Tipperary based greyhound trainer Graham Holland
At 3/10 with sponsor BoyleSports, Bockos Diamond is set to go off as the hottest of all Irish Greyhound Derby favourites before him after another mesmerising performance at Shelbourne Park.
The Graham Holland-trained superstar has streaked even further clear with the oddsmakers after he equalled his 28.94 track record from two weeks prior with a dominant frontrunning display in the opening semi-final heat.
As he seeks to seal his remarkable performance in the competition with a final victory this Saturday night, kennel companion Cheap Sandwiches is rated the main danger at 11/2 after he made all the running in the second semi-final to win by four lengths in 29.13.
With the well-backed Carrick Aldo and Bombay Pat bowing out with their heads held high, Callaway Knegare and A Lucky Julie were the duo who sped home behind Bockos Diamond to book their berths in the decider by a narrow margin.
Callaway Knegare is a 10/1 shot to complete a Derby hat-trick for Owen McKenna, who trained the winners in 2004 and 2021, while A Lucky Julie is the outsider of the remaining six at 25/1.
Singalong Dolly will have to overcome odds of 20/1 to win from trap two as Pat Buckley remains in contention to add a second Derby victory to his training CV, while BoyleSports Bob is 14/1 to land a fairytale victory for sponsor John Boyle and co-owner Ned Murphy.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “We’re running out of superlatives to describe Bockos Diamond, who has been as consistent in the betting as he has on the track. His persistent brilliance makes him the strongest favourite imaginable, so we’ll see if the stellar supporting cast can find a flaw.”
BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby Final EW ¼ - 1,2
3/10 Bockos Diamond (6)
11/2 Cheap Sandwiches (3)
10/1 Callaway Knegare (1)
14/1 BoyleSports Bob (5)
20/1 Singalong Dolly (2)
25/1 A Lucky Julie (4)
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