Rachel Holland's Derby Blog- 5th June 2025

Rachel Holland's Derby Blog- 5th June 2025

We blinked and suddenly it’s Derby semi-finals week - arguably the most nerve-wracking round of them all. At this stage, it’s all about qualifying and we’re absolutely thrilled to still be in the mix with Bombay Pat, Cheap Sandwiches, and Bockos Diamond heading into Saturday night. 

Even when they’re making mistakes, the dogs are digging in and doing enough to go through, which is what it’s all about now. We were, of course, gutted for Faypoint Harvey last week – he charged the boxes a split-second too early after showing great early speed in his previous starts. That said, he’s come out of the race fine, has galloped well this week and all being well, we’re hoping to get him a run on Derby final night. He’s shown some cracking form at Towcester and deserves a moment on the big stage. 

Bombay Pat – Semi-Final 1. We thought Mars ran really well last week, even though he didn’t quite get the start right again. Dynamic Force took a flyer, but Mars stayed on strongly and was a very good second behind a top-class rival. He’s drawn in five this time with two serious early-paced dogs either side of him, so he’ll need to be right at it from the traps. It’s a brilliant race – as you'd expect in a Derby semi-final – and the defending champion, De Lahdedah in trap 2, continues to impress. It’s wide open and any dog in this semi-final has the ability to win it. Fingers crossed Mars brings his best break and books his place in the final. 

Cheap Sandwiches – Semi-Final 2. Sambo is just ultra-consistent. He turns up every week and gives you exactly what you ask of him. From a trainer’s point of view, he’s a dream – his last four runs have all been within a length of each other. That kind of reliability is rare. If he does his usual this week, he has every chance of qualifying. The draw is okay – ideally, we’d probably have liked him on the opposite side to Bockos Diamond – but they’re both clever, experienced dogs, so hopefully they don’t get in each other’s way. 

Bockos Diamond – Semi-Final 2. We were absolutely delighted with Wildcat again last week. He didn’t break, yet still showed real determination to get to the front, taking over from Slick Sentinel around the second bend. We always knew he was a quality greyhound, but this Derby has shown us just how clever and determined he is – especially as he’s often been used to leading in his Irish races. After doing all the running last week, he was only just picked up late. He’s back in trap 6 this week, which suits him well – he holds his line and doesn’t mind going around a runner. We’re hopeful of another big performance. 

Val Tashadelek – Derby Plate. A special mention to Val Tashadelek, who ran a great race last week in the Derby Plate. He’s lucky enough to have trap 1 again this week, and that draw certainly suits him. If he can repeat that performance, he’s got a solid chance. It’s a competitive contest, but we’re hopeful he can hold his pitch early and be right in the mix. 

What makes this year’s semis even more exciting is the head-to-head feel – six Irish dogs and six English dogs left in the competition. It’s shaping up to be a real battle of Britain and Ireland, and we’re thrilled to be part of it. The dogs are in good form, the team is buzzing and we’ll be giving it everything to try and land a place in next week’s final. Best of luck to all connections and most importantly, here’s to all the dogs coming off safe and sound.