BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Winners – Our Favourite 5
We are counting down our Top 5 favourite BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby winners as we gear up for the return of this year’s event.
5 Of Our Favourite BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Winners
1. 2009 – College Causeway
‘Here Comes The Causeway!’
This is arguably the most iconic line to ever be uttered in Shelbourne Park when College Causeway, the son of Go Wild Teddy and College Tina, won the €175,000 winners-prize and the title of 2009 Irish Greyhound Derby Champion.
College Causeway was trained by Pat Buckley, owned by Mike & Vincent McKenna and bred by Frank Culloty. One of the popular winners of the event but how did it win the competition?
College Causeway made the 2008 Irish Greyhound Derby Semi-Final but was knocked out after coming in fourth place. In 2009 though he came back with a vengeance in the First Round setting a new track record of 29.21 and being subsequently cut from 16-1 to 8-1 to win the competition.
The Causeway did not look back from there winning every round of the competition before that iconic final performance. Despite trap two Oran Classic led in the final and had a decent lead by halfway with Cashen Legend best positioned to make a challenge.
The Causeway had other ideas, despite being last at the second bend he powered through the field to pass Oran Classic on the run-in to complete an unbeaten campaign.
Here Comes The Causeway
College Causeway produces a magnificent performance to win the 2009 Irish Greyhound Derby Final @shelbournepark!pic.twitter.com/s38ZOeGx4p
— DaveyB (@DaveATBranch) September 9, 2022
2. 2012 – Skywalker Puma
Another iconic former winner of the Irish Greyhound Derby who won every round of the competition bar two (second in the First Round and second in the Third-Round) before coming from off-the-pace to win the competition in 2012.
The son of Royal Impact and Dianas Puma was trained by Frances O’Donnell, owned by Ray Patterson and was bred by Paddy Purtill (Lisselton). So how did he win the competition?
Skywalker Puma quietly went about his business in 2012 to win the competition having not gone off favourite until the Semi-Final where he was joint-favourite at 5/2 and the final where he was 2/1 favourite.
Puma came alive in the Semi-Final where he displayed breathtaking track craft to overtake early leader Razldazl Bugatti and pull 6.5 lengths clear of the field in 29.45. In the final Puma powered from off-the-pace to finish ahead of leader Cuil Cougar to win by a cinematic head in a thriller!
It could’ve been even more for this Greyhound though when he broke his hock in the second round of the competition in 2013 when leading and poised for another victory.
The greyhound even made a remarkable comeback in the First Round in 2014 but the spark was gone, and he finished lame after a long lay-off through injury. That heat though was won by a certain Laughil Blake more on him next…
Skywalker Puma – Ladbrokes Irish Greyhound Derby 2012 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8DKpPps0o1
— Greyhound Tales (@GreyhoundTales) March 23, 2020
3. 2014 – Laughil Blake
The signs were there early in the 2014 Irish Greyhound Derby that Laughil Blake was a potential winner when he won the First Round in 29.43 clocking a sectional and beating a field by 6.5 lengths. That field he beat included former winner Skywalker Puma and in the process stamped his mark on the competition early.
The son of Brett Lee and Laughil Lass was trained by Michael O’Donovan, owned by Mary and Paul Jennings and was bred by Larry Dunne (Louth). So, how did he win the competition?
As mentioned above he started the competition in red-hot form beating a field which included Skywalker Puma. He came second in the Second Round being beaten a head by Paradise Maverick but remained unbeaten for the remainder of the competition. Laughil Blake eventually became the market leader alongside Maverick in the third round when both clocked 29.43.
Laughil Blake comfortably won the first semi-final by 3.5 lengths ahead of Emers Superstar and Tyrur Sugar Ray who also qualified. Blake won the final by 2 lengths despite trapping behind Borneo, Ballymac Vic and Tyrur Sugar Ray but he had enough early pace to soon take the lead and land the biggest prize in Irish Greyhound Racing.
🎂 𝐑𝐏𝐆𝐓𝐕 𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 🎂
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗣𝗚𝗧𝗩:
📅 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟰
Laughil Blake lands the second Irish Derby final to be broadcast live on RPGTV from @shelbournepark! pic.twitter.com/fA788LIqlY
— @RPGreyhounds (@RPGreyhounds) December 9, 2021
4. 2017 – Good News
The 2017 Irish Greyhound Derby was won by the sensationally early-paced son of Definate and Pippy and remarkably trained by a non-professional trainer in many senses, school teacher Patrick Guilfoyle. The greyhound was owned by Sandra Guilfoyle and Mary Kennedy and trained by John Kennedy in Thurles.
Upon winning the competition Patrick was quoted as saying, “They say dreams don’t come true but tonight ours has”. So, how did he win the competition?
Good News commenced his Derby campaign coming second in the First Round ten lengths back of sensational Sonic who clocked 29.12. It won its Second Round by eight lengths in 29.45, coming second to Droopys Cabaye in the Third Round but would win every remaining round of the competition afterwards including surprisingly beating Clares Rocket in the Quarter-Final by a nk!
A consistent Good News won the second semi-final defeating Sonic and Jaytee Jet in 29.49 before winning the final in style by being fast out and leading throughout. It’s hard to beat early pace and Good News had plenty.
Watch 7-4jf Good News win the 2017 Boylesports Irish Greyhound Derby pic.twitter.com/SLSNV8jb7v
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 23, 2017
5. 2021 – Susie Sapphire
The sensational, scintillating, special Susie Sapphire, there are not enough superlatives to describe this bitch and probably this author’s favourite greyhound to watch ever. The daughter of Droopys Jet and Jetstream Lynx trained by Owen McKenna and owned and bred by Peter Comerford was described as “The Jewel/Darling of Irish Greyhound Racing”.
Six weeks ago we started with 156.
We’re now down to the final six.
Around 29 seconds remain in this year’s BoyleSports Greyhound Derby at @shelbournepark.
But who will follow Susie Sapphire as champion?#BoyleSportsIGDpic.twitter.com/KvF0txmLDd
— BoyleSports (@BoyleSports) September 20, 2022
The beauty of her story becomes even greater with the backstory behind her despite losing three of her first four starts that would not stop her from reaching the pinnacle of the sport! She won the Puppy Oaks and the Irish Oaks which was later titled “the arrival of Susie Sapphire” before heading for the Derby in 2021.
Susie did not put a foot wrong in the Derby, consistently trapping throughout winning every round of the competition to become the second youngest winner in the competition’s history and the first female winner of the 21st century.
Her retirement was announced on the 29th of June 2022. Susie Sapphire finished up with 16 Wins, 3 Seconds and 5 Thirds from 28 Races, unbeaten from Trap One and leaving a legacy like no-other bitch behind her and an impressive load of accolades.
We will never see another greyhound like her
The Puppy Oaks
The Sporting Press Irish Oaks
The BoyleSports Irish Derby
The BRESBET Easter CupAnd more to come
Ladies and gents Susie Sapphire 😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/ciaVCoeYpU
— Sarah Kinsella (@BoyleSportsSK) March 19, 2022
The 2023 BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby is fast approaching and we took a look at everything you need to know about it including dates, prize money and the competition’s history in a recent post.
Click Below For All Our 2023 BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Odds
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