The 2025 English Greyhound Derby Fact File
The Greyhound Derby, the plinth of dog racing’s pantheon, is underway. Here’s all you need to know about 2025’s valuable event:
Towcester Racecourse will stage the Greyhound Derby for a seventh time in 2025. Steve Nash Photography
Key Facts:
- The Greyhound Derby Becomes a Derby Festival in 2025.
- Greyhounds must navigate five rounds of competition to reach the £175,000 to-the-winner final.
- A family feast is promised for the June 14 final decider.
- Ireland’s Paul Hennessy has a strong squad in his quest for first Towcester Derby success.
The 2025 Greyhound Derby, sponsored by UK gambling site Star Sports and TRC, promises to be the best edition of the competition since the sport’s premier classic left Wimbledon Stadium nine years ago.
On track, the racing will be top-drawer with the cream of the UK’s and Ireland’s canine talent in competitive action. This year, organisers have revamped the Greyhound Derby experience, turning the nine-night feast at Towcester Racecourse into an exciting festival.
Various themed meetings, including a Lady’s Day, a Student Day, and a Charity Fundraising Day, are on the agenda during Saturdays in May and June, when live bands will play after racing each night.
In a throwback from the halcyon days of White City Greyhound Derby final nights – when a member of the Royal Family would attend the meeting – the National Anthem will be played ahead of the 15-race finals night meeting.
The stadium will open its doors hours beforehand for a Family Fun Day featuring more live music, fairground rides, face painting, a climbing wall, trampolines, a greyhound meet-and-greet, a Q&A session with a trainer, magicians, and before and after racing discos.
2/1 the Derby Trophy Stays at Home
A £175,000 prize awaits the connections of the Derby winner, and the trophy has made its way to Ireland for five of the past six years. It’s a trend the sponsors predict will continue in 2025. They quote the prospect of a UK-trained winner on 2/1 odds.
Three heavyweight Derby contenders: The Irish-trained ante-post favourite, Bockos Diamond, Irish Derby runner-up Cheap Sandwiches and the UK’s leading hope, Proper Heiress, were all in opening night action. The trio safely progressed into the competition’s second phase.
Ninety-six greyhounds will go into the draw for the second round, from which point the first three home in six-runner races will progress to the next round seven days later. At this juncture in the 2023 Derby, none of the three co-favourites reached the final.
No Winning Favourites at Towcester
The 2024 Derby decider went to the Liam Dowling-trained De Lahdedah, who equalled the track’s 500-metre track record when scoring at odds of 5/1. Despite subsequently winning the Irish Derby’s Consolation final, the defending champion could be backed at 33/1 ahead of this year’s competition.
Remarkably, since the Greyhound Derby left the much-loved Wimbledon Stadium in 2016, a betting favourite has not won the final. The first Towcester Derby went to Astute Missile – a 28/1 shot on the night.
Ireland’s Paul Hennessy, who has the distinction of training a horse to win at the Cheltenham Festival, has won the English Derby as a trainer twice. However, Jaytee Jet’s 2016 success came at Wimbledon, and Priceless Blake’s 2019 victory was in Nottingham.
With a sizeable team of nine entries – including Jaytee Craze, who won the opening heat of the 2025 Star Sports Derby – the County Kilkenny-based handler will be hoping he can lift the prize at Towcester for the first time.
Dancer to Strut His Way to Final?
However, our long-range punt, priced 100/1 by the best online bookmakers, is Kilmore Dancer. A five-time winner at the track and a Blue Riband finalist over course and distance in January, he should be approaching his prime this summer.
Only out of the first-three three times in his career (knocked over once), Kilmore Dancer appears to be the type of dog that can keep qualifying. With ante-post Greyhound Derby each-way terms of 1/4 odds for a place in the final, he can give his backers a good run for their money.
English Greyhound Derby 2025 Schedule
- First Round: Thursday, May 8 to Saturday, May 10
- Second Round: Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17
- Third Round: Saturday, May 24
- Quarter-Finals: Saturday, May 31
- Semi-Finals: Saturday, June 7
- Final: Saturday, June 14
