Time Greyhound Nutrition Juvenile Preview- Bockos Diamond

With a career record of 17 runs and 16 victories, Bockos Diamond will be looking to land the Time Greyhound Nutrition Juvenile in his first start since November, when landing the final of the BoyleSports Irish Derby.

A September 22 whelp out of Dorotas Wildcat x Seaglass Shadow, Bockos Diamond made his debut on 3rd May at Kilkenny, when coming from off the pace to score in the Champion Open Unraced 525 Round 1 at Kilkenny, when getting the better of Broadstrand Syd by 3 lengths in a time of 28.91 (-20)

However, that rival was able to reverse the form in Round 2 the following week coming out on top to score by 2 lengths in 28.93 (-20) Few would have realised it at the time, but this was to be the only defeat Bockos Diamond would encounter for the rest of 2024, and Broadstrand Syd himself was to go on and land the Sprinter of the Year title at the National Greyhound Racing Awards.

Having won his Semi Final, the two rivals met head-to-head for the third time in four starts, and it was of course Bockos Diamond who came out on top again when turning the opening bends in a decent pitch, he showed his pace to take up the lead turning for home and drew clear to score by 3 lengths in 28.85 (-20)

Next up on the schedule were trips to Cork in June and July for the David Fitzgibbon Memorial Open, where, worringly for his rivals, his trapping seemed to improve and as a result, was a wide margin winner of all four contests when making all the running on each occasion. His lowest winning margin was a mere 7 ½ lengths but in winning the final by 13 ½ lengths, his winning time of 27.83 was to be the fastest time over the 525y course at Cork for 2024 and his winning run had now extended to eight.

Having had six weeks off, that winning run extended to nine when making his comeback at Shelbourne Park over 525y when scoring in 28.01, before landing the Time Greyhound Nutrition Aa0 550 Semi Final and Final, again at Shelbourne. He was pushed during the Semi Final when getting the better of Seven Beach by just a head, then getting the better of kennel-mate Cheap Sandwiches by ½ length in a time of 29.81in the final, taking that winning run to eleven.

All roads after that led to Shelbourne Park again in October for the ultimate prize, the BoyleSports Irish Derby. He proved to be faultless in his qualification to the Final, making all the running on all five occasions, breaking the track record in the third round when producing a stunning performance to record 28.94, becoming the first Greyhound since Pestana in 2020 to break the 29.00 second barrier. Such is his class; he managed to equal that time in the Semi Finals.

His winning run had in the meantime been extended to fourteen, could he possibly make it fifteen, landing the Derby Final in doing so?

Of course he could, when pacing up well to lead round the opening bends, he managed to build up a big enough lead, and although his kennel-mate Cheap Sandwiches closed the gap down to a length, he was able to achieve the incredible feat of going through the Derby undefeated.

As a result, he was unsurprisingly named Greyhound of the Year at the National Greyhound Racing Awards.

Having been off the card since then, he has had a couple of trials at Towcester in recent weeks, latterly clocking 28.51 (+10) for the 500m distance (Pictured below)

Verdict: What can you say about Bockos Diamond that hasn’t already been said? His sensational early pace came to the fore during the Irish Derby and has shown in recent trials at Towcester that despite being off since late November, he looks the one they all have to beat.

Is there a negative? Not as such no. The only thing you could say is that during those Towcester trials, he has taken more of a middle course, but they can often be the case with Greyhounds in a solo trial.

Is he the most likely winner? I think so. If he is able to produce one of his better breaks, then he ought to have all the room in the world up to the first bend and he could be way and gone, especially with Proper Heiress and Droopys Plunge likely to be heading towards the rails and March On Freddie often slow into stride. Would I want to back him at best price of 4/5F? No, I don’t think so. Not in a field with so much quality in it, I’d be happy just to sit back and enjoy the spectacle