Does the First Round fastest time result in Derby success?

Does First Round fastest time result in Derby success?

We take a look back at previous first round fastest times at Towcester and how greyhounds fared in the subsequent rounds after and how they fare later on in their careers

Standing on the terrace at Towcester last Thursday, watching defending StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby winner De Lahdedah’s sensational victory, you couldn’t help but say wow when the time of 28.50 was announced by commentator Paul Lawrence such was the quality of the run produced by Liam Dowling’s champion.

But it got me thinking, which is a rarity, as some of my friends would say!

How many greyhounds produce the fastest time in the first round and go on to win the Derby? Or even make the final? And how do they fare later on in their careers?

So, I took a look back at the previous StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby’s to be held at Towcester to find out

2017 Clares Rocket 28.77 +10 (Equalled Track Record)

Clares Rocket came to Towcester in 2017 with a similar reputation and excitement about him as Graham Holland’s current Derby favourite Bockos Diamond. From February to May in 2016, he was near enough unbeatable, winning 11 of his 12 races during that time. Firstly, he went unbeaten through to the final of the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial Stakes at Limerick, with his smallest winning margin a mere 5 lengths, but found trouble in the final itself when sent off as 4/6F, finishing 5th behind Droopys Roddick.

However, he made up for that in the B.I.F. National Produce Stakes at Clonmel, going through the entire competition unbeaten to land the 30,000 Euro prize, picking up a track record along the way and then followed that up in the Doire Construction Champion Stakes Final at Shelbourne Park in July, adding another 15,000 Euros to the growing tally.

A tilt at the 2016 BoyleSports Derby was ended before the second round when he was withdrawn from the competition with a slight injury but returned in November to finish runner-up behind Burgess Popeye in the BoyleSports Night of Stars at Shelbourne.

Drama was to follow in December when Clares Rocket was stolen from the kennels of Graham Holland, with the thieves demanding 100,000 Euros ransom for the release. Fortunately, he was returned to the kennels unharmed a few days later and three men were subsequently charged.

Having been left off from then, Clares Rocket made his re-appearance at Towcester in April 2017, and having had a couple of trials, he was then beaten in a couple of Trial Stakes with some questioning his ability to run Towcester.

Those doubters would have been silenced though when he produced a sensational 8 ¼ length victory in the first round, recording 28.77 (+10) to equal the track record. He showed his versatility when going unbeaten through to the final, leading early and coming from behind to score, and when lining up for the final, he was sent off the 6/4F, but could never land a blow when finishing third behind Seamus Cahill’s surprise winner Astute Missile.

After that followed another crack at the 2017 BoyleSports Irish Derby, but was knocked out at the semi-final stage by eventual winner, Good News, in what turned out to be his final race.

2018 Magical Bale 29.07 N

Magical Bale first came to attention in November 2017 when landing the final of the ECC Timber Puppy Derby at Towcester when trained by Kevin Hutton. Having been left off from then, Magical Bale made his comeback in April 2018 when scoring for Hutton in the Trainers Championship at Towcester, which then led to a tilt at the Derby.

He produced a fastest of the first round 29.07 when winning his heat by 4 ¼ lengths from Innocent Times but exited the competition in the very next round. Having produced a slow start, he managed to find trouble on more than one occasion and ended up finishing fourth behind Paul Young’s Bubbly Turbo, just failing to qualify for the third round by half a length. More trouble saw him exit the Star Sports Derby Plate at the first stage and finished down the field as a result in an Invitational race on Derby Final night.

However, his fortunes picked up when going across to Ireland for a crack at the 2018 BoyleSports Irish Derby in September, where Pat Guilfoyle took him under his wing. After a string of good performances In the early stages, he went on to finish runner-up in the final itself, when beaten 1 ½ lengths by the 12/1 outsider of the field Ballyanne Sim.

Having been left off until February 2019, he made a winning comeback at Shelbourne before getting knocked out at the semi-final stage of the Easter Cup in March. Another tilt at the 2019 Star Sports, ARC and LPS Derby at Nottingham followed in May back with Hutton, and having finished runner-up behind Liz McNair’s King Dylan in the first round, Magical Bale went on to produce a string of impressive performances to reach the final, making all the running on all four occasions with the smallest distance in victory, a mere 3 ½ lengths. That run was ended in the final though when sent off as 11/10F, as early trouble saw him finishing fourth behind Paul Hennessy’s Priceless Blake.

The final action of his career on track saw him going out of the semi-finals of the 2019 BoyleSports Irish Derby behind Mucky Brae, but off track, he has gone on to become one of the most well-known stud dogs in recent years siring, amongst many many others, Romeo Magico, who went on to land the 2023 Greyhound Derby.

2021 Native Maestro 29.10 N

Having made a winning debut at Limerick in July 2020, Native Maestro then went on to win his next six races for trainer Graham Holland, including the first two rounds and semi-final of the Track Bookmakers Kingdom Derby at Tralee, before ultimately finishing last in the final after encountering early trouble behind Knocknaboul Syd.

Having then been knocked out of the 2021 Ladbrokes Easter Cup in the second round by Ballymac Wild, who he had beaten in the first round, Native Maestro was then sent for a crack at the Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby. Having beaten Droopys Addition in a trial stakes, Native Maestro then produced the fastest time of the first round when making all the running from Unlock Unlock in a time of 29.10, but exited the competition at the third round stage, when finishing last after early trouble behind Aussie Captain. He went on to have one more race before sustaining a career ending injury

2022 Lautaro 28.84 N (Track Record)

The Patrick Janssens-trained Lautaro made a winning debut at Towcester in November 2021, before exiting the RPGTV English Puppy Derby in the second round behind Havana Bale Out. During the early months of 2022, Janssens kept Lautaro to either one-off races or trials, until April, where having won the opening round of the ARC Laurels at Perry Barr, he just failed to make the final when finishing third in the semi-final behind Signet Denver.

