The jewel in the crown of greyhound racing comes to its conclusion on Saturday evening as six dogs fight it out in the finale of the £100,000 English Greyhound Derby (21:11).
Only four dogs have won the contest twice, Mick The Miller, Patricias Hope, Rapid Ranger and Westmead Hawk. This year’s event is staged over 500 metres and started with 96 entries. After four rounds of action we are down to the final six dogs aiming to etch their name into Derby folklore.
Our sensational run of form continues with 68 of our last 90 selections doing the business. In our last column, we fired in seven winners from 12 winning tips at odds and will hopefully pick out the winner of the sport’s greatest prize.
The winning connections will pocket a cool £100,000 on Saturday evening in a final which pits the English against the Irish. Just two of the six runners are trained in England (Southwood Jet and Smurfs Machine). The other four contenders are all Irish raiders (Deerjet Sydney, Ballydoyle Valor, Wolfe and Coolavanny Chick) as they attempt to emulate Priceless Blake, the 2019 winner who was also trained in Ireland.
Below is our runner-by-runner guide to the final which also takes place on Halloween. The question is will it be trick or treat for punters?
MORE TIPS: Our NAP, NB and Double for Saturday’s big night at Nottingham
Southwood Jet
The only dog in the competition who is still unbeaten. Southwood Jet produced a sparkling display in the semi-final, showing plenty of early pace to the boxes to win easily. Drawn in the red jacket once again, he is the dog to beat given how well this draw suits and he can ensure the trophy stays in England.
Deerjet Sydney
The main threat to Southwood Jet. He met trouble in running last week when only second in his semi-final and was perhaps not well-drawn in trap four. Breaking from the blue jacket in the final, this draw will suit and Deerjet Sydney remains the dog who has posted the fastest time in the competition so far. One of the main players.
Ballydoyle Valor
The outsider of the field who chased home Southwood Jet in last week’s semi-final. That was a good performance given Ballydoyle Valor met trouble in the early stages of the contest, but he needs to take another step forward to win the final.
Wolfe
Another dog with live claims. Wolfe won his quarter and semi-final heats with aplomb and was particularly impressive last week showing good track-craft to win comfortably. The draw should not prove a massive inconvenience and he is a live player if breaking sharply.
Smurfs Machine
A dog who has done well to make the final. Smurfs Machine was only third to Wolfe last time out despite making the first bend in front. Given that effort, he needs to step up again and he looks booked for the places at best.
Coolavanny Chick
A talented bitch who is the only wide-runner in the field and will therefore enjoy the draw. Coolavanny Chick was however only third to Southwood Jet in her semi-final and she has been slow away on her last two starts. Those last two runs make her opposable.
Verdict: Southwood Jet
A fabulous final. Southwood Jet bids to go through the competition unbeaten and was quite simply electric in his semi-final. He looks perfectly drawn once again in trap one and is the dog to beat. Deerjet Sydney is a clear danger from trap two.
This draw should suit and if he breaks smartly, he looks the main threat. However, Wolfe is another major talent and if he can avoid trouble from a middle draw in trap form he could also play a leading role. However, Southwood Jet looks so comfortable in the red jacket and if he breaks well, this is his Greyhound Derby for the taking.
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