Ian Reilly’s two runners put down the early markers in the opening round of the Greyhound & Petworld Supersprint, Quietly doing so in the best possible fashion – with a record-breaking run in the very first heat.

Three weeks down, three more to go in the Boylesports Irish Greyhound Derby and, of the first half of the classic, one thing is certain: Ballymac Matt has been dominant.

The stg£250,000 winner’s prize for the William Hill English Greyhound Derby has lured so many entries the first stage will have to be run over four nights rather than the usual three.

On a relatively quiet week on the greyhound front, it was good to hear a sponsor has been secured for the Laurels, albeit on a short-term basis. 

It has been reported the unveiling of a new sponsor for the Laurels is imminent, and the incoming backer has signed an initial one-year deal.

There was drama in the second round of the Easter Cup on Saturday night at Shelbourne Park, as Derby champ Laughil Blake exited the competition after finding trouble at the first turn in a red-hot third heat.

As tests go, the one presented to Laughil Blake in tonight’s third heat of the Dandelion Bar & Nightclub Easter Cup is almost as difficult as could be, but the Derby champ is confidently expected to come out on top.

Derby champ Laughil Blake and the immensely talented Droopys Nidge gave further credence, if it were needed, to the ‘Night of Stars’ moniker as they produced stellar performances on Saturday at Shelbourne Park.

Droopys Nidge remains firmly on course for St Leger success.

There were very few upsets in Saturday’s second round of the Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger at Limerick but Droopy Nidge, a runaway winner in a record time in the opening round, had a very different experience in trying to justify odds of 1-5 in heat five as he was forced to pull out all the stops to see off the determined Burgess Oscar.

Although the quarter-finals of the Sporting Press Irish Oaks topped Saturday’s programme at Shelbourne, the greyhound most were looking forward to seeing was Droopys Nidge, who had produced the fastest ever debut in Ireland when posting 28.09 in the first round of the ECC Timber Champion Puppy Stake.

We’d all like to see six dogs line up for the Derby — not least connections of Kereight King — but there are five great stories with those still standing and I don’t suppose whoever is lucky enough to pick up the trophy and the €125,000 cheque on Saturday night will worry about how many rivals his/her greyhound beat in the final.

The 23 remaining contenders will go to war in the four quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes Irish Derby at Shelburne on Saturday and the big task is in pin-pointing the six dogs likely to make it all the way to the final on September 8th.

There are two withdrawals from the third round of the Ladbrokes Irish Derby but it remains highly competitive.

The Ladbrokes Irish Derby moves a step further tonight with eight more first round heats at Shelbourne and this session will see the majority of the very strong Dolores Ruth team swinging into action.

Over half the required 144 entries for the Ladbrokes Irish Derby have been received with another four days to go before Saturday’s closing stage.

A MOST eventful year on the Irish greyhound front accelerates towards its end and it will finish as it began - with a flurry of top class open action all over the country.

ISN’T IT amazing how the greyhound world has changed in a relatively short number of years?

LARRY Dunne’s Slippery Bob turned the opening heat of the Billy Mulvaney Snr and Jnr Memorial Open 600 at Shelbourne on Saturday into a procession with an impressive display of front running.

WITH the Derby now history for another year, the focus down south will now swing to the Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels which will kick off at Curraheen Park on Friday night of next week.

HOPEFULLY we can cease writing about the weather and concentrate on the racing side of things and this week sees the commencement of the Tyrur McGuigan Open 575 at Shelbourne and the Vetsearch Kennedy Cup at Limerick.

THERE are strong hopes that, despite the weather, tonight’s card at Limerick which features the final of the Kerry Agri Business Irish St Leger will go ahead.

TOMORROW is all about the future of Irish greyhound racing.