2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Final Preview, Favourites & Expert Tips

In this post, you can find our preview of the 2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Final this coming Saturday Night.

The biggest prize in Greyhound Racing will be up for grabs come Saturday night when six of the fastest hounds about will do battle to be be crowned BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby champion!

Bouncing Monarch may head into the final as the odds-on favourite, but there's plenty of merit to each dog's chances of passing the winning line first. Read our full preview below!

Betting Odds

BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby 2026 Odds

Preview

2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Final Preview

Trap 1

Trap 1 | Sleight Of Hand – 5/1

Odds

The Red Jacket Sleight Of Hand is priced at 5/1, second favourite, giving him a 16.7% chance of landing the BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby on Saturday Night.

Pedigree

Sire: Ballymac Cashout

Dam: Kilmore Diamond

Career Record

Form

The October 2024 Black Dog Sleight Of Hand is trained by Laurence Jones, who will be hoping to land his first-ever Irish Greyhound Derby .

A progressive youngster who made his racing debut at Shelbourne Park last March, racing in an ON2 stake, he finished runner-up in his first race in 28.90 before landing the final in 28.73 the following week. Following runs in A1 and A0 company, he announced his real potential in June, winning the Maiden Derby in a swift 29.34.

Throughout this BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby, he has continued to impress amongst red-hot company; he’s only been beaten twice, clocking 29.10, 29.27, 29.61, 29.53 and, most interestingly, last week 29.51, two lengths back of Bouncing Monarch.

Verdict

His pace to the third turn gives him serious claims to Saturday’s final, especially if he can emulate or even surpass his 16.90 from the first round. Did incredibly well to finish as far as he did last weekend too.

Bet On: Sleight Of Hand

Trap 2

Trap 2 | Bouncing Monarch – 4/6

Odds

Bouncing Monarch is a strong favourite at 4/6, giving him a 60% chance to land an unbeaten campaign and claim BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby glory on Saturday.

Pedigree

Sire: Deerjet Sydney

Dam: Lemon Elsa

Career Record

Form

There’s no superlative which does the pace of Bouncing Monarch justice. Trained by Michael J O’Donovan, he is quite simply the dog of a lifetime and will be a worthy favourite for the BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby come Saturday .

Born in January 2024, he started his career in Cork racing at Curaheen Park . He failed to win any of his first three races, and a move to England initially only led to three wins in his next nine races.

He’s been absolutely imperious on the track since December 2025 in Newcastle; he’s won 17 of his next 25 races across the UK and Ireland, which has seen him land the 2026 G1 Con and Annie Kirby Memorial in Limerick, breaking the Track Record in the final winning in an incredible 27.77.

After finishing third in the Race of Champions in Tralee , and winning his BOYLE Sports Champion Stakes semi-final before being withdrawn, he arrived into this Derby campaign as one of the ante-post favourites for success. He’s been almost faultless to reach the final landing every heat and challenge asked of him in ultra-consistently quick times of |29.10, 29.11, 29.13, 29.08 and 29.35 last week.

Verdict

Will be favourite on Saturday, and with the pace and consistency he’s shown, it’ll be very hard for punters to look past him.

Bet On: Bouncing Monarch

Trap 3

Trap 3 | Wi Can James – 6/1

Odds

Wi Can James is priced at 6/1, giving him a 14.3% chance of success in the BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby, which makes him the third most likely victor.

Pedigree

Sire: Ballymac Cashout

Dam: Right Nicki

Career Record

Form

The black September 2024 whelp Wi Can James is trained by Patrick Guilfoyle, who is no stranger to Derby success, landing it with Good News in 2017.

He is another hound who’s raced exclusively at Shelbourne Park, with his first race coming in April when he clocked 28.81 in second before winning subsequent rounds in 29.01 and 28.56 to land the ON2 Novice Stake; he then proceeded to win three of his next four.

