GREYHOUND PREVIEW: Barry Caul previews the semi-finals of the English Greyhound Derby at Towcester on Saturday.
Just twelve remain in the hunt for English Greyhound Derby glory. Last year’s champion De Lahdedah is still bang there and running as well as ever while despite being landed with a tough draw, Irish Derby champion Bockos Diamond also remains. He beat his kennel mate Cheap Sandwiches in last years Irish Derby final and the pair line up side by side in the second semi. Let’s look at the action.
English Greyhound Derby Semi Final 1
1. Sole Mio
2. De Lahdedah
3. Droopys Bookem
4. Slick Sentinel
5. Bombay Pat
6. Churchfield Syd
Verdict: De Lahdedah is bidding to become the first greyhound since Westmead Hawk in 2006 to win back-to-back titles. Liam Dowling’s start tracker runs the track extremely well and has improved on his early season Irish form since returning to the scene of his greatest triumph. The draw could have been kinder for the defending champ as the lightly raced Sole Mio will be moving off on the run to the corner. Sole Mio has done very little wrong in the competition and has a big chance of making it to the final. There is a real possibility the inside duo could come together on the run to the corner and that could leave the race wide open. Bombay Pat is one of the best in training, but he can miss the break on occasions. Pat will need to be alert because the excellent Churchfield Syd will be edging towards the middle of the track on the run to the corner. Syd is looking to make his second English Derby Final and despite his advancing years he ran a cracker when just picked up by De Lahdedah in last weekends quarter final. Droopys Bookem will be finishing fastest of all but will need the gaps to appear at the right times. Slick Sentinel will go off at a big price, but he may be the value in the contest. He ran a cracker when rallying to get the better of Bockos Diamond and Droopys Plunge last week and the race could just work out to suit him. Sentinel will have too much early pace for Droopys Bookem and with the possibility of the inside runners bumping on the run to the corner he may be worth a small investment. Despite the betting this looks wide open. But Slick Sentinel may just be the one.
Semi Final 2
1. No Better Feeling
2. Prince Naseem
3. Droopys Plunge
4. Dynamic Force
5. Cheap Sandwiches
6. Bockos Diamond
Verdict: This race is all down to the break. Can Bockos Diamond somehow clear Cheap Sandwiches in five? If he can, he should win, if he doesn’t manage to do it, he could find it hard to qualify, those are the fine margins. Incredibly impressive around Shelbourne Park when winning last years Irish Derby, Bockos Diamond has not been as dominant at Towcester, but its still hard to forget how exceptional he was at the Dublin venue late last year. It’s a big ask but hopefully he can make another final. Cheap Sandwiches is better drawn on the inside of Bockos and he just need to clear Dynamic Force in the early yards and he should book his ticket to next weekends final. For fans of Dynamic Force, if he were to turn behind the big two, he should also make the final for Paul Hennessy. No Better Feeling and Prince Naseem have both done remarkably well to make it this far but will need a little luck while Droopys Plunge will be finishing best of all and could nick a place. For win purposes this looks tricky, it’s all on the break and there are safer betting options on the card. Let’s hope for a clear run race and hopefully Bockos Diamond can make the final. Good luck to all connections.
Towcester supporting card
18:01
Shadow Storm impressed on his debut when getting the better of Broadway Murty last weekend and he is drawn to confirm the form. There is a chance there could be more to come after that debut run and he could prove hard to beat in the opener.
18:51
Toomuchchat could be worth a small bet at a decent price in here. The well-bred son of Cockyorconfident is a half brother of Crafty Kokoro and has very few miles on the clock. He is one of the youngest runners on the card and can only improve in the coming weeks.
20:06
Deadly Disco is a hugely fast greyhound. He has some cracking form from his Irish days and has only had a handful of starts in the UK. He is not the most fluent runner around a bend but has a massive engine. Currently 9/1 to win this event outright he should be hard to keep out of the first three this weekend and 9/1 could look a big price come Saturday week.
Good luck to all connections,
Barry.
