This weekend must rank as just about the busiest of the year, with five major finals for decision and 21 Irish dogs in action in the Williamhill.com English Derby at Wimbledon.

There will be no exporting of greyhounds from Ireland to China, in the near future at least.

IT has been a mixed week for PJ Fahy and his son Conor but they can reap the benefit of their Wimbledon controversy in tonight’s opening round of the Hegarty Bookmakers Open 600 at Shelbourne Park.

It’s another very exciting week with top class open racing at many venues.

IT HAS been over six months since Tyrur Big Mike raced, but the Derby and Champion Stakes runner-up is hot favourite to lift the Collage Causeway/Killahan Phanter Easter Cup, which starts at Shelbourne tonight.

The greyhound followers in the south-east will be in upbeat mood tonight as Enniscorthy Track reopens its doors after a period of great uncertainty.

IRELAND’S finest will be in action at Shelbourne Park this evening in the second round of the Tote Gold Cup. Last weekend’s action featured many superb performances and more of the same is expected tonight.

BOTH Shelbourne Park and Limerick will play host to a number of Ireland’s finest this evening as the Tote Gold Cup and Roche’s Feeds Oaks commence at the respective venues.

FEARS that the current economic problems would decimate the sponsorship scene have proved unfounded and there was double good news this week with confirmation that existing sponsorship of the Easter Cup at Shelbourne and the Produce Stakes at Clonmel is to continue this year.

THE draws for both the Roches Feeds Oaks at Limerick and Tote Gold Cup at Shelbourne were deferred until today, though both events had achieved their target number of entries.

Within shouting distance of Christmas and here we are in a situation where the greyhound action is absolutely red hot with the Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger commencing tomorrow at Limerick Stadium while on Saturday at Shelbourne the first round of the Comerford Cakes National Puppy Stake will fire into action.

TYRUR ENDA will bid to continue his brilliant run of form when he lines out in the second round of the Red Mills Waterford Masters this evening.

A FEW very significant changes in the management of Irish tracks were confirmed yesterday. Declan O’Halloran has stepped down from the top position at the new Limerick Stadium a little over three weeks after the first night at the track. Meanwhile, An Taoiseach’s brother Barry Cowen has been appointed to the vacant General Manager position at Mullingar.

THE Ballincollig express train Leeview Jet will make a rapid return to action when he contests the Red Mills Waterford Masters which kicks off at Kilcohan Park on Saturday night.

FOLLOWING the luxury of four qualifying from all first round heats, the pressure will begin in the Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby this evening at Shelbourne when it will be just three to survive to the third round.

IT was a typical opening night in the 2010 Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park last night with a few major upsets and some very fast racing, writes Michael Fortune.

Owen McKenna and Conor Fahy could be the trainers to follow when the first round of the Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby continues at Shelbourne tonight.

THE first heats in the 2010 Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby will be run at Shelbourne Park tonight and a sensational start looks on the cards with many of the leading fancies in action.

IT is every greyhound person’s dream to have a runner in the Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby but Galway owner P.J. Fahy is not the typical owner.

The best wine was certainly kept to last when the draw for the heats of the Town View Foods Champion Stakes was made at Shelbourne yesterday.

THERE’S just over three weeks to the start of the 2010 Ladbrokes.com Derby and a number of potential challengers flexed their muscles at Shelbourne Park on Saturday, although few impressed quite like Barefoot Bullet and Farley Blitz as they took the two feature races.

WITH a €20,000 carrot on offer the Boylesports Dundalk International never fails to attract a brilliant line up and tonight the 2010 one-off invitation should again produce a thrilling spectacle.

LEMON JET was the undoubted star of last week’s opening round of the Thurles Fresh Milk Tipperary Cup and his reward for a wonderful 28.82 return is a tricky trap one draw in Heat 5 of tonight’s second round.

Irish greyhound racing will break new ground next Friday at Harold’s Cross when the Gain Feeds Corn Cuchulainn final will be broadcast live around the world via the RTE website.

FATBOYZ Tyson, trained by Pat Gordon in Enniscorthy, is the 11-4 favourite with the sponsors for the Boylesports International to be run at Dundalk on Monday night next.

I’M something of an optimist by nature but I can’t help but detect a number of very positive signs on the Irish greyhound front that provides renewed hope for the future of the industry.

NEWS from across the water yesterday is that one of the biggest entries for many years will go into the draw on Sunday for the first round of the Williamhill.com English Derby and among them there will be one of the biggest ever Irish raiding teams.

CLONMEL manager Eddie Anderson was a very pleased man yesterday when he reported that the Red Mills Produce Stakes had filled with 96 entries and all is now in readiness for the great feature which is the highlight of the racing year at the South Tipperary venue.

THE formidable Waterford father and daughter team of Mick Brennan and Julie Power must have a major chance of repeating last year’s success in the Vetsearch Irish Grand National following Monday’s first round action at Harold’s Cross.