Following last year’s memorable renewal, the 2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby is set for its usual summer slot, beginning in August and concluding in September at Shelbourne Park , where the finest hounds from Ireland and the UK battle it out for the most prestigious prize in Greyhound Racing.
The reigning Champion is Cheap Sandwiches , who delivered a brilliant performance to win the 2025 event for trainer Graham Holland, claiming a record fifth Irish Derby in the process. The Graham Holland runner went off the 4/5 favourite and justified that market confidence in dominant fashion to land the €125,000 first prize.
Cheap Sandwiches will likely be entered again for 2026 but faces a very different challenge as a more exposed dog, and the market reflects that with a range of exciting young contenders now leading the betting. Bouncing Monarch heads the market, with the Liam Dowling pair of Ballymac Setanta and English Derby runner-up Ballymac Deniro also prominent among the early pace-setters.
BIGD Schedule
BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Dates
1st Round: Friday 7th & Saturday 8th August 2nd Round: Friday 14th & Saturday 15th August 3rd Round: Saturday 22nd August Quarter-Finals: Saturday 29th August Semi-Finals: Saturday 5th September FINAL: Saturday 12th September
Outright Odds
BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Odds
Dog | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Bouncing Monarch | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Ballymac Setanta | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Ballymac Deniro | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Ballycowen Frank | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Lennies Eddie | 14/1 | 6.7% |
Im Here | 14/1 | 6.7% |
Magical Major | 14/1 | 6.7% |
Bar | 16/1 | 5.9% |
BIGD Favourites
BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Favourites
Bouncing Monarch
Bouncing Monarch - 8/1
Heading the market for the 2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby is Bouncing Monarch , whose odds of 8/1 represent an 11.1% chance of landing the classic for trainer Michael O'Donovan .
Trained in Ireland by Michael O'Donovan for owner Dave Fradgley , Bouncing Monarch underlined his claims when winning the 2026 Con & Annie Kirby Memorial in a stunning track record time of 27.77 at Limerick , one of five dogs to dip under 28 seconds at the venue this year.
From the front, he never gave his rivals a sniff, showcasing the electric early pace that makes him so dangerous on any track. The Kirby Memorial has historically been one of the strongest guides to Irish Greyhound Derby success, and with the in-form O'Donovan yard also boasting fellow market fancy Ballycowen Frank , Bouncing Monarch has every reason for confidence heading into the summer classic.
Ballymac Setanta
Ballymac Setanta – 10/1
Cut to 10/1 from an opening ante-post price of 12/1 is the Liam Dowling -trained Ballymac Setanta , whose new odds represent a 9.1% chance of landing the classic.
The 2024 whelp has been among the most exciting young talents to emerge in Irish greyhound racing over the past twelve months. He went into last November's Irish Laurels final unbeaten in seven starts and still holds the fastest time of that campaign at 27.94, only to suffer the first defeat of his career in the decider itself. He was back to his brilliant best for the start of the 2026 season, reeling off heat wins at Limerick including a blistering 28.07 workout.
He went on to finish runner-up in the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial and showed all the raw class that has generated such excitement around him throughout the early rounds of the English Greyhound Derby before his elimination, a pair of narrow defeats that have only sharpened Dowling 's motivation for a big summer campaign at Shelbourne Park . With Liam Dowling having already conquered the English Derby in 2024 with De Lahdedah , Ballymac Setanta represents his best chance yet of adding the Irish crown, and at 10/1 he remains right at the head of the home hopes.
Ballymac Deniro
Ballymac Deniro – 10/1
Matching that price is kennelmate Ballymac Deniro , who arrives at Shelbourne Park as arguably the most battle-hardened contender in the 2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby market after a narrow defeat in June's Star Sports & Orchestrate English Greyhound Derby final at Towcester .
Owned, bred and trained by Liam Dowling from his Ballymac base in County Kerry , Ballymac Deniro won the Irish Juvenile Classic at Tralee before going on to top the times through the English Greyhound Derby , posting the fastest time of the quarter-finals at 28.21sec and clocking 28.15sec in the semi-final. In a final run off in atrocious wet and windy conditions, he broke slowly but stormed home to go down by just half a length to 10/1 winner Lennies Eddie , a dog he now meets again at Shelbourne Park.
