The most enduring week of work for my colleagues is upon us: Derby week! This is where the tournament really starts to get serious as the 47 dogs left in (accounting for the one withdrawal) all start to dream of glory on the 29th June. There have already been the usual shocks and fairy-tale stories but on the whole we have a quality field left and this is the round where the Lolly Faithful traditionally benefit from the most value! This is because the class dogs are normally coming to their peak by this stage and so encouraging runs in the first two rounds can turn into under-the-radar performances that will leave the bookies reeling (well that’s the theory anyway!). Here are my thoughts on the heats and the best value for this evening:

Heat 1 – 19:34

A cracking race to get us underway here as four dogs at the forefront of the betting outright, battle it out for the three qualifying positions. The draw has worked well for Tyrur Sugar Ray as he should lead Teejays Bluehawk and Kilara Missy but the value here is with Kereight King who can show that he is a contender in this tournament. King won a straightforward task in the First Round and looked the winner at the third bend in the Second Round before being expertly checked by the winner Fermoy Henry, which halted a race-winning manoeuvre. On that occasion he did not trap as well as he can and with the added benefit of fairly sluggish trappers on his inside he can assert on the rails. Skate On is fast-away but her penchant for the rails is probably over-exaggerated and I do not think she will cut across King quite as much as the odds seem to suggest. If she leads I do not think she quite has the presence of mind to cut off King like Henry did to him last week and so her chances appear bleak. Her presence may hinder Droopys Jet more and whilst his run in the Second Round was extremely impressive, it is the first time in two years (OK I make that sound slightly more dramatic than it is in reality!) he has trapped at Wimbledon and he can ill-afford to go back to his old ways in this line-up. He is of course a supremely talented colleague. Yet, with his smooth-passage to the first bend looking likely, King can be crowned the winner here.

Heat 2 – 19:49

Rumours around the kennels are gaining momentum that Ballymac Vic is bribing the officials with doggie treats, as his draws have been more than favourable in the tournament so far. This is probably his best draw to date and only one of his freak bad performances (which he is notorious for) can stop him from leading and making this a procession. Ringtown Snowy came into this tournament with a reputation for being strong and has shown brief glimpses of that, whilst Priceless Pilot’s win in the Second Round was a remarkable turn of foot. The wide dogs look like they would be better off stopping at the first bend and going for a meal unfortunately.

Heat 3 – 20:04

“What is he going to do next?” should be Farloe Tango’s epitaph and whilst his enigmatic style is as frustrating as it is endearing, he has the perfect make-up for him here and he can show his Derby-winning pace. Shaneboy Spencer and Droopys Loner will likely set off at a fast and furious pace but their frollicking in front (and it should only be us retired dogs that do the frollicking!) can set the race up for Tango to loom large around the final turns. Bouncy Bocko has been running himself into the tournament but can ill-afford to become too detached now he is facing sterner competition.

Heat 4 – 20:19

This looks another favourable draw for the unexposed Sidaz Jack and whilst he will face tougher assignments ahead, the presence of mid-moving Fermoy Henry next to him can give Jack the room he needs to show his undoubted pace. It was interesting that Charlie Lister compared Jack to one of his many Derby winners, Taylors Sky, and if he can continue to get the red box in the draws like Sky infamously did in 2011, he can go a long way in this tournament. Benkaat Nero is the sort that is going to be tough to knock out but probably lacks the class to progress too far into the competition. Farloe Chico has ran OK considering he was nearly sent over the rails at the second bend in the First Round, but the random pre-tournament confidence in him looks to have been misplaced. Airlie Impact will be coming high-wide-and-not-so-handsome-as-myself but his presence in 5 can hinder the chances of Carkei Max.

Heat 5 – 20:34

Probably the most open of the contests this evening here as there are no real standout contenders who are fancied strongly in the tournament. The aforementioned heroics of Priceless Pilot in the Second Round denied a win for Benkaat Blue who can make amends here. He is adept at coming out of any box and he can lead the disappointing Bonamassa Rocks to the bend and not be for catching tonight! Hather George has turned himself into a superb all-round performer but he is unlikely to make the ridiculous ground that Pilot made up on the home straight a week ago (to put it into context the human had already called Blue the winner halfway down the home straight!). Reel Trickyone likes to turn right out of the boxes and that hinders Boherna Rumble’s chances of leading, which is where he needs to be to show his best form. Frisbey Barney has an all-round game but probably not up to the standard now he has progressed to this stage of the tournament.

Heat 6 – 20:49

Antepost jolly Ballymac Eske is progressing nicely in the tournament by showing he can win from behind (First Round) and on the bunny (Second Round). He has the middle-moving Farloe Buddy on his outside so it is hard to envisage any problems for Draper’s charge here. He is priced accordingly. Loughteen Blanco rolled back the years with a typically gutsy front-running performance in the Second Round but he will have his work cut out to lead tonight with Irish spinter Stonepark Crash next to him. Droopys Ed Moses and Islas Scolari get the prize in the look-a-likey competition for their running style but if I had to pick one to beat the other, I would probably be on the former, perhaps, maybe.

Heat 7 – 21:04

Farloe Warhawk blasted back to his brilliant best in the Second Round and as one of the chief components of Team Lolly, he can show that he has the ultimate combination of early-pace and power for the Plough Lane circuit here. His draw next to Newinn Rocket is a slight concern but Rocket tends to remain straighter on the run-up than people give him credit for, before swinging off at the second bend; this will give Warhawk enough time to assert. Money Talks was flattered by ridiculous trouble in the Second Round and needs to up-his-game if it is a clear run race. Screen Critic showed all of his tenacity to get up on the line last week but that was perhaps aided by Holdem Spy cramping near the line and so he will need to produce an even better performance to get on terms here. Jaytee Hellcat has done nothing wrong so far but his style just isn’t as pleasing on the eye as Warhawk’s and whether he lacks class at the top level could be answered tonight if he is not at his absolute best.

Heat 8 – 21:19

Well there is definitely some early pace here! They maybe could have even given me a run, well, probably not actually. Jaytee Zeus is in the form of his life and barking of that, Garryglass Rodge has exploded onto the scene in this tournament. Most viewers of him saw his potential at Romford with his early-paced, railing performances but he has taken his reputation to a new level in this competition and has beaten some very useful types. He can lead on the rails but that is unlikely to be enough to beat the Arc winner, Shaneboy Alley, who is slowly getting himself into the tournament. He missed the break badly last week and then showed his customary ferocious early to get round the bend second before being severely hampered. His tenacity to qualify by a short-head after that trouble is admirable for a front-running dog and he can get back to his pinging ways here at the traps and at the very least turn second to Rodge. Bittles Bar has gone from a wide dog coming out of trap 1, to a wide seed that should probably have been seeded middle, but he does course the hare in the initial stages and so may hinder Alley slightly: that should not be enough to deter people backing Alley though. Holdem Spy has had mixed reviews in the media by humans over his career but he genuinely looked like he cramped up last week as opposed to any naughty business and his pace is surely going to take him a long way in this competition: if he keeps his head in the game. Hopefully he can qualify for Team Lolly behind a back-to-his-scintillating-best Alley. Or vice versa, I’m not that picky!

So there are my thoughts on the beginning of the most famous week in greyhound racing. As ever, please comment or tweet if you have anything to say and I’ll bark back at you like I’ve been left outside in the cold! This is where the competition begins to get serious and where the dogs begin to get found out, hopefully in our case, Team Lolly rise to the top!