StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby Final Preview- Bockos Diamond

StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby Final Preview- Bockos Diamond

In the final of this week’s daily preview of the six runners lining up at Towcester on Saturday, we take a look at the runner wearing the striped jacket, last year’s Irish Derby winner and this year’s StarSports/TRC Greyhound Derby favourite, Bockos Diamond

From the moment when the news broke that Bockos Diamond would be heading for the Time Greyhound Nutrition Juvenile in April with the intention of a tilt at the Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby, most of the talk in the greyhound world has been about Graham Holland’s reigning Irish Derby winner and whether he can become only the second greyhound to complete the Irish-English Derby double.

In fact, it’s hard to think of a Greyhound Derby where a greyhound has created so much interest, from those who think he is the greatest that we have ever seen, to those who think he can get beaten. Can he run Towcester, does Towcester suit him, can he do what he has done in Ireland again at Towcester, is he a middle or a wide runner? They are just a few of the conversations that have been discussed across social media and trackside alike in recent weeks. 

But he has captured the imagination of people and brought new faces to the track who have seen articles and clips of him across the social media platforms from the likes of Matt Chapman and Stephen Power, a.k.a. The Racing Blogger amongst others.

He has even captured the heart of Bushpark Mel, another runner from the Graham Holland kennel and, as his “girlfriend”, she travels everywhere with him!

Having listened to the excellent Matchbook Greyhound Derby preview before the first round, host Ian Fortune and guests Paul Lawrence and Harry Findlay were all confident in Bockos Diamond going on to land outright success, with Fortune stating that in his opinion, that Bockos Diamond is the greatest that we have ever seen.

That’s some statement from a very knowledgeable man who has commentated on some of the best greyhounds, featuring in countless races at Shelbourne Park over the years, but it’s also a statement that has divided opinions.

That statement may have looked a little exaggerated when Bockos Diamond produced a workmanlike performance when defeating 50/1 shot Killieford Goram in the First Round. (below)There was a collective gasp when the traps opened and it was the Dean Blackbird runner, and not Bockos Diamond who flashed into an early lead, but even when Bockos Diamond hit the front just off the second bend, it was expected that he would go on to record a comfortable victory. 

That looked to be the case when holding a three-length lead heading into the last bend, but Killieford Goram battled back well and reduced the winning margin to a length when the winner crossed the line in a time of 29.03.

Immediately after, social media was awash with claims that Bockos Diamond wasn’t that impressive, that a run like that won’t see him winning the Derby, and admittedly, I was probably in that camp.

However, it was his performance in the second round which showed people, including myself, who the real Bockos Diamond was. 

A 3.93 sectional saw him roaring to the front in the early stages and soon built up a six to seven length lead down the back. This time he maintained that lead and crossed the line in front for a five and a quarter length victory in a time of 28.51 from Rackethall Brute, who stayed on into second, rewarding owner Graham Box, who had made the difficult decision to miss out on a trip to Wembley to watch his beloved Crystal Palace defeating Manchester City in the Final of the F.A Cup in favour of going to Towcester.

But that was a performance that people wanted to see. Having been beaten in the Juvenile and recording that underwhelming victory in the first round, it was a performance that laid down his marker and it was a performance that created an expectancy for the third round, having been drawn against kennelmate, and the unbeaten at Towcester, Cheap Sandwiches, who had been impressive when scoring in the first two rounds.

With Proper Heiress exciting the competition, Cheap Sandwiches was now a clear second favourite in the ante-post betting behind Bockos Diamond and was billed as a clash between the big two in the betting. It was a clash that didn’t disappoint. Cheap Sandwiches hit the front going into the first bend, but it was Bockos Diamond who showed the better pace from the first bend and was able to build up a lead of a length and a half, but that lead couldn’t be built upon. 

On the run for home Cheap Sandwiches battled back well, just failing to reel in his kennel-mate by a diminishing short head, stopping the clock in 28.74 which got people talking again. Was Bockos Diamond vulnerable in the later stages? Could he win off a slow start?

These were questions asked again after his quarter-final performance when finishing third behind Slick Sentinel and Droopys Plunge. Having missed his break, it was Slick Sentinel who surged into an early lead, but Bockos Diamond showed good pace and was able to hit the front just off the second bend, and again, turned the last bend with a length and a half lead. However, unlike in the previous round where he held off the challenge of Cheap Sandwiches, he was picked up close home by the rallying Slick Sentinel and the staying on Droopys Plunge.

In the days leading up to last weekend's semi-final’s, Fortune, again on the Matchbook podcast was still full of confidence that Bockos Diamond would still win the Derby and even advised betting him again at 3/1, such was his confidence.

That confidence could well be rewarded tomorrow night thanks to a superb performance in his semi-final. Drawn outside kennel-mate Cheap Sandwiches, he was able to produce one of his better breaks, recording a 3.95 sectional and was able to race into a three-length lead. (below). This time though, it was a lead that wasn’t really eaten into and he seemed to be a much stronger greyhound on the run for home, crossing the line a length and three quarters ahead of Cheap Sandwiches, and reversing form with Droopys Plunge who qualified back in third. 

The fact that Bockos Diamond was sent off at 6/4F was probably an indication of the level of uncertainty the punters held towards Graham Holland’s runner.

Verdict

Greyhound racing as a sport needs a superstar. 

Just as horse racing had Frankel and more recently, Constitution Hill. Football has had the Messi and Ronaldo debate, Tennis has had the likes of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray all in their prime at the same time. Should Bockos Diamond win tomorrow night, he will undoubtably become the most recognisable name in greyhound racing in recent years, maybe even since Westmead Hawk and will lay claims to Fortune’s statement of being the goat, the greatest of all time.

But, can he win? Yes of course he can win. Will he win? Well, that’s another matter

.

As someone whose ante-opost picks didn’t even reach the semi-final stage, I have no financial interest in the final. But if Bockos Diamond can trap in front or even a length behind the early leader, his pace from bends two to three could see him building up a winning lead. He has been the fastest between bends two to three throughout the competition and has been in front in every contest at that stage.

But it’s at that point I’d be looking to see who is chasing in behind. If De Lahdedah or even Droopys Plunge is within two to three lengths behind, then for me, it’s game on. Any further than that, then I think Bockos Diamond will win. But if Bockos Diamond hasn’t hit the front by the third bend, whether that’s due to a slow start or trouble in running then I can’t see him coming from off the pace to win.

For the sport of greyhound racing, I’d love to see him win and create history, just as I would with De Lahdedah. It’s not often you get to see two greyhounds in the same race looking to create their own piece of history and hopefully, we will see a race to savour and for anyone holding Ante-Post vouchers at 6/1 ,or even the 3/1 available this time last week, I wish you the best of luck

The talking now ends, let the action, for one last time this year, commence.