DE LAHDEDAH AND DIAMOND SHINE BRIGHTEST AT TOWCESTER
Ian Fortune
Ireland will have an unprecedented five runners in the final of the Star Sports/ TRC English Greyhound Derby after two of the all-time greats emerged triumphant in the semi-finals of the classic at Towcester on Saturday night.
De Lahdedah and Bockos Diamond were both absolutely sensational in their respective heats as they sent out a clear warning to their rivals that they know what it takes to win a Derby.
LA DEHDEDAH LEADS HOME AN IRISH 1-2-3
Indeed, De Lahdedah probably had no right to win the opening heat after mistiming the start but his incredible pace, power and will to win saw him pick up Sole Mio to lead home an Irish 1-2-3.
Liam Dowling’s incredible tracker was probably the last to hit the sand but, importantly, he secured the inside line into the bend.
In contrast, both Sole Mio and Slick Sentinel shot from traps with the former holding a narrow lead on his rivals into the turn. Behind the front two, De Lahdedah ran an incredible first bend, moving from fifth into third by the time they hit the back straight.
Ireland’s third representative Bombay Pat was now fourth, in the middle of the track. By this point Sole Mio had moved on by a length and a half from Slick Sentinel. By halfway, it was clear that Slick Sentinel was in trouble with De Lahdedah and Bombay Pat moving with real purpose in behind.
Sole Mio would continue to set the pace around the last two bends but De Lahdedah was now in the perfect position to strike in second. Just a length off Sole Mio as they hit the final turn, De Lahdedah would outstay his rival on the run in.
The battle for third was a bit more eventful. Bombay Pat continued to steer a middle path but now had Droopys Bookem to contend with. The latter was charging through on the fence only to bump into Slick Sentinel. This left Bombay Pat to secure his place in the decider.
Up front, De Lahdedah would go on to beat Sole Mio by a half length in 28.62 with Bombay Pat another three and a half lengths away in third. It means that De Lahdedah will have the chance to become the first greyhound to defend his English Derby crown since Westmead Hawk did so in 2006.
BRILLIANT DIAMOND SHOWS HIS CLASS
The second semi-final saw Bockos Diamond silence his detractors.
The Irish trio of Dynamic Force, Cheap Sandwiches and Bockos Diamond dominated the market and seemed set to dominate the race itself from the early yards.
Bockos Diamond and Cheap Sandwiches broke on terms with the former quickly moving through the gears to take charge. Dynamic Force was third into the turn and seemed set to chase them around only to brush Prince Naseem. Sadly, Dynamic Force lost his action and quickly retreated.
While all this was happening, Bockos Diamon was reminding the greyhound racing world that he was indeed a very special greyhound. Showing the most electrifying pace, he would open up a three and a half length lead by halfway.
Cheap Sandwiches continued to give chase, while there was a long gap back to the remainder. Bockos Diamond was not for catching on this occasion. The Graham Holland trained star would stay on much better than in recent starts to comfortably contain Cheap Sandwiches by two lengths in 28.51, effectively ensuring that he would start a hot favourite for Derby glory next weekend. Droopys Plunge would run on strongly to take third, ensuring the home team would have a representative in next week’s final.
For connections of Dynamic Force, there was heart break. It was a dreadful end to what had been an incredible English Derby campaign for the tracker. Thankfully, later reports confirmed he was comfortable and had been very well looked after at Towcester, with the vet, Polly, getting singled out for praise by Kevin Hennessy. He will be given the best care going forward.