Cheap Sandwiches finally lands big race success with BOYLE Sports Irish Derby victory

Cheap Sandwiches finally lands big race success with BOYLE Sports Irish Derby victory

Cheap Sandwiches, runner up in 2024, and beaten finalist in this years StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby, deservedly lands big race success with victory in the 2025 BOYLE Sports Irish Derby

Having finished runner up in this competition twelve months ago behind kennelmate Bockos Diamond, and then finishing fourth in the final of the StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby behind Droopys Plunge in June, Cheap Sandwiches finally landed a big race competition that his efforts have deserved, and they don’t come much bigger than landing the final of the BOYLE Sports Irish Derby and the 125,000 euros at a packed Shelbourne Park on Saturday evening, a result which also saw winning trainer Graham Holland landing a fifth Irish Derby.

Despite being as short as 8/15 with the sponsors BOYLE Sports earlier in the week, there was still plenty of confidence in the Graham Holland runner despite drifting out to 4/5F with the bookies at the off as punters were hoping that “Sambo” could hit the front in the early stages

However, when the traps opened, it was the 40/1 outsider of the field, the Paul Hennessy trained Barefoot On Song who broke best of all, and heading into the first bend, she held a lead of a length from Cheap Sandwiches, who was on the scene in second.

English challenger Proper Heiress, who ideally needed to lead in the early stages, was also thereabouts in third at the first bend, but it was there where his challenge realistically came to an end, as he encountered some scrimmaging with Magical Mag, who ended up taking a tumble but got up to complete the course, but that caused severe trouble for Droopys Deploy, who ran into the result of the scrimmaging, forcing him wide and virtually onto the hare rail

Barefoot On Song’s lead only lasted until the second bend though as the cheers went up from the packed crowd as Cheap Sandwiches hit the front and heading into the third bend, had built up a two length advantage from Barefoot On Song, with Proper Heiress a further two lengths down in third.

But this was Cheap Sandwiches time, and his lead grew between the third and fourth bends to four lengths, and although Barefoot On Song gave chase, her efforts proved to be futile as Cheap Sandwiches crossed the line three lengths clear of Barefoot On Song, with Pat Buckley’s Glengar Silent back in third, with the winner recording 29.37 for owners the Bark Wahlberg Syndicate, while Proper Heiress ran a brave race to finish fourth, only surrendering third place halfway down the run for home.

Elsewhere on the card, the BOYLE Sports Irish Derby Consolation worth 3,000 euros to the winner was won by Owen McKenna's 16/1 outsider of the field Callaway Five (below) , who made all the running to hold off the late challenge from Pat Guilfoyle's Magical Sapphire by a neck in 29.77, but Guilfoyle landed some compensation for that defeat less than twenty minutes later as Magical Major, brother to the sensational Magical Luka, proved too strong in the later stages to land the final of the 7,500 euro to the winner Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate, running out a two length winner in 29.53 for the 503m course.

 Photo Credits: @shelbournepark X Account