TOWCESTER completed the second round of the Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby at the weekend – and the stage is now set for the last-48 of the famous competition.

The £175,000-to-the-winner Classic is shaping up to be a cracker with Ireland’s challenge strong as the team from the Emerald Isle looks to improve on a record of five winners from the last six runnings of the near 100-year-old competition.

Bockos Diamond stepped up on a workmanlike first-round success with a fluent and hugely impressive second-round display to consolidate his position as outright favourite for the 500m title – and what would be a third Graham Holland-trained victory.

However, in a real quirk of the draw, Bockos Diamond faces a third-round clash with kennelmate Cheap Sandwiches who chased him home in the BoyleSports Irish Derby Final at Shelbourne Park last year for a Holland one-two.

Bockos Diamond set the fastest time of the second round in his heat on Saturday, with compatriot Ballinabola Joe posting the quickest time in Friday’s batch of heats.

Friday: Heats 1-8

Pat Buckley’s team has gone under the radar to a certain extent in this year’s Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby but the dual English and Irish Derby-winning trainer is building up a real challenge.

His Ballinabola Joe clocked the fastest time in Friday’s first batch of second-round heats in heat two as he took the notable scalp of reigning champion De Lahdedah (Liam Dowling). Quickly away outside, he was always forcing the issue, albeit last year’s winner kept on well for second here. The winning time was 28.80sec (-20).

The second round kicked off with another popular victory for the Roy Peckham-trained Tiffield Tarquin, albeit this victory showed off his battling qualities.

Having blasted out and made all in the first round, the local hope had to dig deep to get past early leader Druids All Go (Craig Morris) before going on for a two and a half length success from the powerful pair of last year’s finalist Slaneyside Broxi (Ted Soppitt), when known as Ballymac Gizmo, and Barntick Bear (Patrick Janssens) in 29.18sec (-20).

There was a shock in heat six as Proper Heiress (Mark Wallis), one of the leading contenders for outright honours heading into the Classic, exited the competition when badly hampered rounding the opening turns in a race won off the front by the Patrick Janssens-trained Romeo Tomcat by five and a half lengths in 29.02sec (-20).

Ireland again enjoyed a fruitful night.

In addition to Ballinabola Joe, there were wins for the visitors courtesy of Paul Hennessy’s Dynamic Force (29.16sec – 20) and Graham Holland’s Faypoint Susie (29.13sec -20) in her third English Derby campaign.

However, the home challenge stood firm on the night.

David Mullins’ March On Freddie marched into the third round with a powerful off-the-pace display to win heat four in 28.94sec (-20) from pace-setting Salacres Senan (Peter Harnden); Tom Heilbron’s Droopys Bookem reeled in leader Droopys Aladdin (Mike Burton) in heat five in 29.12sec (-20), while Richard Rees’s near-senior Churchfield Syd again wowed the crowd in heat seven with an all-the-way victory by two and a quarter lengths from fast-finishing Vhagar (Mark Wallis) in 28.95sec (-20).

Saturday: Heats 9-16

Graham Holland’s powerful team flexed their muscles again on Saturday with standard-setting victories in the Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby second round for kennelmates Bockos Diamond, Bombay Pat and Cheap Sandwiches.

BoyleSports Irish Derby champion Bockos Diamond was narrowly quickest – and just one spot shy of the best-yet in this year’s Classic – when dominating heat 13.

Always on the front foot off the back of a slick exit (3.93sec sectional), the Derby favourite raced away for a brilliant five and a quarter lengths win from running-on Rackethall Brute (Mark Wallis) in 28.51sec (normal).

Earlier in heat ten, Bombay Pat posted a 4.00sec split on his way to a three and a quarter lengths win over the always-handy Prince Naseem (Maxine Locke) in 28.53sec.

The Holland treble was later completed by Cheap Sandwiches in the final heat of the night.

An odds-on favourite, last year’s Irish Derby second was also quick to stride along with fast-starting kennelmate Faypoint Harvey (3.95sec split) in heat 16 and the kennelmates dominated thereafter, with Cheap Sandwiches winning by a length and a half in 28.65sec (normal).

Third here was Jaytee Craze (Paul Hennessy) for an Irish one-two-three on what was a brilliant night for the visitors with six of the eight winners trained in Ireland.

Peter Cronin’s Sole Mio was soon in front in heat nine for a runaway six and three-quarters over Wrighty (John Mullins) in 28.91sec (normal), while Kirby Memorial finalist Bubbly Charger unleashed a cracking show of early pace before going on for a length and three-quarters win in heat 11 over No Better Feelin (Esther Driver) in 28.93sec (normal).

There was more Irish-trained success in heat 12 as Pat Buckley’s Shelbourne Open 600 runner-up Singalong Molly powered to the front rounding the last bends for a three and a quarter lengths win over Hopes Ompaloompa (Esther Driver) in 29.00sec (normal).

Back-to-back home victories were later landed by Patrick Janssens’s Droopys Trade, who  went off the front in heat 14 to lead home kennelmate Romeo Empire in 28.80sec (normal), while Phil Milner’s Keefil Maverick led early for an impressive four and a quarter lengths win over Newinn Benni (Derek Knight) in 28.93sec (normal).

*Saturday’s third round of the £175,000 Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby at Towcester is broadcast on SIS and Gone To The Dogs – Live! via the GTTD’s YouTube channel youtube.com/@gonetothedogs-live

 

Photo: © Steve Nash