Hunt feels his Warrior is fully equipped for the Derby battle

WITH the Star Sports & Orchestrate Greyhound Derby hitting the second-round stage this weekend, Monmore trainer Nathan Hunt is hoping to maintain his presence in the competition following an impressive first-round display from his sole entry Goldcash Warrior.

Taking his record for the kennel to an impressive six wins from nine starts, the strapping railer accounted for a decent field when leading home Graham Holland’s Gaytime Joachim by almost three lengths in 28.97sec (-20) and Hunt feels there is plenty more to come as he looks to go deep in a competition dominated by the usual big-name kennels.

A glance at the current ante-post lists reads like a who’s who of Derby-winning camps, with the top end dominated by greyhounds trained by previous winners such as Liam Dowling, Mark Wallis, Pat Buckley, Graham Holland, Paul Hennessy, Patrick Janssens and Kevin Hutton.

But Hunt is not fazed by the challenge ahead and said of Goldcash Warrior: “He’s definitely the best chance I’ve had in the Derby.

“I’ve never been past the third round before and last year it just came too soon for our bitch Icemans Girl. She was not long out of season and went out in the first round.

“She came back to win on final night which was a great buzz, but like everyone else I’d love to be there with a runner in the big race.”

Goldcash Warrior, who tips the scales at a hefty 37 kilos, ticks plenty of boxes for his trainer, who said: “He’s a big, strong railer with a fast break in the locker and sees the 500m out well. We bought him from his breeder and he was carrying a bit of weight when he came in which I didn’t mind as it gives you something to work with.

“He has Volcano – who threw the likes of Space Jet – in his dam line so there’s stamina in there. But he’s also got real four-bend speed. 

“He won at Dunstall Park in 27.96sec in March – I think that was the fastest run of the year so far, and it was a hard call not to run him in the Laurels.

“But we decided to keep him fresh for a crack at the Derby. He’s owned by Fred Ellison, who has had dogs for many years with some top trainers such as Jimmy Wright and Chris Lund, but this is his first runner in the Derby and we wanted to give the dog every chance.”

Goldcash Warrior lines up in heat 15 on Saturday – which has now been reduced to five runners following the withdrawal of Irish Derby hero Cheap Sandwiches (story, below) – and among his rivals are fellow heat winners Glengar Kane and Singalong Polly, both trained by Pat Buckley.

“There are no easy heats and he’ll need to do things right,” Hunt said. “But with so many railers still in the Derby, getting trap one was a big plus for us.

“He’ll need to hold his ground early as Glengar Kane is top-class and one of the leading ante-post runners, but our dog is tough to get around if he breaks level.

“You need your share of luck to win a Derby, but also you need a dog who is fast enough. I feel he’s been under the radar going into the competition, which suits us fine, but we’re happy with where he is and hopeful he can stick around a bit longer.”

Sandwiches is pulled out

CHEAP SANDWICHES, brilliant winner of last year’s Irish Derby for trainer Graham Holland, has been withdrawn from the second round of the Star Sports & Orchestrate English Derby, writes Phil Donaldson.

The sole remaining survivor in this year’s competition from last year’s star-studded Towcester final – when he ran fourth behind the Patrick Janssens-trained champion Droopys Plunge – Cheap Sandwiches had qualified in fourth place from the first-round heat won by Droopys Berries. 

That was his first start since an impressive Winter Festival victory over Ballymac Setanta at Shelbourne Park in November.

He was officially withdrawn lame at 11.39 on Tuesday morning and trap six will now be vacant in heat 15 on Saturday.

Want top greyhound betting advice and the latest greyhound racing news? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Greyhounds for more

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.