As we approach the finals night at Shelbourne Park, five weeks have flown by, writes Peter Walker.
We lost Bochos Diamond before the third round due to an injury sustained on the gallops. This was a great shame as his heat included Proper Heiress and Cheap Sandwiches.
In his absence, we witnessed the best race of the competition so far. Heiress came out on top but the first three in that race have all made it into the final as Barefoot On Song also qualified behind the front two.
Semi-final 1
Fast-forward two weeks and the first semi-final had the aforementioned three greyhounds up against each other once again.
Proper Heiress (or Harry as he’s known in the kennel) had been allotted the worst draw possible in trap 5.
With an abundance of pace on his inside, bunching was inevitable, and Cheap Sandwiches took full advantage to scoot clear. He won by a wide margin in 29,14 seconds, the fastest of the event so far.
In his wake, what followed was certainly not in the script. With the hare out of sight of the remaining runners, Oreo Ollie chased Barefoot On Song and turned his head before the finish to take second on the line.
After the early trouble, Harry eventually came fourth and the hopes of a nation were dashed. Wait a minute – hold the back page! The stewards examined Ollie’s actions on the run-in and were left with no choice but to disqualify him.
The remaining positions were upgraded as per their rules. It may have been fortuitous but luck, good or bad, has a habit of levelling itself out.
Not often so soon, but the British have a runner in the final! We just missed out last year with March On Freddie but fate has helped us this time around.
Semi-final 2
After the earlier drama, Magical Mag was made favourite and led early on. Glengar Silent was in her slipstream and got his revenge this time with another strong finish to overtake the fast-starting bitch.
Droopys Deploy also ran on well to take second in front of Mag but all three qualified.
Ballyhooly Bruno, Callaway Five and Happy Jet missed out on qualification, as well as Singalong Curly and Ballymac Stud from the first semi-final with the unfortunate Oreo Ollie.
The final
The draw for the final had three inside seeds, one middle and two wides. Respite for Proper Heiress this time as he’s drawn the red vest.
The middle seed automatically went in trap 4 and Cheap Sandwiches in 5.
Magical Mag in trap 2 is usually very quick away and here-in lies her chance. With a fast break a necessity, she may need trouble in behind to come out on top.
The other bitch Barefoot On Song next door on her outside has done very well to qualify but has it all to do in this fantastic line-up. She won her first heat but needs a personal best to give the opposition something to think about.
Droopys Deploy tends to start a little slower but needs to step up a gear at this level to gain an advantage over the likely leaders.
Glengar Silent was in front of Deploy in their semi-final and has come under the radar so ignore him at your peril.
Cheap Sandwiches has normally been in the shadow of Bochos Diamond but now has the opportunity to steal the limelight. Without his kennelmate, he is up against the best the UK has to offer.
Proper Heiress may have been thrown a lifeline but is the only greyhound to get the better of the favourite in an earlier round.
Our representative is now favourably housed in trap 1 so it’s game on once more.
I expect them to compete toe-to-toe with Glengar Silent running on strong towards the finish. In fact, putting those three in traps 1, 4 & 5 in a combination tricast (tote trio all ways) could pay dividends.
Ratings
The complete statistical analysis and figures are shown below, with Cheap Sandwiches improving as the competition has progressed.
It promises to be a real Anglo-Irish encounter for supremacy in one of the most eagerly-anticipated Derby finals at Shelbourne Park.
Proper Heiress has the chance to become only the fifth British-trained winner since Toms The Best last accomplished the feat for Nick Savva in 1998.
Come on Harry, you can do it!
Additional race ratings are provided where applicable to assist in finding a few winners, especially if you are going to the track on finals night.
It is sure to be another brilliant evening of racing at the conclusion of this year’s Irish Greyhound Derby.
Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate
Prior to the Derby semi-finals, we had the equivalent Plate races.
Carrick Scholsey, who had finished behind Sunshine Sioux in both his previous runs, had drawn an easier qualifier on paper this time and took full advantage.
After a level break with Grouchos Hoffa on his outside, he managed to assert over his nearest rival to win well. Both qualified with Boylesports Blue taking third place.
The second semi-final included all three second round heat winners, but they were led up by the rank outsider Harlequin Gee Up.
He was only just overhauled by a fast-finishing Sunshine Sioux on the line. The favourite Magical Major ran on well to go through to the final, with Ballymac Axel desperately losing out by a head.
The draw has Sunshine Sioux back in trap 1 and followers will hope he remains undefeated in the Plate final when it matters the most.
