It's Patrick Janssens versus the Irish in the Derby final again
Just as he did when winning the 2021 Derby with Thorn Falcon, Patrick Janssens takes on the Irish in the Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby at Towcester on Saturday
Janssens takes the Plunge against the Irish
It’s four years since a British representative landed the Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby and Patrick Janssens is aiming to break the Irish winning run in the £175,000 final on Saturday.
Janssens has Droopys Plunge in the Classic decider at Towcester and the sole UK runner certainly has his work cut out, being a best price of 16/1 and going up against five runners from the Emerald Isle.
The trainer may have been born in Belgium, but Janssens has been on these shores for a long time now and the Norfolk-based handler has been very much an adopted by the British greyhound racing as ‘one of our own’.
The odds are against him snapping the Irish streak, but it must be noted that Janssens was the last UK trainer to win the Derby here in 2021 with Thorn Falcon and he took on the Irish on his own that night as well.
Indeed, Janssens had the one-two in that 2021 final as Kilara Lion chased home his kennelmate, with well-fancied Irish duo Deerjet Sydney and Bramble Fairone behind in third and fourth, respectively.
Having gone into Classic on the back of an unbeaten run through the Maiden Derby over the same C&D, Thorn Falcon won three of his five starts on his way to making the final of the main event and was a 7/2 chance for that decider.
Armed with a lovely draw as the sole wide seed in the race, Thorn Falcon turned on the shoulder of Kilara Lion, who pinged the lids and put the pace to the race. However, Thorn Falcon soon took command off the second bend and had opened a healthy lead by the time the hit the third turn.
The race was won by that point and Thorn Falcon kept on well to cross the line three and three-quarters lengths clear of his kennel companion in second.
So, Droopys Plunge may have plenty on his plate this weekend, but let’s not forget that Janssens took on and beat the Irish on his own in 2021, so it could be dangerous to write off his chances of doing the same again on Saturday.
Find a guide to Droopys Plunge here.
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