The reigning champion is Drombeg Banner , who sprang a 20/1 shock to win the 2025 Irish St Leger in 29.57 for 18-year-old Limerick trainer Evan McAuliffe, denying Clonbrien Treaty 's bid for a record third Leger crown.
The 2026 renewal returns to its traditional winter slot under new sponsor, with €30,000 to the winner from a total prize fund of €71,360, and 66 runners over 550 yards at Limerick Greyhound Stadium .
Derby hero Bockos Gold heads the market at 5/1 for Graham Holland , ahead of Liam Dowling 's Ballymac Setanta at 6/1.
Dowling's English Derby runner-up Ballymac Deniro and Pat Guilfoyle 's Wi Can James follow at 8/1. Paul Hennessy 's Lennies Dynamic , Mark Robinson 's Getup The Boy and Dowling's Solo And Go round out the leading contenders.
Outright Odds
Irish St Leger Odds
Greyhound | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Bockos Gold | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Ballymac Setanta | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Ballymac Deniro | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Wi Can James | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Lennies Dynamic | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Getup The Boy | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Solo And Go | 14/1 | 6.7% |
Bar | 16/1 | 5.9% |
Leger Favourites
Irish St Leger Favourites
Bockos Gold
Bockos Gold – 5/1
Heading the market for the 2026 Irish St Leger is Bockos Gold , whose odds of 5/1 represent a 16.7% chance of landing the classic for trainer Graham Holland .
Owned by the Jolly Good Company Syndicate , the son of Coolavanny Hoffa and Newinn Cuckoo saved his best for last in the BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby . Sent off at 8/1 from trap five, he struck the front at halfway and powered four lengths clear of Sleight Of Hand in 29.05, the fastest time of the competition. That handed Holland a record sixth Derby and a third in a row.
He had already shown his liking for Limerick by reaching the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial final in the spring. Holland has said the 550-yard trip suits him, and the dog came out of the Derby in great shape before a short break ahead of the Leger .
Ballymac Setanta
Ballymac Setanta – 6/1
Next in the betting is Ballymac Setanta at 6/1, a 14.3% chance of victory for Liam Dowling .
The son of Ballymac Kingdom and Ballymac Art was crowded out and eliminated in the opening round of the Irish Derby , but he bounced back to romp through the Michael Fortune Memorial Derby Plate . He won the final as the 4/7 favourite, leading home kennelmate Ballymac Deniro by three and a half lengths in 29.15.
He then lowered the Curraheen Park track record to 27.75 in the opening round of the Irish Laurels and went into the final as favourite. He had to settle for second, four lengths behind kennelmate Ballymac Kamala in 28.05, as Dowling landed his first Laurels with a one-two. He also reached the Kirby Memorial semi-finals at Limerick earlier in the year.
Ballymac Deniro
Ballymac Deniro – 8/1
Ballymac Deniro is joint-third favourite at 8/1, giving him an 11.1% chance of claiming the title for Liam Dowling .
Winner of the Juvenile Unraced Classic at Tralee in March in 27.97, he lit up the English Greyhound Derby at Towcester in the spring. He clocked the fastest quarter-final time of 28.21 and then won his semi-final in 28.15, one spot off the track record. He went into the final as favourite and was beaten just half a length by Lennies Eddie .
He was a shock second-round exit from the Irish Derby . In the Derby Plate , he won his heats impressively before finishing second to kennelmate Ballymac Setanta in the final.
Wi Can James
Wi Can James – 8/1
Also at 8/1 is Wi Can James , likewise an 11.1% chance for trainer Patrick Guilfoyle , who won the Irish Derby with Good News in 2017.
Owned by Swedish owners Lars and Anita Wicander and bred by Fr. Greg Corcoran , he only turned two shortly before the Derby final, yet he proved one of the stars of the competition. He won his early heats with exhibition displays and recovered from a check at the first bend to snatch the final qualifying spot in his semi-final.
In the final, he finished fourth, just a short head behind Bouncing Monarch . He is still only a young dog with plenty of improvement in him.
Lennies Dynamic
Lennies Dynamic – 12/1
Lennies Dynamic is next at 12/1, a 7.7% chance of providing Paul Hennessy with Leger success, fresh from his English Derby triumph with kennelmate Lennies Eddie .
Owned by Lee Craze , the son of Dorotas Wildcat and Pennys Jetstream has already won at Limerick this year, landing his heat on the opening night of the Kirby Memorial. In the Irish Derby, he was favourite for both his first and second-round heats, but met Solo And Go each time, with Dowling's dog edging him on both occasions. He went out of the competition in round three.
He finished the Derby campaign in good heart, running second to Getup The Boy in the Open 550 on final night and beating 2024 champion Bockos Diamond in the process.
Getup The Boy
Getup The Boy – 12/1
Also at 12/1 is Getup The Boy , a 7.7% chance of victory for trainer Mark Robinson .
Owned by Daniel Ornstein , the son of Ballymac Cashout and Peckies Flyer won the 2025 Juvenile Derby at Shelbourne . He has taken to Limerick , winning his second-round Kirby heat in 28.03 and finishing second in his quarter-final to reach the semi-finals. He also made the quarter-finals of the English Derby at Towcester .
In the Irish Derby he chased home Bockos Diamond in round one before winning his second-round heat in 29.28. He went on to reach the quarter-finals. On Derby final night, he produced the run of his career in the Open 550. He blasted out of trap one to beat Lennies Dynamic by five lengths in 29.09, with Bockos Diamond back in third.
Solo And Go
Solo And Go – 14/1
Rounding out the leading contenders is Solo And Go at 14/1, a 6.7% chance for Liam Dowling , who has three of the top seven in the betting.
Owned by the Kingdoms Palace Syndicate , the son of Ballymac Best and Ballymac Minton won the Kingdom Derby at Tralee last December and was beaten in a photo-finish in the 2025 Irish Laurels final . He has also finished second in the Gold Cup , the Cork Supersprint and the Race of Champions .
He was the fastest winner on the opening night of the Irish Derby in 29.27, beating Lennies Dynamic , and repeated the dose against the same rival in round two in 29.34. He reached the quarter-finals before going out. He then won his Laurels heat this autumn and ran riot in an open on Laurels final night in 28.07.
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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.