Arriving at this Derby campaign with a growing reputation, he was runner-up in the first round in 29.34 before landing heats in the next couple of weeks in 29.21 and 29.10. He’s shown great guts in subsequent weeks to qualify third in 29.59 and 30.01.

Verdict

The most inexperienced of Saturday’s finalists, but if he can emulate his best for the 550 trip of 29.10, he will come within a blanket of success.

Bet On: Wi Can James

Trap 4

Trap 4 | Hackney Dancer – 16/1

Odds

Odds of 16/1 for Hackney Dancer give him a 5.9% chance of landing the biggest prize in Irish racing, making him the biggest outsider ahead of Saturday’s final.

Pedigree

Sire: Dorotas Wildcat

Dam: Miss Mini

Career Record

Form

The April 2024 dog and the second of Michael J O’Donovan -trained runners for this final made his debut on track last January in Shelbourne Park, running up an 0N1 350 stake, winning the final in a fast 18.73.

Trips followed to Limerick for the Con and Annie Kirby Memorial, knocked out in the second round before a run to the Produce Stakes semi-finals in Clonmel, which included a 28.62 success for the 525-yard trip.

Arriving at the Derby arguably under the radar, Hackney’s early pace was the difference-maker in the opening three rounds to score off consecutive heat victories in 29.37, 29.48 and 29.35 in recent weeks; he’s done well to qualify as runner-up in 29.53 and 29.37.

Verdict

The finals “outsider” but has never been outside the top two this campaign and may be worth a place bet given his early pace!

Bet On: Hackney Dancer

Trap 5

Trap 5 | Bockos Gold – 8/1

Odds

Bockos Gold is priced at 8/1, which gives him a 14.3% chance of winning the BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby.

Pedigree

Sire: Coolavanny Hoffa

Dam: Newinn Cuckoo

Career Record

Form

The March 2024 dog is trained by Graham Holland, who will be hoping to train his sixth Irish Greyhound Derby winner, which would extend his record as the most successful trainer in the history of the competition.

Bockos began racing in October 2025, and it only took his second race for his potential to be there for all to see, winning in the first round of the National Puppy Stake in a swift 28.25. What followed was an exceptional Con and Annie Kirby Memorial campaign, going unbeaten in 28.07, 28.00, 27.92, 27.89 before finishing last in the final.

He then finished third in an Open 525 stake in Cork , before running a few times before the Derby, including an exceptional 29.27 for the 550 trip at Shelbourne . After being fortunate in the first round, he’s kept flying throughout without showing the blistering pace he’s capable of.

Verdict

If he can replicate close to his best for this race, he will be one of the best value plays away from the favourite.

Bet On: Bockos Gold

Trap 6

Trap 6 | Im Here – 12/1

Odds

Im Here will take his place on BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Final night, and odds of 12/1 give him a 7.7% chance of victory.

Pedigree

Sire: Coolavanny Hoffa

Dam: Clona Skye

Career Record

Form

The August 2024 whelp is a black dog trained by Peter Cronin who will be looking to land his first Derby title on Saturday night after only making his racing debut last May, finishing fourth in an open SSO Sprint at Shelbourne Park .

Following that unsuccessful start, victories followed in Kilkenny and Shelbourne Park, but it wasn’t until the dog’s Puppy Derby performances that we truly saw the make of this hound. After qualifying second, second and third to reach the final, he then showed true class to land the first major success of his career in 27.97.

Im Here has yet to land a round of this competition, qualifying in second, second, second, third and third to reach this stage, but his improvement at boxes has been most notable, going from an opening round sectional of 3.60 to 3.39 last weekend and a 3.36 a couple of weeks before.

Verdict

There’ll be a strong sense of déjà vu for connections, and it’s impossible to rule him out on Saturday, especially given he has his favoured #6 box where he’s been ever-present since he started his career.

Bet On: Im Here

*Prices are subject to fluctuation.

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