Six odds on favourites on Derby night opening shows

Shorties in action on Saturday 

The final clash between bookmakers and punters during the 2026 Star Sports & Orchestrate Derby meeting is on Saturday night with the early signs showing plenty of shorties on the card. 

At the time of writing six of the 15 races have an odds-on favourite but are they all easy winners to the put into an acca or are there a couple who are vulnerable?

6.20 - Naochra 1/6

The first odds-on poke of the night comes up in the veterans race with Naochra very short odds to come out on top. It is his first race as a veteran, a June 22 whelp, he is the youngest in the race.

It's 20 starts since he last raced from the blue jacket but he did sport that when he won the Northern Flat on his home track of Newcastle last July. He made the third round of the Derby here without breaking 29.30, though he may not need to go a whole lot quicker than that to see these off. 

His breaking is a little in and out and he takes on a decent sort in Newinn Deejay. Mark Wallis's dog has not been himself in three starts since returning from injury but he was an Eclipse finalist last December and stopped the clock at 28.74 over track and trip in February. 

Noachra is the most likely winner but there is zero juice in his price at present. 

7.38 - Shadow Storm 2/5

Shadow Storm is the defending Time Greyhound Nutrition Sprint winner, back to defend his crown this year. He won both his heat and his semi from trap two, taking his overall record to 12 wins from 15 career starts, finishing second on each of the three occasions that he has been beaten.

Trap three has been a winning starting slot for him before, albeit against a weaker field. He was not the best away on that occasion but showed his trademark dash to the bend to have things well under control. 

In Lesleys Buddy in trap one, he has a big body to clear as well as an improving sprinter. On the clock this should be win number 13 as he cements his place as the top sprinter in the country. Whether many punters want to back at 2/5 in a sprint is a different matter.

7.58 - Blackstone Opera 4/5

The Coral Brighton Belle winner was an impressive scorer in the heats of this competition on Sunday afternoon. On the clock she was the fastest heat winner with the second quickest being Slick Skylark who chased her home two lengths behind.

The question for her here is the draw in the red jacket. She has sported it five times so far in her career with just the one success, although in two of those races she was behind the likes of The Other Winx and Strike It Skye.

It is not a bad draw per se with a middle mover in two but she is going to need to find her break again from this slot in a race where three of her five rivals were within five spots of her at the line first time round in the heats. 

8.38 - Droopys Flare 4/9

The Greatbet Challenge Trophy sees the latest instalment in the Droopys Flare v Vhagar feud. It has all been rather one sided so far with Sean Parker's bitch holding a 5-0 lead in their clashes. 

It is no surprise then to see her as the odds-on favourite for the 712m feature. She would not want Vhagar to steal a march on her given the way that the track is running but Droopys Flare can keep her 100% record against Mark Wallis's runner.  

8.58 - Scooby The Lady 4/6

2026 has been a great year so far for Scooby The Lady. The Arena Racing Company Kent Plate winner, she produced a strong run to the semis of the Derby, missing out on a spot in the final by three-quarters of a length.

Six railers line up in this Derby consolation sponsored by Premier Greyhound Racing so the break is going to be absolutely crucial. She has a smash break in the locker but so do the majority of her rivals. 

They include fellow Derby semi-finalist Strike It Skye as well as quarter-finalists Goldcash Warrior and Underground Gold. This is one of the most competitive races of the evening and how much the Derby has taken out of each of them is going to be a huge factor in determining the winner. 

10.14 - Droopys Rated 1/16

With a few showers forecast on Saturday night, it will be interesting to see how many will still be on the terraces for the Dorando Marathon. Even on a glorious evening the numbers will have dwindled come this late.

On paper, it is the least competitive race of the night with a 1/16 favourite in Droopys Rated and it remains to be seen how many punters are keen to back at 6p to the pound.

That is not the fault of the Paul Young-trained hound, the unfortunate injuries to Mongys Wild and Greenwell Gypsy have turned what could have been one of the best races of the night into what should be a victory lap for the new marathon star.