2024 reflections: Bockos Diamond and Holland a match made in heaven

DREAM TEAM: Trainer Graham Holland with Bockos Diamond after winning the Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park last November. Picture: Nick Elliott/Inpho

From the moment Graham Holland publicly admitted that ‘Yes, Bockos Diamond is a Derby dog’ — a statement far greater than the sum of the individual words — the pressure to deliver must have been immense. But man and dog triumphed in a style greater than ever previously seen to become the stars of a stellar year on the greyhound tracks.

Six rounds of the Derby demand more than any other and when, in round three, Bockos Diamond set a track record, the concern that it might be even more difficult to sustain such a level through the competition raised its head.

Two rounds later, in the semi-finals, he dispelled that notion with a record-equalling run, and while his run in the final wasn’t as flashy according to the clock, conditions were tougher, and a slight slip in the early yards compromised his chance.

Through it all, however, his class shone through and, quite remarkably, his winning time of 29.25 — a clock most owners can only dream of having a greyhound good enough to record — in the decider was the slowest of his six returns during the Derby.

It was also the tracker’s 15th consecutive victory, and 16th in 17 career outings, and yet somehow, it seems his achievements have not quite been appreciated to the full extent. For Holland, it was a fourth Irish Derby winner, all within nine years and, in a vintage year, Bockos Diamond was the undoubted star.

When he began his career, in the Champion Open Unraced on May 3 at Kilkenny, he beat a greyhound called Broadstrand Syd, and that form stood the test of time as the runner-up also went on to create his own piece of history.

After having his fill of Bockos Diamond, Johnny Linehan’s runner tried sprinting for the first time in the opening round of the country’s top two-bend competition, the Irish Sprint Cup at Dundalk, and made the most immediate impact — with a track record run.

It didn’t get better on the clock, but the performances were just as good as he ran out a convincing winner of the final, despite finding some trouble in running. That it was his last run of 2024 was unfortunate, but those limited opportunities provided sufficient opportunity for him to shine.

Seldom are our six-bend stars lauded to the same level as those who excel over four bends, but Tuono Charlie went precious close to bridging that gap. For much of the first half of the year, Sharon Hunt’s runner dominated headlines with special performance after special performance.

It all began in a novice 750 at Shelbourne, and carried on through the TP Weadick at Kilkenny, the Deadly Kennels at Curraheen, the Corn Cuchulainn back at headquarters, the MCP Group in Tralee, and the Irish Cambridgeshire in Limerick.

Unbeaten and apparently unbeatable over six bends, he was imperious through those 16 outings and while connections may have been tempted to remain on the same road, perhaps towards a record winning sequence, they chose the more daring path to the Irish Derby.

The unbeaten run ended in the first round and his racing career with just two more runs, but there was a moment during that Derby, when he pushed Bockos Diamond to a length and a half in round two, that he could be considered a genuine contender for outright honours. In another year, he would be head and shoulders above the rest and a lock for greyhound of the year, but this was no ordinary year.

Irish Derby form from 2023 also carried weight into 2024, most significantly when De Lahdedah, who was a semi-finalist in the Irish Classic, prevailed at Towcester to give Irish-trained runners a third consecutive victory in the English Derby.

For Liam Dowling, who won the Irish Derby with Ballymac Matt in 2015, it was a first English Derby, and his dog did it in the best possible fashion, setting a new track record in beating compatriot Boylesports Bob in the decider.

In mid-June at Shelbourne, A Lucky Julie put veteran trainer Jerry Melia in the spotlight once more when her customary power-packed finish earned her a share of the Irish Oaks spoils with the Murt Leahy-trained Fleadh Saraide.

A couple of months later, at Limerick track, Clonbrien Treaty, who earlier won the Easter Cup, became the first greyhound in more than 50 years to successfully defend his Irish Leger crown.

That came before Crafty Shivoo gave local trainer Pat Norris an emotional success when powering through difficult track conditions to stamp her class on the final of the Laurels. Her constitution and class were highlights of the Curraheen classic as she had won the 2023 Irish Oaks, spent much of 2024 in prolific form in Britain, and seamlessly returned to Classic-winning form.

The racing continued to deliver, and when Droopys Kathleen made a winning debut ìn October, it was quite clear there was something special on the horizon. That came just three runs later when, in the semi-finals of the Puppy Oaks, the Robert Gleeson-trained bitch recorded 27.58 to break a track record which had stood for almost 12 years, when Paradise Madison had posted 27.67.

It may have been all the way back in April, but Knockeen Dazzler winning the Kirby Memorial in Limerick was as much about his young trainer, Daniel O’Rahilly, being put on the map as it was the greyhound itself. It gave a feelgood factor to the event and, in a manner, set the scene for an historic year.