Rachel Holland's Derby blog - 29 May 2025

Rachel Holland's Derby blog

It was a great night’s racing last Saturday at Towcester, even if the weather wasn’t the most pleasant! Now that the Derby is down to being run over just one night per round, you could really feel the atmosphere building. A good crowd turned up and the action on the track certainly delivered – reigning champion De Lahdedah showed his class once again, Sole Mio produced the fastest time of the night with a fantastic display (especially for a dog who hasn’t turned two yet!) and the great Churchfield Syd showed his heart again with a gutsy run to qualify in third. 

We were pleased with how our team ran overall on what was a cold night. Obviously, we were disappointed for Susie, who found a heap of trouble at the first bend. The draw always suggested that would happen, but she’s come off the race okay – just a little tired. With a bit of luck, we might still get her a run on Derby final night, which she certainly deserves. 

Cheap Sandwiches – Quarter-Final 1 

It was a brilliant battle between Cheap Sandwiches and Bockos Diamond last week, and we were thrilled with how both dogs ran. Thankfully, they avoided each other and came through the race in fantastic condition – although it was certainly a stressful watch and had us on the edge of our seats! The standard only rises from here and this is another tough heat. Sole Mio in trap 2 clocked a flying 28.54 last week and looks a serious contender, while Singalong Molly and Droopys Aladdin both won their heats last week and bring strong form. That said, we’re hopeful Sambo will run another big race and book his spot in the semis. 

Faypoint Harvey – Quarter-Final 3 

Harvey ran another excellent race in defeat last week and continues to impress. If he keeps breaking like he has been, others will have to catch him! He’s drawn well again in trap 1 and really seems to be using the box to his advantage. If he gets another good start, you’d fancy him to qualify. The likes of Bombay Pat in trap 4 and Prince Naseem pose threats but Harvey is in great form and we’re hopeful of another big run. 

Bombay Pat – Quarter-Final 3 

Mars mistimed the break last time and came out flat-footed, which left him with too much to do behind a worthy winner in Bubbly Charger. He still ran well in defeat and we’re hoping that’s his last bad break out of the way now. He’ll need to come out sharper as the competition really heats up from here. He’s drawn in four this week and there’s not a huge amount of early pace on his outside, so fingers crossed he can make the most of it.  

Bockos Diamond – Quarter-Final 4 

Really pleased with Wildcat again last week – he seemed to miss his footing and stumble out of boxes but still made the bend and ran a huge race to qualify. He’s in the last heat of the quarters, which looks packed with early pace, so he’ll need to break on level terms to get involved. Bubbly Charger in trap 1 has been consistently running well and clocked 28.69 last week. It’s a fantastic heat – Patrick Janssens has three strong runners in there and it’s a shame for him they’ve all landed in the same race. If Wildcat gets it right at the start, we’d like to think he can qualify. 

All the dogs have come out of their races well and seem to be in great form. At this stage, we’d be absolutely delighted just to qualify through to the semi-finals, the competition is really starting to boil up. If you’re around Saturday, get yourself up to Towcester – it’s sure to be a brilliant night’s racing. Best of luck to all connections in the quarter-finals this week and most importantly, we hope all the dogs come off safe and sound.