Jackslittlething The Fastest In 1/4 Finals of BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby

What an entertaining night at Shelbourne Park on Saturday!

A word for Riverside
Graham Holland has been enjoying a fruitful time at HQ and it’s safe to say his kennel is in great form. You can never underestimate Graham in any race, especially not the BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby. Graham along with Nicky, Rachel and Timmy make a fantastic team and it’s great to see them arrive to Shelbourne Park with their talented army of dogs every Saturday.

We all love the underdogs and the stories about the smaller trainers, but Riverside Kennels deserve the praise as they have a very impressive outfit. Their social media coverage is awesome with their Instagram page showing their superstars happy in their beds, enjoying the paddocks in the sun or having a tasty treat. It’s easy to see why they are successful because their dogs genuinely seem so happy especially Kameko who always shows tonnes of affection towards everyone.

All the single ladies
The quarter-finals were nothing short of sensational. I say it every year that this is the best Derby ever but honestly, this year is different because the ladies are really making it interesting. We have been waiting since 1999; give the people what they want! It’s 5/4 from 2/1 for a bitch to win the Derby with four talented ladies left:

Top Bitch
4/5 Ballymac Ariel
5/2 Scooby Princess
5/2 Susie Sapphire
12/1 Singalong Sally

The cloud lifted from Ballymac Ariel
Liam Dowling is a great man. Not all trainers would report that their dogs have issues, but the Kerry native has been keeping us up to date about his superstar. She worked hard to win her heat on Saturday, clocking 29.37 coming from behind beating the ante post favourite Explosive Boy for the second week in a row.

He led to the third bend clocking career best sectionals at HQ of 3.33 and 16.98. He was cruising but not as much as Ariel. All About Ted ran awesome to grab third.

Explosive Boy remains 5/2, Ballymac Ariel remains 7/2 and All About Ted is 8/1 from 14/1 as he is the favourite to win his heat this Saturday

Singalong Sally digs deep
It was sad to see Deerjet Sydney get knocked out, but Team Buckley were over the moon with their pride and joy Singalong Sally. She really is a little cracker; 29.70 coming from behind to pick up Monraud Thunder who was only having his ninth career start. Gortkelly Nestor continues to fly the flag for the underdogs after coming home strong to deny Rural Star a spot in the semi-finals. A great race.

Sally is 25/1 from 40/1 and 12/1 to be the top bitch.

Oaks Champion Susie just too good
What’s not to love? Susie loves to race and always comes off the track bouncing and ready for more. Owen McKenna has done a marvellous job with her as she remains unbeaten in this competition; 29.48 with 3.41 and 17.04 sectionals. There is a lot to like about Susie who continues to dominate her rivals for owner Peter Comerford.

How good was Scooby Princess? This Jennifer O’Donnell trained bitch is in fantastic form. The ground she makes up is remarkable. Ballymac Fairone wasn’t too bad either. It’s great to see such a variation of trainers and owners into the semi-finals.

Susie remains 8/1, Scooby is 10/1 from 16/1.

Jackslittlething continues winning streak
Jack has now won his last six races and that is something that must be celebrated. I know the Pillar syndicate have been anyway! I think the entire greyhound industry are cheering for you lads, it’s great to see so the best of luck. He won in 29.23 with sectionals of 3.43 and 17.03.

He was flying once he got going and there was no catching him. Carrigeen North was second for Thomas Buggy with Priceless Jet third for Paul Hennessy.

Jack remains 4/1

Remembering Michael Fortune
The Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate didn’t disappoint either with Skywalker Barry now the 11/8 from 5/2 favourite to win the title. The other three heat winners were Sweep The Yard, Gaytime Milo and the exciting Droopys Gloss.

It’s a cracking competition with €5,000 to the winner and Michael will certainly be enjoying all the action with a pint of Guinness up in the clouds.

It’s only five more sleeps till the semi-finals of both competitions. All outright and heat betting is available here along with some new specials we have.
Betting: https://www.boylesports.com/sports/greyhounds

Which Semi Final Will The Winner Come From?
2/7 Semi Final 2
5/2 Semi Final 1

See you all on Saturday and don’t forget to tune into RPGTV if you can’t get to the track (Sky channel 437). I’ll also be on Galway Bay FM Monday night if you want to tune in.

Stay safe and thanks for all the lovely messages. I love bringing all the action to you at home. I’m very lucky to have such a rewarding job.

Sarah xoxo

Bet on the BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby.