It’s the biggest weekend of the year for followers of the greyhound racing scene with titles of real note decided on Saturday and Sunday across the UK and Ireland. Fans will take in the RPGTV Puppy Trophy, JPW Trophy and RPGTV Stayers Trophy on Saturday. Here are our top Greyhound Derby Final betting tips.
The highlight takes place on Sunday as we see the 2019 English Greyhound Derby champion crowned. We have a fiercely competitive six-dog field contending and viewers can watch the action live on TV or using a mobile app provided by one of the leading online bookmakers, such as Ladbrokes. You can also make your bets on every race taking place this weekend.
Nottingham Out to Make an Impression
A bumper field has been whittled down to just six boxes and in front of a sell out Nottingham Stadium we will see an English Greyhound Derby champion crowned. With the venue playing host to the tournament for the first time, everyone connected will be desperate to make a lasting impression to ensure it’s a long-term arrangement.
We’ve already had our fair share of drama in this competition so far, with a number of upsets and shock results in the heats, quarter finals and semi finals that have taken place over the course of the last few weeks. We got going on 24 of May and Sunday will see a cheque for £100,000 written out to connections of the winner.
Who will that be? Answering that question could land you a decent pay out too. Opinion amongst race fans is divided at present and a strong case could be made for each of the half dozen contenders going and winning the race. Bookmakers have had their say, as you would expect, offering odds on the final. That means punters can add a bit more spice to the occasion with a winning bet
Bookies Confident They Have the Winner
The money men appear to be quite confident they have the right dog picked too and have thrown the weight of their support behind Magical Bale. The jolly has been attracting attention in the antepost market for a while now, but favourites don’t have the best reputation in this race and that may put a few off. Will the curse of the jolly force backers to look further down the pecking order and have their cash on a plucky outsider? It’s highly likely.
There’s no doubt the market leader fully deserves the support, however, and has been the standout dog during the early rounds of the competition. The black arrives in Nottingham on Sunday evening on an incredible run that saw him win each of his last four starts and seven of his last eight. He was runner up in the spare, beaten just over a length by King Dylan at this very track, although the team wasted no time putting that to the back of their mind and improving.
Magical Bale has won out of a range of traps in this competition so far with his recent record showing success from T2, T3, T4 and T5, so nothing will faze the favourite on race night. Backers who have been impressed and want to get their cash down on Magical Bale completing the task at hand will get 5/4 at Ladbrokes. That’s a little on the short side and although it’s fair call, the record books show us anything can happen in this race, so we’d much prefer to take a stab at a bigger price.
Anything Can Happen in the Final
The dog set to carry our stake money on race night is one we’ve fancied for a while now and a runner we flagged up when picking through the antepost betting a few weeks ago. Skywalker Logan has always been prominent in the 2019 Greyhound Derby and, at the very least, has given backers a run for their money by securing a place in the final. The performances so far have proven traders to be shrewd in keeping on the right side of this contender. The team have done the hard work in getting to the last six and will now take their chances. One bump, one mistake in front, a fast start or a career best performance and Skywalker Logan could be our champion. The margins really are paper thin, that’s why this race is loved the world over.
This October 2016 dog isn’t the most experienced of the field but is another who really caught the eye in the early exchanges, running well in tough races from different traps. Guilfoyle’s hope finished second in his semi final last weekend when beaten a head by Clonbrien Prince. It was a fascinating finish that kept viewers on the edge of their seats and one that told us if Skywalker Logan is to go down on Sunday, it won’t be without a fight.
William Hill Offering More
You can follow our thinking and back Skywalker Logan to win the Greyhound Derby at a cracking 11/2, market best price with Ladbrokes. That’s much bigger than he should be and we’re happy to take advantage. Those looking for a bit more of a safety net in this unpredictable 500m contest can bet each-way with most firms giving 1/4 the odds a place 1-2. It’s worth mentioning that William Hill have enhanced that to 1/4 the odds the first three home and that gives you more of a chance at securing a profit.
The current betting for the final has Magical Bale as 5/4 favourite with Ladbrokes, Clonbrien Prince at 5/2 second-fav with Bet365, Skywalker Logan is next in line at 11/2 with Ladbrokes, before we get into the outsiders. Droops Expert is 8/1 (Ladbrokes), Priceless Blake 16/1 (Ladbrokes) and Ballymac Tas who can be picked up at 20/1 through Ladbrokes.