With an impeccable pedigree as the son of an Irish Greyhound Derby runner-up and out of a dam that was an Irish Champion Stakes winner, Ballymac Deniro has the bloodlines to match his brilliance on the track. Now he turns his attention back to the Irish classic, and at 10/1 with BOYLE Sports , he represents outstanding each-way value for connections with a big prize still very much in their sights.
Ballycowen Frank
Ballycowen Frank – 12/1
New to the shortlist of market leaders is Ballycowen Frank , whose odds of 12/1 suggest a 7.7% chance of following up his big-race Tralee heroics with Irish Greyhound Derby glory.
Trained by Michael O'Donovan , the same in-form yard behind market leader Bouncing Monarch , Ballycowen Frank announced himself with a sensational track record victory in the €15,000 Callaway Pro Am @ Stud Race of Champions final over 550 yards at Tralee's Kingdom Stadium, a result that continued a remarkable run for the O'Donovan kennel following Bouncing Monarch 's Kirby Memorial success and Berlin Trilogy 's National Produce Stakes win at Clonmel , all landed within the space of seven weeks.
Sent off the 4/1 chance for that Race of Champions final, Ballycowen Frank made a fast start from trap two to clear long-time rival Solo And Go , who had beaten him in the heats, into the opening turn, before drawing away with every stride to score by seven lengths. Owned by Dean Harpur and Debbie Doyle , he arrives at Shelbourne Park with obvious big-race pedigree already under his collar.
Lennies Eddie
Lennies Eddie – 14/1
Perhaps the most eye-catching name in the whole market at 14/1 is Lennies Eddie , who arrives at Shelbourne Park as the reigning English Greyhound Derby champion after his front-running triumph at Towcester in June.
Trained by Paul Hennessy for owner Lee Craze , the April 2024 whelp defied miserable wet and windy conditions to lead all the way in the £125,000 Star Sports & Orchestrate English Greyhound Derby final, stopping the clock in 28.20sec, the third-fastest time ever recorded at Towcester , to hold off hot favourite Ballymac Deniro by half a length. The win gave Hennessy an historic third English Derby crown, and remarkably his third at a third different track, having previously landed the prize with Jaytee Jet at Wimbledon in 2016 and Priceless Blake at Nottingham in 2019.
A dog with searing early pace on this evidence, Lennies Eddie will now switch his attention to Shelbourne Park , and given the manner of his Towcester success, 14/1 looks a generous price for a dog with genuine claims to be among the leading contenders.
Im Here
Im Here – 14/1
Also introduced at 14/1 is the fast-improving Im Here , who arrives with the form of the moment having just landed the Time Greyhound Nutrition Puppy Derby final at Shelbourne Park.
Trained by Peter Cronin for owner Aidan Comerford , the August 2024 son of Coolavanny Hoffa and Clona Skye made all from trap six to win unchallenged, crossing the line four and a half lengths clear in a swift 27.97sec.
That runaway success on the track where the Derby itself will be run is exactly the sort of formline punters look for at this stage of the year, and at 14/1, Im Here looks a fascinating each-way alternative among the younger brigade.
Magical Major
Magical Major – 14/1
Completing the shortlist at 14/1 is Magical Major , whose odds suggest a 6.7% chance of landing the biggest prize in Irish greyhound racing for trainer Patrick Guilfoyle 's Magical Kennels.
A litter-brother of the exciting Magical Luka , Magical Major reached the semi-final of last year's Irish Greyhound Derby , where he finished third, before going on to start a warm favourite for the Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate on Derby final night. Guilfoyle , who trains from his Magical Kennels on the Offaly-Tipperary border, has described him as short of the ideal trapper but blessed with serious raw pace.
On his day potentially as fast as anything in the field, Magical Major represents an intriguing outsider price for those looking to take a chance further down the market.
*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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Bill is as passionate about Irish football as they come, with an agonising longing to see his country grace a World Cup stage. A League of Ireland devotee and lifelong Man United fan, he knows better than most what sporting heartbreak feels like, and brings that perspective to the BOYLE Sports Blog. With roots in greyhound racing and a curiosity spanning politics, snooker, WWE and beyond, there is rarely a sporting conversation he cannot add to.
