The prestigious BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby final (550yds) will be staged at Dublin’s iconic Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium on Sunday morning at 6.24am Melbourne time. (The meeting commences at 4.30am EST)
An elite field of six will be chasing a €115,000 Euro first prize – equating to around $186,000 AUD – in a classic event first run at Shelbourne Park in 1932.
The series commenced on August 14 with a total of 144 greyhounds competing to reach the final over six weekends of incredible action.
Last week, the Graham Holland trained Newinn Taylor landed the first semi-final in a blistering 29.13sec which resulted in his odds being hammered into the new 5/4 favourite ($2.25) from 5/2 ($3.50). He will also be attempting to give his trainer back-to-back victories in the race.
Watch: Irish Derby semi-final recap.
Meanwhile, Pestana was the second semi-final winner clocking 29.39sec. The Owen McKenna trained superstar remains unbeaten in this competition with his odds drifting slightly to 6/4 ($2.50) from the 5/4 ($2.25) joint favourite.
Pestana is also the current track record holder, having clocked 28.99sec on August 22 this year.
Amazingly, five of the six finalists carry Australian bloodlines – including that of Victoria’s immortal Hall of Famer, Brett Lee.
Newinn Taylor’s maternal grand sire is Crash, and maternal great grand sires Brett Lee and Go Wild Teddy.
Pestana’s paternal great grand sire is Queensland legend Roanokee, while Ballymac Wild (through great grand sire Sonic Flight) traces back to Group 1 Australian Cup winners Eaglehawk Star and Tangaloa.
Ballymac Cooper’s paternal great grand sire is Brett Lee and Meenagh Miracle boasts Brett Lee on the paternal pedigree and Roanokee on the maternal side
Rachel Holland with Newinn Taylor, who is a grandson of former Horsham track record holder, Crash.
Obviously, the Aussie-Irish greyhound racing connection is still strong.
Over many decades, Irish stud imports such as Tivoli Dreamer, Lively Band, Newmore King, Waverly Supreme and Shamrock Point have helped shape our local breeding ancestry.
So, it’s nice to see the ‘shoe on the other paw’ with some ‘Land of Oz’ lineage in most of these Irish Greyhound Derby finalists.
Place a bet and watch Sunday’s final here www.barkingbuzz.ie
Read more on the Irish Derby here https://bit.ly/3miEVjz
Des Grace with Irish Derby favourite Pestana, grandson of Queensland superstar and 1997 Melbourne Cup winner, Roanokee.
Here’s the box draw for the 2020 BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby final:
1. Ballymac Wild (T: Liam Dowling)
2. Meenagh Miracle (T: Michael Corr)
3. Kilara Icon (T: Robert Gleeson)
4. Pestana (T: Owen McKenna)
5. Ballymac Cooper (T: Liam Dowling)
6. Newinn Taylor (T: Graham Holland)
Betting market:
5-4 Newinn Taylor
6-4 Pestana
5/1 Ballymac Wild
8/1 Ballymac Cooper
33/1 Meenagh Miracle
33/1 Kilara Icon
