Sponsors down but not out in Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby

Star Sports eyeing a comeback in the Derby third round

The sponsors are hoping for better luck on course ahead of the Star Sports/TRC English Greyhound Derby third round on Saturday.

With five nights under our belts after the first two rounds of the Classic, there have been favourite galore in the winner’s circle at Towcester and punters have been well on top.

Star Sports representative Kaan Hughes explains it has been one-way traffic so far, but he remains hopeful that things could change in their favour.

“I’ve said a few times already but if it was a boxing match, we wouldn’t even have the towel thrown in because the referee would have said it is so unfair that he would have stopped it,” said Hughes.

“There have been a lot of short ones winning and it’s currently five-nil to the punters. Last week we fell on a hefty double in the two Pat Buckley-trained runners (Ballinabola Joe and Singalong Molly) and they were very costly.”

“We’ve still got a long way to go and there are plenty of supporting races to the Derby that we’ll be trying to get it back in.”

Ante-post angle

Aside from Bockos Diamond, things don’t look much better for the sponsors in the ante-post betting and Hughes admitted the book doesn’t make much better reading for them at present.

He added: “We’ve kept Bockos Diamond on side so far and we’re still quite happy to keep him there.

“But we’ve got a few big-figure losers still in and it’s not a nice position. The only big one we’ve seen go out so far is Headford Asher, but everything else is still in at the minute. So, it could be a final where all six are losers for us!”

Will Freddie March On?

Looking ahead to Saturday night, Hughes thinks it looks a little more open than previous rounds and he has identified a one runner he wants to take on.

Hughes continued: “The standout heat is the third, with De Lahdedah, Barefoot On Fire, Ballinabola Joe and March On Freddie in the race. March On Freddie will probably be big enough to lay but we will certainly be going after him.

“Bockos Diamond (in heat four) is just a joy to watch in full fight. We’ll be hoping he can hold up his kennel companion, Cheap Sandwiches, and get him out of the competition because he’s not cheap for us at the minute, that’s for sure.

“Droopys Trade has been popular in heat six, so we’ll be with Tiffield Tarquin at the front end of the market in that one.”

Listen to Joe Conneely's full interview with Hughes here.