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2009 Irish Derby could be best yet, writes Robert Catterson.
A total of 174 of the best greyhounds in training will fight it out for this year's Irish Greyhound Derby in what is a record entry. This includes the usual interest from the UK but also challengers from both America and Finland.
While it's unlikely that this year's Classic will go for export, that certainly doesn't make the task of picking the winner any easier. Following some great performances in recent months, it's widely believed that this year's Irish Greyhound Derby is potentially the best in a very long time.
As per usual, the Boylesports.com Champion Stakes is the race which has structured the betting with the first and second, Fatboyz Nodrog N/A and Shaneboy Lee N/A, heading the outright market. But surprisingly, it's the latter which is the marginal favourite.
At Shelbourne Park less than two weeks ago, Fatboyz Nodrog put up one of the all-time best displays over 550 yards to win the prestigious prize in a whopping 29.54sec. He made all on that occasion and though Shaneboy Lee was closing on him, he never looked like beating the winner.
Should they meet at any stage in the Derby, I'd expect Fatboyz to beat Shaneboy again. Fatboyz Nodrog has a tremendous chance of doubling up and as he's a dog which seems to be improving all the time, he could very well do what Eyeman did in 1998 and go throughout the stake unbeaten. I fear Shaneboy though, may go out in one of the earlier rounds.
College Causeway N/A hasn't raced since he was an unlucky loser in the Ladbrokes 600 final and while he has been kept off since with niggling injuries, that could be a blessing in disguise for this super tracker. It means he comes into the Classic a much fresher greyhound and amazingly enough, we may not have seen the best of Pat Buckley's canine. It's interesting too that he now runs as a wide seed.
Faypoint Man N/A is a greyhound to avoid in this year's Classic and despite the first round draw being kind to him, I can't see him progressing much farther.
However, the opposite can be said for this year's St. Leger hero Bar Blackstone N/A. He has proved himself to be a greyhound with massive pace and appearing to be a quite progressive dog, he could be one of the greyhounds which lights up this year's Derby racing in the coming weeks.
Wise Thought N/A has been performing well enough recently to suggest that he could go quite far and much will be expected from the likes of Thurlesbeg Joker N/A, Mesedo Blue N/A, Ballymac Ruso N/A and Scolari Me Daddy N/A. And don't be surprised to see a return to form from the reigning champ Shelbourne Aston N/A.
Of the greyhounds priced at 50/1 and bigger, the two which appeal most are Tyrur Giovanni N/A and Brother Lee N/A. Giovanni has been a regular around Shelbourne Park in recent months and is in fine form. His 29.68sec winning performance on Champion Stakes night would be good enough to win most Irish Derby finals.
And Brother Lee is another greyhound who possesses huge pace. Recently eliminated from the Bar One Sprint, it's likely that competition was used as a pipe-opener for the Irish Derby. With two stunning displays of 28.39sec and 28.72sec earlier this year at Shelbourne, he could be returning to that kind of form at the perfect time.
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