Greyhound Derby 2023 Has Been a Favorite Fest – So Far!
by Roy Brindley,
30 May 2023
The 2023 Star Sports & TRC English Greyhound Derby is underway. Staged at Towcester Racecourse, this year’s competition is worth £175,000 to the winner. Ninety-six greyhounds are in contention for the prize. The latest Derby betting is headed by three Irish-trained dogs.
Clona Duke, Swords Rex and Ballymac Marino are the competition’s 7/1 co-favorites. The former broke Towcester’s track record when catapulting from the starting traps and winning his first-round assignment by four lengths.
Towcester first staged the Greyhound Derby in 2017 when 28/1 shot, Astute Missile took the prize. ©TowcesterRacecourse
Swords Rex – already a major winner in 2023 courtesy of his victory in the Easter Cup – won his heat by a similar margin. And Ballymac Marino’s odds were slashed when he defied his puppy status to blitz his rivals by almost ten lengths recording 28.76 seconds.
Ballymac Marino is handled by Liam Dowling, who is yet to train a Derby winner but has steered this greyhound to six race victories from seven career starts. Now drawn in the 16th and final second-round heat, the youngster clocked a time just three-one-hundredths of a second slower than Clona Duke’s new record.
The Dates for Each Round Are:
- Second-round: Friday 2nd June, Saturday 3rd June
- Third-round: Saturday 10th June
- Quarter-finals: Saturday 17th June
- Semi-finals: Saturday 24th June
- Final: Saturday 1st July
Every race of every round of the £175,000 Star Sports & TRC English Greyhound Derby will be broadcast live on Racing Post Greyhound TV. It can be viewed on SportyStuff TV which is located on Sky Channel 427, Freesat Channel 250, and Freeview Channel 264.
Four More Top Threes to Make Final
The market leaders have strong credentials. But, to reach the final, all greyhounds must finish in the first three of their next four starts. And once in the decider, connections will be aware that the record of Derby favorites is not good.
Full Draw #GreyhoundDerby2023 2nd Round ⬇️
Friday Heats 1-8 Saturday Heats 9-16 pic.twitter.com/ssQ1gaznbC
— Towcester Racecourse (@TowcesterRaces) May 29, 2023
Since the Greyhound Derby left Wimbledon Stadium in 2016, a race favorite has never landed the title. And the first Derby staged at Towcester was won by Astute Missile, who scored at odds of 28/1. He was the biggest-priced winner since the Greyhound Derby was first staged in 1927.
Therefore, the value may lay further down the ante-post betting list. Below the top three – with the best prices from the leading online betting sites – are Romeo Command (16/1), Ballymac Finn (16.1), Romeo Hanzo (20/1), Romeo Magico (20/1), Gaytime Nemo (25/1), Brookside Richie (25/1), Maree Champion (25/1), Whyaye Man (25/1), Ballymac John (33/1), Deelish Frankie (33/1), Undulation (33/1), Ballymac Joey (33/1), Cryptopunk (33/1).
It is noteworthy that more than half of the Derby’s 32 first-round winners started as favorites. The biggest-priced scorer was just 7/1, and only one other winner returned at odds of over 4/1. Statistically, upsets amongst this weekend’s 16 second-round contests would appear inevitable.
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