Kobe Can Give New Irish Greyhound Derby Fav a Jolly Tussle
The Boylesports Irish Greyhound Derby will continue at Dublin’s Shelbourne Park on Saturday. The field for the showpiece event was whittled down to 12 runners after a night of action-packed racing last weekend.
The best run of the evening came from The Other Kobe, who comfortably won his quarter-final in the fastest of the night, 29.15 seconds for the 550-yard trip. Timing his start to perfection, the Jennifer O’Donnell trained runner scorched to a 3.38 seconds sectional on his way to posting 16.88 seconds to the third bend split – the fastest of this year’s Boylesports sponsored Derby.
The Other Kobe approaches the line clear of his rivals to record the fastest time of the Irish Greyhound Derby quarter-finals. ©GRI/DawnQuinn
He is from the same litter as last year’s champion, Born Warrior. O’Donnell will be hopeful of making the final with her star and, in turn, giving her a chance to join an elite list of trainers who have sent out consecutive winners of Ireland’s premier greyhound event.
Kobe Can Beat Red Jacketed Rival to the Punch
Puppy sensation De Lahdedah continued his relentless march in the competition with another impressive clear-cut success in the opening quarter-final. A brisk getaway saw him assume the lead on the dash to the first bend, and there was never really any doubt about the outcome as he led into the turn before settling the race along the back stretch.
The performance was enough to see him dislodge long-time market leader Coolavanny Hoffa, with Liam Dowling’s youngster now outright favourite to go on to win the event on Saturday, September 2nd.
De Lahdedah will, however, need to be razor-sharp in Saturday’s second semi-final, where he meets The Other Kobe and Coolavanny Hoffa. The strong running Bens Teddy, who was another smart quarter-final winner, is also in this tough heat.
The new market principle has drawn trap one, which may give him the edge over The Other Kobe, who is drawn immediately outside of him in trap two. The result likely hinges on which of these gets first run. But The Other Kobe looks marginally more attractive at the prices offered by the best Irish Greyhound Derby betting sites.
Coolavanny Hoffa has so far failed to run up to his brilliant best but has a good draw in trap six and could yet bounce right back into contention. Bens Teddy has been done few favours in drawing trap four, though he would come into the reckoning should there be any crowding on his inside.
The Irish Greyhound Derby’s second semi-final betting is as follows: 7/4 De Lahdedah, 11/4 Coolavanny Hoffa, 9/2 The Other Kobe, 8/1 Bockos Crystal, 10/1 Bens Teddy, 22/1 Raha Mofo.
Best bet: The Other Kobe (8.22 pm).
Junior Looks Well Off in First Semi
The first semi-final looks slightly less competitive, with Trinity Junior expected to return to winning ways after settling for second-best on his latest three outings. He was far from disgraced when chasing home The Other Kobe in the quarter-finals but should be capable of getting the first run on Saturday’s rivals.
On paper, Well Met is the only greyhound likely to trouble Trinity Junior in the early stages. Clonroosk Sydney, who won his quarter-final in thrilling style when coming from off the pace to snatch the race late on, cannot be ignored and will again be doing his best work in the closing stages.
The Irish Greyhound Derby’s first semi-final betting is as follows: 5/4 Trinity Junior, 9/4 Well Met, 7/1 Clonroosk Sydney, 9/1 Music Glideaway, 12/1 Seven Beach, 25/1 Threesixfive.
Best bet: Trinity Junior (8.07 pm).
Coverage of the BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby will return to Irish TV screens next week. The final three rounds of the competition will be broadcast on Saturdays on @VirginMedia_TV. The show will be hosted by Ivan Yates. #GoGreyhoundRacing #ThisRunsDeep pic.twitter.com/HNSVJok9A7
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) August 17, 2023
2023 Trainers With a Winning Record in the Irish Derby
Trainers – with runners in Saturday’s semi-finals – that have previously won the Irish Greyhound Derby are:
- Graham Holland (Irish Greyhound Derby winner 2016, 2019, 2020) is represented by Coolavanny Hoffa (4/1) and Bockos Crystal (16/1).
- Jennifer O’Donnell (2022) is represented by Seven Beach (33/1) and The Other Kobe (8/1).
- Liam Dowling (2015) is represented by De Lahdedah (9/4).
- Pat Buckley (2009) is represented by Bens Teddy (10/1).
- Patrick Guilfoyle (2017) is represented by Music Glideaway (33/1).
The best outright odds from the leading Greyhound betting sites on the 2023 Irish Greyhound Derby are 9/4 De Lahdedah, 7/2 Coolavanny Hoffa, 8/1 The Other Kobe, 10/1 Bens Teddy, 12/1 Trinity Junior, 14/1 Well Met, 16/1 Bockos Crystal, 20/1 Clonroosk Sydney, 28/1 Raha Mofo, 33/1 Music Glideaway, Seven Beach, 50/1 Threesixfive.
