Sarah Kinsella’s BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Semi-Final Preview

on August 23, 2023 at 10:48 am

We have a BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Semi- Final preview from BoyleSports PR Executive and greyhound racing expert Sarah Kinsella.

Sarah’s Quarter-Final Recap!

Everything good in life starts with a dream…

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had a very big dream. She dreamt of winning the BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park and believed with every molecule of her being that it would come true. The little girl had grown up with greyhounds. Since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, she remembers walking the meadows with her mam and dad and telling them that one day she would train the winner of the derby.

That little girl is a grown woman now, but she still believes she can make that dream come true and parade her canine best friend in front of a packed stand at Shelbourne Park, her favourite place in the world. She dreams of elation, happiness, pure joy and a real sense of achievement.

There will be tears, laughter, celebrations, and a huge after-party with all her greyhound pals. She dreams of her greyhound breaking fast like Susie Sapphire and leading from start to finish as the underdog of the race. She dreams of her greyhound being a massive price in the final with her whole family there having their monthly wages on at 20/1 with Ted Hegarty! She dreams of her dad wrapping her arms around her when they finally achieve what they have always dreamt of. What they have always talked about. The bad days become a distant memory and the mantlepiece would become a shrine for the years to come of how much their greyhound gave to them.

Always have hopes and dreams. You just never know when something magical will happen and when you are heading to the traps on Saturday week just remember that what’s for you won’t pass you.

Semi-finals

24 have become 12 and what a 12 we are left with. De Lahdedah was sensational yet again. Fair play to Liam Dowling. This dog is coming into the best form of his life at the right time with trap one in the semi-final a perfect draw. He clocked 29.31 but the week previous he was the fastest winner of the competition so far with a stunning 29.15. That didn’t last long however as The Other Kobe blasted from traps to win his heat in 29.15 along with the fastest sectionals of the 2023 derby so far clocking 3.38 & 16.88. Wow. Pretty awesome stuff from the Jennifer O’Donnell-trained brother of last year’s winner Born Warrior. Bens Teddy was also excellent for trainer Pat Buckley when winning heat three in 29.39, a mighty effort beating Bockos Crystal and Threesixfive. The last heat winner was Clonroosk Sydney who was brilliant for trainer Matthew Harte to win in 29.55 coming from behind. John Jones and Well Met qualified in second while Patrick Guilfoyle’s Music Glideaway grabbed third.

As sponsors, we have seen plenty of changes in the outright market, but this week was the biggest change as Coolavanny Hoffa lost his place at the top of the betting for the first time. He is now the second favourite at 7/2 while DE LAHDEDAH has become the new outright favourite with his odds hammered into 2/1 from 6/1. The Other Kobe is also a substantial mover into 8/1 from 20/1. The betting market can be found here.

The semi-finals look insane, and our trader Damien Lonergan has confirmed strong support for Trinity Junior to win the opening heat with his odds cut into 11/10 from 11/8. He races from trap four. De Lahdedah is the 6/4 favourite to come out on top in the second semi-final with Coolavanny Hoffa rated as the main danger at 2/1. VALUE!

Sarah’s prediction

I’ve not had much luck this year as all of my ante post selections have been knocked out. I fancy Well Met to win his heat and I think Coolavanny Hoffa will win his.

Semi-final 1 prediction – 1, 4, 6

Semi-final 2 prediction – 6, 2, 1

I can’t wait to see you all on Saturday. Don’t forget it’s live on Virgin Media Three and RPGTV (sky channel 427).

Lots of love and remember, keep dreaming.

Sarah x

BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Semi Finals ~ Semi Final 1, (place terms: 1/4 the first 2)

11-10 Trinity Junior

9-4 Well Met

6 Clonroosk Sydney

8 Music Glideaway

8 Seven Beach

25 Threesixfive