Rachel Holland's Derby Blog- 17 April 2025

Rachel Holland's Derby Blog

We had a good weekend last week with three winners at Towcester and several impressive trials across the board. Faypoint Ranger also ran a strong race to reach the final of the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial at Limerick in Ireland. Looking ahead, we have another busy few days in store, with seven runners set to head to Towcester on Sunday. 

 Bockos Diamond continues to go the right way. He trialled impressively in 28.51 and has come out of it in excellent shape, so he’ll take his place in the TIME Greyhound Nutrition Juvenile, where there is £10,000 on offer to the winner. We’re very happy with the draw - either trap 5 or 6 would have suited him - and he’ll be going into the race in great order. It looks an exceptionally strong renewal, possibly one of the best Juvenile lineups in recent years, but we’re pleased with where we are and looking forward to seeing how he gets on. Good luck to all connections involved!  

 Cheap Sandwiches has also been progressing well and is showing all the right signs in his trials. He’s taken to the track very naturally and will line up in a trial stake on Sunday. He’s a very straightforward dog who handles travelling well and is a real professional in everything he does. We’re hopeful for a solid performance. 

 Swords Don is another who will return to the track on Sunday. We were very happy with his run last week where, despite missing the break, he still managed to lead. He didn’t see it out as strongly as we’d have liked - the clock suggests he came back to the field -but he’s come out of the race really well. The plan is to give him another run and with a bit of luck in the draw, he could have another good run in him.  

 Val Tashadelek gave us plenty to be pleased with in the semi-finals of the BETGOODWIN & JR Racing Maiden Derby. He used the inside draw to his full advantage and ran very well. The final will be more difficult from trap 4, with some fast dogs on his inside but he’s improving with each start after a long layoff. If he does manage to get loose early, we’d expect him to be hard to pick up. 

 Faypoint Susie is due a trial over 500m at Towcester. She’s in great form at home following a litter, and although she’s not getting any younger, she has always shown a real liking for Towcester, over any other track. This will be her third attempt at the Derby, and she has performed well in previous years. If she makes the team, she’ll bring plenty of experience and presence - a real matriarch figure in the kennel. 

 All the dogs are in good form heading into the weekend and we’re looking forward to seeing how they perform. It should be a fantastic nights racing at Towcester, with some of the best dogs in training, competing. We’ll be back next week with a full update on how it all went.