That was his final race until having a crack at the Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby in May, and what a first round performance he produced, blasting clear at the traps to record a 5 ½ length victory over Ballymore Border in a time of 28.84 which was a new track record. Lautaro made the semi-final that year without another victory, where he was knocked out, finishing fourth behind Kildare.

Having been withdrawn from the semi-finals of the Coral Sussex Cup at Hove in July, Lautaro was off the track competitively until November, and made the final of the Coral Olympic at Hove when beaten by Liz McNair’s Fromposttopillar in December.

2023 started well with a couple of Blue Riband trial stakes victories but went out of that competition at the semi-final stage behind eventual winner Hopes Paddington. He then stepped up to six bends and was an impressive winner in a maiden stayers race over 575m at Romford but then finished last in a trial stakes for the Coral Coronation Cup later in February.

He was lightly raced but mainly trialled between February and May, where he was given a crack at the 2023 Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby but only made it as far as the second round, where he unfortunately received a career ending injury.

2023 Clona Duke 28.97 N

Having finished runner-up on his debut at Shelbourne in August 2022, Graham Holland’s Clona Duke went one place the following week at the same track when making all the running to score in 28.49.

An entry for the RPGTV Juvenile Derby soon followed in October and having won his first round heat, he managed to reach the final without gaining another victory, but he made up for that with a stunning all the way success to cause a huge upset, making all the running in 28.23 at 20/1 by five lengths from Droopys Got It to land the 20,000 Euros prize.

His next outing in December saw him landing another big prize when he pounced late to land the 5,000 Euro This Runs Deep Juvenile at Shelbourne and was well on the way to adding another honour to his c.v, when winning the first two rounds of the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial at Limerick in impressive fashion but was knocked out in the third round. He didn’t have long to wait to land that next title, when winning the semi-final and final of the Time Greyhound Nutrition Select Stakes at Waterford, adding another 10,000 Euros to the tally.

All roads at that point led to Towcester for a crack at the Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby, and following a victory in a trial stakes on his first look round, it was in the first round the following week where he well and truly advertised his Derby claims with a sensational all the way success, setting a new track record in a time of 28.73 (+10). Having then qualified for the semi-finals, he then bettered that performance with another track record, again making all the running, this time in 28.69. Unfortunately, Clona Duke was unable to land a blow in the final, finding early trouble in defeat behind Gaytime Nemo.

His career after that was a case of close but no cigar on a few occasions. Having won the first two rounds of the BoyleSports Irish Derby in August, he was eliminated at the third round stage, and again, having won heat and semi-final of the Premier Greyhound Racing Eclipse at Nottingham, he again found early trouble in a final, this time finishing fourth behind Newinn Syd.

That run continued into 2024, as again, Clona Duke recorded victories in the first two rounds and semi-final of the Bresbet Easter Cup at Shelbourne, but again, early trouble put paid to his chances of winning the final, as he finished runner-up behind Clonbrien Treaty.

Following that, he had a spell of six months off the card but made his comeback in October for another crack at the BoyleSports Irish Derby, and It was a winning comeback when making all the running when beating Da Bold Falcon. However, his run in the Derby was ended at the third round stage which turned out to be his last race as he was retired shortly after

2024 King Memphis 28.58 +10 (Equalled Track Record)

Liz McNair’s King Memphis made his debut back in June 2023, when finishing runner up to New Destiny. After a couple of races at Swindon, he was entered for the British Bred Produce Stakes where he made the semi-finals but just failed to reach the final when finishing a close up third behind his brother King Capaldi.

Oxford was the next stop when lining up for the RPGTV Cowley Puppy Collar and having won his first two rounds and semi-final in impressive fashion, he finished runner-up in the final behind Long Fellow, going down as an unlucky loser having found trouble in running. But better luck was to follow at Towcester just a few weeks later in November in the RPGTV Puppy Derby. Having produced a track record breaking performance in the semi-finals when recording 28.66, King Memphis this time got the better of his brother King Capaldi in the final to land the £10,000 winner’s prize

King Memphis then made it back-to-back competition wins when going through the Coral Olympic at Hove unbeaten in December and looked to make it three competition wins in a row at Central Park in March when lining up for the final of the Arena Racing Company Kent Plate, having won both heat and semi-final. However, he could only manage to finish runner-up this time when denied by Queen Joni

The Derby was the main aim at this point and having been defeated by Swords Rex in a trial stakes, King Memphis produced a sensational first round performance, equalling the track record when beating Ballymac Finn by six lengths in a time of 28.58 (+10). In reaching the final, he went unbeaten through to the semi-final, where he finished second by a short head to Churchfield Syd. Lining up for the final, he was sent off as 11/10F, but was never able to land a blow having produced a slow start and finished last.

The Premier Greyhound Racing Kent Derby in October was the next target and having broken the track record in a Trial Stakes, he then equalled that time in the first round before breaking it again in the semi-final. Going to the traps in the final, he was odds on again to add another Category One title but could only finish runner up behind Droopys Display having found trouble in the early stages.     

Having been off the track since then, King Memphis made a return to the track in February. His last outing was in early March when beating March On Freddie in trial stakes of the Arena Racing Company Kent Plate, which connections opted against going for, instead going to Towcester for a trial. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury which ruled him out for a crack at this year’s Derby.