Heiress stands firm in a proper Derby battle

PROPER HEIRESS and Cheap Sandwiches, who served up a thrilling battle in Saturday’s fastest third-round heat of the BoyleSports Irish Derby, now dispute favouritism for the competition as just 24 hopefuls remain in the €125,000 Classic.

Friday’s withdrawal of defending champion and ante-post favourite Bockos Diamond (lame) from a red-hot third qualifier had threatened to take some of the sheen from the eagerly anticipated race, but the contest instead left watchers breathless.

Mark Wallis’s prolific UK raider Proper Heiress and Graham Holland’s Dundalk International hero and 2024 Derby runner-up Cheap Sandwiches, both running at the peak of their considerable powers, went toe-to-toe over the Dublin track’s 550-yard course with the former refusing to give way as he beat his rival a length in a flying 29.27sec.

It was an incredible tussle served up by two of the best competition dogs in training and off-course layers now have them sat clear at the top of their lists, with Cheap Sandwiches (3-1) and Proper Heiress (7-2) vying for favouritism and the only runners quoted in single-figure odds after avoiding each other in the draw for this week’s quarter-finals.

Proper Heiress is now one of two greyhounds who remain unbeaten in the competition alongside Karol Ramsbottom’s flying starter Cheque For Cash, who made all in 29.58sec on Saturday to beat Liam Dowling’s De Lahdedah, and trainer Wallis yesterday confirmed his star to have come out of the contest in great order.

Second fastest winner on the night was Dowling’s progressive November puppy Ballymac Stud (29.35sec), who took his chance well from the front in heat five - a contest which saw the shock elimination of Holland’s early round standard-setter Bombay Pat after a rough ride.

Pat Guilfoyle’s Mystical Mag was another to go well with a trap-to-line 29.51sec success in the concluding qualifier, while other heat winners were Pat Buckley-trained duo Unanimous Leo (29.58sec) and Singalong Curly (29.52sec), Kieran Lynch’s Shanahee Bomber (29.42sec) and Robert Gleeson’s Droopys Deploy (29.91sec).

Trap draw

BoyleSports Irish Derby. 1st quarter-final: 1 Priceless Romeo, 2 Lennies Dream, 3 Callaway Five, 4 Unanimous Leo, 5 Cheap Sandwiches (w), 6 Droopys Deploy (w).
2nd quarter-final: 1 Magical Mag, 2 Happy Jet, 3 Ballymac Stud, 4 Shanahee Boomer, 5 Blastoff Heffo, 6 Tarsna Maasai (w).
3rd quarter-final: 1 Proper Heiress, 2 Singalong Curly, 3 Phoenix Memphis, 4 Cheque For Cash, 5 Glengar Silent (m), 6 Magical Sapphire (w).
4th quarter-final: 1 Ballyhooly Bruno, 2 Barefoot On Song, 3 Oreo Ollie, 4 De Lahdedah, 5 Rural Pest (m), 6 Coosane Pickles (w).

Betting

Irish Derby (generally available): 3 Cheap Sandwiches, 7-2 Proper Heiress, 10 Ballymac Stud, De Lahdedah, 14 Shanahee Boomer, 16 Glengar Silent, 20 Mystical Mag, Coosane Pickles, Unanimous Leo, 25 Callaway Five, 33 bar (e-w 1/4 1st four).

Bet on the dogs with Betano 🐾 Did you know Betano offer greyhounds markets? New customers can bag £30 in free bets when you wager £10. 18+ #GambleAware. Terms Apply.