Irish Greyhound Laurels Final Preview, Favourites & Expert Tips

In this post, you can find our preview of the 2026 Irish Greyhound Laurels Final at Curraheen Park in Cork this coming Saturday night, 17th October, with €30,000 on offer to the winner.

Last year’s champion, Magical On Fire , landed the final for Pat Guilfoyle in 27.93, the fastest winning time in the history of the race, and Guilfoyle is back for more with Magical Jet , who booked his place by winning Tuesday morning’s run-off.

Droopys Unreal and Slick Sanctuary shared the fastest time of the semi-finals in 28.20, while track record holder Ballymac Setanta bounced back from his quarter-final defeat to win from trap six by seven lengths.

Betting Odds

Irish Greyhound Laurels 2026 Final Odds

Preview

2026 Irish Greyhound Laurels Final Preview

Trap 1

Trap (1) Slick Sanctuary - 9/4

Odds

The Red Jacket Slick Sanctuary is priced at 9/4, second favourite, giving a 30.8% chance of landing the Irish Greyhound Laurels on Saturday night.

Pedigree

Sire: Droopys Sydney

Dam: Susie Sapphire

Career Record

Form

Slick Sanctuary is trained by Karol Ramsbottom for owner K. R. Allsop and was bred by Peter Comerford . A finalist in the Irish Puppy Derby at Shelbourne Park , this youngster arrived in Cork with a big reputation.

Beaten by Ballymac Kamala in the quarter-finals, when the Dowling bitch made all in 28.12, Slick Sanctuary ran better than the result suggested and turned the tables in emphatic fashion last Saturday.

Breaking from trap four in the third semi-final, Slick Sanctuary led all the way to beat Ballymac Kamala by two lengths in 28.20, matching Droopys Unreal for the fastest time of the round.

Verdict

Has the early pace to trouble the favourite, and the red jacket guarantees a clear run along the rails. If the break is anything like last Saturday’s, this one will take some catching.

Bet On: Slick Sanctuary

Trap 2

Trap (2) Sure Exile - 33/1

Odds

Sure Exile is the outsider of the field at 33/1, giving a 2.9% chance of causing a major upset in the Irish Greyhound Laurels .

Pedigree

Sire: Broadstrand Bono

Dam: Glowing Exile

Career Record

Form

Sure Exile is very much a family affair, owned, trained and bred by Andrew Lynch , and has been the surprise package of this year’s competition.

Having come through the opening round, Sure Exile finished third in the fifth quarter-final behind Lissatouk Sydney and Ballymac Lix , just half a length off the runner-up, to sneak into the semi-finals.

Drawn in the toughest of the three semi-finals, Sure Exile stayed on for second behind Ballymac Setanta , finishing ahead of unbeaten Droopys Monk , Lone Calling and Jaykay Fly to book a place in the final.

Verdict

Has done nothing wrong to get here but needs plenty to go right from trap two against this field. One for small each-way money only.

Bet On: Sure Exhile

Trap 3

Trap (3) Droopys Unreal - 5/2

Odds

Droopys Unreal is priced at 5/2, third in the betting, giving him a 28.6% chance of winning the Irish Greyhound Laurels .

Pedigree

Sire: King Sheeran

Dam: Droopys Meteor

Career Record

Form

Droopys Unreal is trained by Ian Reilly for the Actingdamaggot Syndicate and was bred by Sean Dunphy . He has been a long-time fancy for this competition, and he has done nothing to put anyone off.

He announced himself in the quarter-finals, showing sharp early pace from the rails to take control at the opening bend and beat Jaykay Fly by a length in a career-best 28.15 at 10/3.

He was every bit as impressive in the semi-finals. Breaking from trap five, he cut across the field at the first bend and drew clear to win by six lengths in 28.20, the joint-fastest time of the round.

Verdict

Trap three puts him right in the thick of it, but he has shown he can get across his rivals early. If he leads at the first bend, he will be very hard to pass.

Bet On: Droopys Unreal

Trap 4

Trap (4) Ballymac Setanta - 6/4

Odds

Ballymac Setanta is the favourite at 6/4, giving him a 40% chance of making amends for last year’s final defeat and handing Liam Dowling his first Laurels .

Pedigree

Sire: Ballymac Kingdom

Dam: Ballymac Art

Career Record

Form

Bred, owned and trained by Liam Dowling , Ballymac Setanta went through last year’s Laurels unbeaten before finishing fifth in the final behind Magical On Fire . Earlier this year he was ante-post favourite for both the English and Irish Derby , and he went unbeaten through the Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate at Shelbourne Park .

He opened this campaign in sensational style, breaking sharply from trap one to win by almost ten lengths and lower the Curraheen Park 525-yard track record to a blistering 27.75.

He was sent off at 1/5 for his quarter-final but missed the break and did well to rally into third behind 8/1 winner Lone Calling . He put that right in the semi-finals, overcoming trap six with a minimum of fuss and leading off the second bend to win by seven lengths in 28.38.

Verdict

The fastest dog in the race on the clock by some distance. If he breaks on terms from trap four, his 27.75 from the first round suggests the rest will be racing for second.

Bet On: Ballymac Setanta

Trap 5

Trap (5) Ballymac Kamala - 6/1

Odds

Ballymac Kamala is priced at 6/1, giving her a 14.3% chance as she bids to give Liam Dowling a famous Laurels night alongside kennelmate Ballymac Setanta .

Pedigree

Sire: Droopys Sydney

Dam: Ballymac Pete

Career Record

Form

The Dowling -trained bitch has the strongest record at the top level in the field. She won the Champion Stakes at Shelbourne Park by five lengths in 29.15, the fastest run of the year over 550 yards, and reached the Irish Oaks final on a run of five straight wins.

She has also shown that she loves Curraheen Park , winning the final of the Laurels Trial Stake here on 5th September by seven lengths in 28.10, the fastest run of the night.

She made all to win her quarter-final in 28.12, beating Slick Sanctuary in the process, but that rival had the upper hand last Saturday, with Kamala two lengths back in second in the third semi-final.

Verdict

Proven class with strong course form, but trap five means she will need to break well to avoid getting squeezed between the favourite and Magical Jet . The best each-way value in the race at 6/1.

Bet On: Ballymac Kamala

Trap 6

Trap (6) Magical Jet - 25/1

Odds

Magical Jet is priced at 25/1, giving him a 3.8% chance as Pat Guilfoyle bids to land back-to-back Irish Greyhound Laurels titles.

Pedigree

Sire: Droopys Jet

Dam: Magical Poppy

Career Record

Form

The June 2024 black dog is trained by Patrick Guilfoyle and owned by Patrick and Donal Guilfoyle , the connections behind last year’s winner Magical On Fire .

He began his racing career at Tralee in February, landing back-to-back wins in 28.43 and 28.34, before spending the summer in top company at Shelbourne Park . He also won twice at Limerick , including a sharp 28.16 on 5th September.

In this competition he finished third behind Microchip in the opening round, then turned the tables to win his quarter-final by a length in 28.39 as the 11/8 favourite. He dead-heated for second with Ballycowen Moon behind Droopys Unreal in the semi-finals and won Tuesday morning’s run-off by two lengths in 28.29.

Verdict

Comes in battle-hardened after an extra run this week, and trap six, earned through the run-off, gives him a clear run on the outside. A big price, but his connections know exactly how to win this race.

Bet On: Magical Jet

*Prices are subject to fluctuation.

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