Mullins), No Better Feeling (Esther Driver), Churchfield Syd (Richard Rees), Tiffield Tarquin (Roy Peckham), One Slick Jamie (Paul Marchant), Prince Naseem (Maxine Lock), Newinn Benni (Derek Knight), Keefill Maverick (Phil Milner) and Droopys Plunge with Romeo Empire (both from the Janssens’s kennel).

I’m pleased to say my three pre-competition selections have all reached the next round.

Droopys Plunge, ‘Pat’ and ‘Freddie’ have fortunately been kept apart in the quarter-final draw.

Patrick Janssens has four through but three all race in the last quarter (two from The-Three-Tall-Men-Syndicate) with no guarding of course now.

Unbeaten status

That race also has four race winners in the line-up which includes Bockos Diamond. Unless there’s a dead heat for first place (what odds on that I wonder?), either the ante post favourite or Droopys Trade will lose their unbeaten status.

The race and sectional ratings have all been reassessed and most of the main contenders have consolidated their position in the top six.

However, Sole Mio has stormed to the top after his last brilliant performance so I’ve added him to my portfolio.

Dynamic Force has come into the equation after an eye-catching run behind the aforementioned selection.

I have also ranked the sectional leaders amongst the remaining qualifiers.

It’s worth noting that there is some serious early pace in the fourth quarter so hopefully a clean run race.

Good luck of course to connections and all come back safe and sound.

Saturday 19.46