Definate Opinion primed for Derby success

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 a very unusual Derby in many regards. When did we previously have a Derby with 20-1 the field available on the day of the first round? In recent years we had dogs as low as 6-1 and 8-1 favourite at this stage.

The dog that carries my money is Definate Opinion. He has been very patiently handled by Pat Guilfoyle with a planned schedule that has seen him lightly raced and his record in 2010 is absolutely impeccable. He has raced just nine times and won eight, including victories in the Gain Cesarewitch at Mullingar and the Boylesports International at Dundalk. His solitary defeat came in the final of the Cox Cup at Newbridge and, amazingly, the dog that beat him there, Tyrur Bucko, will be a rival in tomorrow’s Heat 13.