IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS AS SLEIGHT FASTEST TO THIRD TURN
Ian Fortune
The magical 17 second barrier to the third turn was only broken 6 times in the 2025 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby with eventual winner Cheap Sandwiches setting the standard in the semi-finals with a superb 16.84.
That was the only time he managed to dip under 17 seconds through the classic so it is quite something to see no fewer than four greyhounds achieve the feat over the opening weekend of this year’s renewal.
Honour of going fastest fell to Sleight Of Hand, who was a revelation in Heat 23 as he posted a brilliant 16.90 on his way to clocking a joint fastest of the round 29.10.
Bouncing Monarch secured his position at the head of the ante-post market with an identical 29.10 return but he was one spot slower than Sleight Of Hand to the third turn, stopping the clock in 16.91.
Ballyea Warrior was one of the early paced stars of the opening round, posting 16.95, while Solo And Go became the fourth greyhounds to dip under 17 seconds when clocking 16.98.
To put those runs into context, the fastest ever third bend sectional came in the semi-final of the Derby back in 2024 when Bockos Diamond clocked a scarcely believable 16.58. That is a record that will land the test of time.
Obviously, the 2024 Derby champ also won on Friday night and, while he is rapidly nearing four years of age, he was still the sixth fastest of the 24 heats to the third turn when posting 17.03.
A full breakdown of the leader’s clocks to the third turn can be seen below.
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Leaders Clocks (Fastest to Slowest): |
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1st round |
|
Sleight Of Hand |
16.90 |
|
Bouncing Monarch |
16.91 |
|
Ballyea Warrior (F) |
16.95 |
|
Solo And Go (F) |
16.98 |
|
Hackney Plan (F) |
17.01 |
|
Bockos Diamond (F) |
17.03 |
|
Ballymac Gwennie (F) |
17.04 |
|
Shotgun Dez |
17.04 |
|
Firstpastthepost (F) |
17.06 |
|
Ballymac Deniro |
17.06 |
|
Coloursaregreen |
17.08 |
|
Amidus Hulk |
17.09 |
|
Low Profile (F) |
17.11 |
|
Harvard Square |
17.12 |
|
Hackney Dancer |
17.12 |
|
Kilcolgan Norman (F) |
17.17 |
|
Slippery Brian |
17.17 |
|
Ballyhooly Cliff & Roarin Ogara (inseparable) (F) |
17.19 |
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Droopys Monk (F) |
17.19 |
|
Singalong Cherry |
17.19 |
|
Kapuka Coley |
17.19 |
|
Bombay Special (F) |
17.24 |
|
Jaykay Fly |
17.24 |
|
Ballymac Kamala (F) |
17.35 |