Bockos Diamond justifies red hot favourite tag to claim Irish Greyhound Derby
Elliott Derby Irish Bockos Unbeaten; Diamond The Greyhound Winning Picture: ©inpho/nick After
Graham Holland joined Gay McKenna and Thomas Lynch as the winningmost trainer in BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby history when Bockos Diamond justified his billing as the red-hot favourite in Saturday night’s final at Shelbourne Park.
The only one of the six runners in the lineup who was unbeaten through the first five rounds of the competition, the track record holder broke quite well from trap six but there was an immediate step, or perhaps slight stumble, to his right which doubtlessly gave his connections and supporters an anxious moment.
However, instant acceleration is one of the strongest strings to this fellow’s bow, and the son of Dorotas Wildcat and Seaglass Shadow needed all of that to clear kennelmate Cheap Sandwiches before the first bend.
The 3-10 favourite, once in front, began to accelerate down to the third bend, all the while followed by his companion, who was able to hold the move of the strong-running Callaway Knegare all the way down the back.
In the conditions, it was always going to be a touch more testing than in previous rounds and thus it was unsurprising that the chasers made late inroads.
However, Bockos Diamond, seeking a 15th consecutive victory, hardly knows that defeat tastes like, and he galloped on resolutely all the way to the line to deny his kennelmate by a length, in 29.25, with Callaway Knegare the same distance further back in third place.
Singalong Dolly finished just three parts of a length further back, a short head in front of Boylesports Bob, with Oaks heroine A Lucky Julie, who has been one of the stories of the competition, just a few lengths further off the pack.
Victory for Bockos Diamond was the record-equalling fourth for Holland, following on from Rural Hawaii in 2016, Lenson Bocko in 2019 and Newinn Taylor in 2020.