COOLAVANNY SHADO takes his chance in tomorrow’s £15,000-to-the-winner Click Competitions 77th East Anglian Greyhound Derby Final at Yarmouth as a red-hot favourite to go one better than 12 months ago.

 

Caught by Hopes Paddington on the run for the line last year after overcoming early crowding, the June 2020 son of Droopys Sydney and Yahoo Perlena has had a strong grip on the east coast track’s biggest event since the first round and heads into the 462m annual as the only unbeaten finalist.

 

Wins in the first and second round at Yarmouth, and then Saturday’s semi-final, followed his victory in the XL Windows East Anglian Challenge over C&D which means the Ladbrokes Winter Derby winner eyes a five-timer in the midweek showpiece.

 

Having given the track record a shake in the second round, Coolavanny Shado went off a 5-6 favourite to land the spoils in Saturday’s first semi-final. However, as Watch The Limo (Seamus Cahill) moved off on the run-up, Janssens’ star had to negotiate a route round that rival before hitting the front approaching the bend.

 

Thereafter he was away and on his way to a three and a half lengths success in 27.40sec (-20) over Swift Iconic (John Mullins) and Watch The Limo – the trio all securing places in the final of the famous GBGB Category One competition.

 

The Cornelius Condon-trained Flickofacoin and Droopys Sport (Irene Barnard) served up a treat in the second semi-final with the former, a recent finalist in the Ladbrokes Gold Cup at Monmore, getting the better of the local hope by a head in 27.99sec (-20), with Yarmouth’s Track Championship winner Supa Nova (Paul Burr) home in third.

 

Wednesday’s Yarmouth card also includes the GBGB Category Three finals for the Derby Purse and the Sprint, both sponsored by the MWD Partnership, and stadium director Simon Franklin has thanked all those who have supported the track’s big night.

 

He said: “Many thanks once again to Mike Davis, Michelle Connolly and Mark Wallis of the MWD Partnership – and good luck to their runners in both finals, and to all those competing. Thanks also to John and James Wright (XL Windows), Geoff Miller Bookmakers, Greenhill Racing, SCH Bookmakers, C&C Sheds and, of course, Click Competitions for their backing of the 77th East Anglian Greyhound Derby Final.

 

“We have the east coast festival at Yarmouth races currently going on and I know there are many racegoers from the horses joining us here at Yarmouth Stadium for a night at the dogs. It’s always a special occasion and one we’re all looking forward to.”

 

Trap draw for Wednesday’s Click Competitions 77th East Anglian Greyhound Derby Final: 1 Watch The Limo, 2 Coolavanny Shado, 3 Flickofacoin, 4 Droopys Sport, 5 Swift Iconic, 6 Supa Nova (w).