Greyhound Racing’s East Anglian Derby Is All About the Draw
Greyhound Racing’s BresBet East Anglian Derby reaches its conclusion on Wednesday night. This will be the 75th edition of the £15,000 to-the-winner competition staged annually at Yarmouth Stadium. The venue raced as an independent track until 1975.
Kilara Lion lands the East Anglian Derby for Patrick Janssens in 2020. The trainer has Bockos Jon Jo and Aussie Captain in 2021 final.
©Steve Nash Photography Yarmouth 16th September 2020
Photo: © Steve Nash
Kilara Lion took last year’s East Anglian Derby final. His trainer, Patrick Janssens, has two runners in this week’s decider. Mark Wallis, who won the competition in 2005 and 2016, is also doubly represented in the 462-meter contest. He fields Bills Tudor and favorite Antigua Storm.
The oldest finalist is King Bruno. Despite his advancing years and a winning record of just five from 41 starts, he is only 4/1 in the early betting. Lylas Boy, trained at Romford by Nathan Hunt, is the outsider of the field at 16/1.
Wallis Is Aware of the Dangers
“It’s a good final and I can understand King Bruno being so short in the betting. He has a good draw and was the fastest first round-winner,” leading trainer Mark Wallis told Online-Casinos.com. “But all three semi-final winners ran well. If my fella [Antigua Storm] can repeat his run from last week he is the one they all have to beat.”
“He was only three parts of a length off of the track record last week, he is a young lightly-raced dog and has already finished second in two Category 1 races. My other runner, Bills Tudor, is only just out of puppy status and he is not too badly drawn.”
But what does the multiple champion trainer consider to be his dog’s chief rival? “It has to be said Patrick Janssens’s Bockos Jon Jo. He has been electric from the starting boxes but he is badly drawn in trap four – he will be heading for the running rail. If he manages to bag the inside, he is a danger to everything.”
Janssens Likes His Classy Captain
Wallis’ did not make mention of Janssens’ second greyhound, the trap three runner, Aussie Captain. Listed as 7/2 second favorite in the Unibet sportsbook, his Belgian-born trainer is very sweet on his chances.
“Firstly, both my greyhounds want the rails and while moving inwards they have to avoid each other on the run to the opening bend,” Janssens told Online-Casinos.Com. “Bockos Jon Jo has to secure an early lead to win, but Aussie Captain can do it from the front or from off of the pace.”
Asked how he saw the race unfolding Janssens said: “On paper, Antigua Storm is the dog to beat but the race is all about making the opening bend unscathed. I really like Aussie Captain. He won two rounds of the Greyhound Derby but picked up an injury in the quarter-finals. He is now improving since his rest and recovery period and he is a very classy dog.”
Favorites have a good record in the East Anglian Derby, winning half of the last 10 editions of the race and 11 of the previous 20. The biggest priced winner since 2001 was 2017 scorer Newinn Shadow at 8/1.
Oxford Reopening – the Biggest Outsider of the Last Decade
The likelihood of Oxford Stadium ever staging greyhound racing again was considered a far bigger price. Opened in 1939, the greyhound and speedway racing venue was revamped in 1986 when a three-tier grandstand with a restaurant, sports center, snooker club and a gymnasium was built.
However, ownership changes and plans to turn the site into 150 houses and 75 flats, saw the venue slowly run down and controversially stage its final race meeting in December 2012. It has been abandoned, becoming vandalized and overgrown ever since.
For greyhound fans, the good news is Kevin Boothby, who runs two other greyhound tracks at Towcester and Henlow, has secured a 10-year lease from current owners Galliard Homes and will be reopening the venue. Greyhound racing at Oxford is due to resume in December 2021, speedway should follow in mid-2022.
More Tracks Open, but …
Boothby has also stepped in to re-introduce greyhound racing to Mildenhall Stadium. This venue last raced in January 2018. It will soon be re-named ‘Suffolk Downs’ and is expected to be racing again by November.
On the surface, this would appear to be a great time for greyhound racing. In the north of Ireland, Lifford Greyhound Stadium is also set to reopen after two years of redundancy. Likewise it has recently been announced Valley Greyhound Stadium in Wales will soon become a fully licensed stadium.
However, during 2020, both Poole and Peterborough raced for the final time and Henlow is likely to be lost to property developers within the next two years.
