Saturday night commands the Sole Focus for the Calvert kennel

Picture form Sunderland Greyhound Stadium

Sole Focus team relishing Derby run

The Debbie Calvert team got off to a red-hot start to 2026, and while they have cooled off in terms of winners of late, their Sole Focus has taken them on a dream run to the semi-final stage of the Star Sports & Orchestrate Ltd English Greyhound Derby.

Craig Calvert turned just 19 years of age last week but speaking to him on Thursday morning ahead of Saturday night's Derby semi, it's clear that he has a good head on his shoulders to carry his ambitions for the kennel forward. 

"We have 100 dogs in the kennel at present so I’m heavily involved seven days a week" Calvert said, "We have three full time and two part time staff, but i've done the traveling with the dog throughout the competition."

With 18 open race winners on the board already this season, a total that has been passed just twice at year's end in the last 15 years, Calvert is doing his part to ensure that nobody on the team is resting on their laurels, himself included.

"I’m young and ambitious, i really like my open racing. We’ve got some good owners in at the moment and we’re pushing or owners for good dogs. Hopefully people can look in from the outside at the Derby run of Sole Focus and see that we are doing a good job and we might get a few more who would like to invest."

That is entirely possible if gems like Sole Focus can keep being unearthed. "He was posted on Greyhound Data for €7,000, but we made a deal on £6,000 pounds as he came from a man who bred a few of my grandad's dogs. There's me and my mum and then three other lads in the syndicate. He’s been a great dog for us so far."

Given the money that flies around for dogs who have not got close to as far through the competition, Sole Focus looks something of a steal, but it has not been entirely straightforward.

"When we first got him he took a while to settle in which is why he seemed to struggle to get home in his early races. He needed a run to the corner which he wasn't getting in B1s at Doncaster, and then got a little setback, so he has only really come to hand 100% now that the Derby is on."

The timing could hardly have been better for the 37-kilo son of Droopys Sydney who beat his litter brother Gaytime Clyde in their quarter-final clash, with that runner trained by none other than Graham Holland.

"I was in Clonmel when Gaytime Clyde won the unraced. He’s a really pacey dog but I thought we were much better drawn than him in the race and Sole Focus is quite clever on the bends.

"He ran great last week" when splitting Scooby The Lady and Ballymac Duffle in his quarter-final. That pair are the 5/1 joint second favourites with the sponsors for outright glory. 

"I wouldn’t say the market is completely wrong but he shouldn’t be 80/1. He’s a 28.75ish dog and if he does that on Saturday night and we don’t qualify, then you say fair enough.

"As long as he breaks as well as he did last week he’d have every chance. He’ll hold his line and go straight to the bend, Scooby The Lady and Ballymac Ralf will both be moving in and could be in each other's way. As long as we get a run up the rail we’d have every chance but we never expected to get this far, it would mean the world to us to make the final."

In other news from the Calvert kennel, their bet365 English Puppy Oaks finalist Soapy Suds came off from her second round heat of the Derby with a tear in her hip. She is due in season around about the time that she would be set to return from the injury so she could be missing for a while. 

It might be left to Soapy Joe to keep the team happy in the meantime alongside Sole Focus, with Calvert sweet on the twice raced pup. "We think a lot of him, his two Doncaster wins in 29.51 and 29.45 are great for his age. He's a half-brother to Bombay Pat."

Perhaps Soapy Joe will turn out to be the Derby dog for the Calvert team in 2027, but they have a huge day ahead of them on Saturday first, and we all love to cheer for an underdog. The very best of luck to Sole Focus and the Debbie Calvert team at Towcester.