History is on the line on two fronts this weekend

Will history be made at Towcester on Saturday?

There are two greyhounds taking a shot at making history in the final of the Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby final tomorrow.

Look at the tapestry of this great sport over almost a century of action and there have been some special greyhounds who have produced some remarkable feats. There are just four who have won the English Derby on more than one occasion, there is a single one who has won both an Irish and an English Derby.

Lining up at Towcester tomorrow are contenders to add their names to each of those historical stats. Connections of the two dogs in question will have had a very different reaction to the draw on Monday. 

Bockos Diamond has done all of his best work at Towcester from the six box so stripes once more makes him the clear favourite. The De Lahdedah team would have taken one or two, as long as he was inside Sole Mio rather than outside but the defending champion will start from what looks like a potentially treacherous draw on paper.

Reaching the final of a Derby is something that is beyond the vast majority of the canine population. Dogs making a second Derby final are a rare breed and we are blessed by a pair of them lining up in what looks the best final on paper in a couple of decades. 

The back-to-back winners

The breed has changed plenty since the time that Mick The Miller crossed the line first in three straight finals, losing his third when the race had to be rerun due to Ryland R being disqualified. He still holds the honour of being the first to win the race on more than one occasion but the glory of winning three in a row would have seen him never removed from display in South Kensington!

Like Mick The Miller, the two Derby wins for Patricias Hope came for different handlers. He had spent the time between his Derby wins at stud but unlike his predecessor with a pair of wins, he was 7/1 and 7/2 for his two wins, by far the biggest prices of any of the four double winners. 

From 1927-1999, there were just those two dual winners, then like London buses, Wimbledon saw a pair in quick succession as Rapid Ranger landed the crown in 2000 and 2001 before Westmead Hawk did the same in 2005 and 2006. 

They were very different in their run style, Rapid Ranger, straight line speed to the bend, while Westmead Hawk took longer to get going but had a trackcraft than few before or since have been able to match. The pair will always be joined together as the Hawk's sire Sonic Flight was runner-up to Rapid Ranger in his 2001 win.

De Lahdedah has bits of both of them in his race style. He has a lot more early than the Hawk but he has the same savvy trackcraft when he gets behind in a race. It feels likely that he is going to need all of that guile to find himself a clean run early on in the final but if he does, it's game on.

Joining Toms The Best

It is a far more exclusive club that Bockos Diamond has the potential to join. Toms The Best is the only greyhound to have won both an Irish and an English Derby, a feat that was even beyond Westmead Hawk who made the Irish Derby final in 2005, between his two Wimbledon wins but trouble found him that day.

Making the final of both has been a relatively common occurrence through the years. Bockos Diamond is the 40th dog to put himself in the decider of both an Irish and English Derby. What has happened in the past is not necessarily a strong indicator of what will happen in the future but overcoming a 1/39 record would set Bockos Diamond apart from just being a Derby winner, to being among the pantheon of the greats. 

Of course, as a dog who is still the right side of three, there could be another Derby final or two still to come for Bockos Diamond. That would give him claims of being the greatest ever but he has five greyhounds and 500m at Towcester to see off before that dream can start to form. 

Tale of the Tape

Whatever side of the fight you are on - and there are four other exceptional contenders who should not be underestimated by any means - the desire for a clean race to secure a place in history is desired. Just two spots separates their best sectional times in this Derby and a single spot separates their best finish times. 

This has the potential to be an all-time classic heavyweight battle!

De Lahdedah

Born - Oct 21

Weight - 36kg

Races - 41

Wins - 21

Best Split - 3.95

Best Time - 28:50

Bockos Diamond

Born - Sep 22

Weight - 35kg

Races - 23

Wins - 20

Best Split - 3.93

Best Time - 28:51