Five Greyhounds to Follow in the 2024 Greyhound Derby

by Roy Brindley, 7 May 2024

The Greyhound Derby, the pinnacle of Greyhound Racing’s calendar, is a race of unparalleled history and prestige. The 2024 final will be staged at the end of June at Towcester Racecourse. Its winner will etch their name in greyhound racing history and secure its connections a substantial £175,000 prize.

Greyhound photographer Steve Nash superbly framed Jaytee Etienne winning April’s KAB Maiden Derby at Towcester. Will the Irish-trained greyhound make more headlines during the Star Sports Derby? ©Steve Nash

In last year’s final, Gaytime Nero made all the running to land the Star Sports Greyhound Derby at odds of 9/1. His trainer, Graham Holland, had three runners in the decider and gave Ireland its third Derby victory in four years. Gaytime Nero’s success took the record of race day favourites to just one in twelve.

However, the Greyhound Derby is not just about one race. Six weeks of thrilling action and 63 races make this competition a betting feast. Beyond betting on individual races, it is generally accepted that assembling an ante-post betting portfolio is the best way to tackle this knock-out contest.

To help with ambitions to win big and join winning connections in celebrating on June 29th final night, we have compiled a ‘Five to Follow’ guide. At first glance, five betting selections would appear greedy. But the Derby is open to 192 greyhounds, and the competition is not described as “greyhound racing’s greatest race” for nothing.

Five to Follow in the 2024 Greyhound Derby

1. Jaytee Etienne: Best price 100/1

Jaytee Etienne, the winner of the KAB Maiden Derby at Towcester in April, could follow in the footsteps of the 2021 champion, Thorn Falcon, who won both races in the same year. Trained in Ireland by Paul Hennessy, the youngster is a fascinating contender. With only eight races under his belt before his appearance at Towcester, he is also a relatively unknown quantity.

While he may not be the quickest from the boxes, Jaytee Etienne’s potential to progress with experience is in his favour. His sectional times improved in each run at Towcester, and his overall time when winning the final was very respectable. Jaytee Etienne should have plenty more to come. Hennessy, who has won the Derby twice in the last eight years, is a master at preparing his runners for the big events.^[1]

For such an inexperienced greyhound, Jaytee Etienne already possesses excellent track-craft. He also sees out every metre of the Derby distance – meaning he is very much the type of greyhound to keep qualifying.

If, as can be expected, further improvement is forthcoming, Jaytee Etienne will go a long way in the Derby. As Greyhound Derby betting sites offer generous treble-digit odds and, with each-way terms of positions 1-2-3-4-5-6 with ¼ the odds, this dog is well worth including.

Greyhound Derby 2024 Fact File

2. Droopys Clue: Best price 33/1

Droopys Clue, the 2023 Greyhound of the Year, has a formidable record, having triumphed in multiple Category-1 races over four and six bends.^[2] His trainer, Seamus Cahill, claimed the Derby in 2017 with a 28/1 outsider, Astute Missile. Droopys Clue is a strong contender to give him a second victory.

In Droopys Clue, Cahill has a performer who will be tough to beat at any stage of the Star Sports Greyhound Derby. He has been relatively lightly raced this year and has had just six races since winning a Category-1 final at Hove in December.

His latest outing came in the middle of April over the Derby trip at Towcester. After producing a tremendous burst of early speed, he led at the turn and went on to hammer some smart opponents. He bettered the track record by just under a length, which was a mighty feat.

Apart from the odd lapse in concentration at the start, Droopys Clue has few faults. He has yet to be beaten when he has led at any stage of a race. Our experts believe there is no greyhound on the planet capable of passing him once he has his head in front.

When he fails to gain an early advantage, Droopys Clue has the power to come from off the pace to win his races. Besides running into serious trouble, it is hard to envisage him not making the top three throughout the competition stages, no matter the opposition. Droopys Clue will surely have a big say in the outcome of this year’s Derby.

Can the Greyhound Derby Favourite Be Caught?

3. King Memphis: Best price 16/1

If a greyhound were ever tailor-made for the Derby, it would be the long-time Derby favourite, King Memphis. In 24 races, ‘the King’ has finished first or second on 22 occasions – he was third in the other two! His record at Towcester is three wins from four stars, including a track record-breaking run.

Although not always the quickest into his stride, he possesses phenomenal early speed. Few greyhounds can match him to the first bend. He stays the Derby trip strongly for a greyhound with so much early speed and will always be tough to beat when gaining an early advantage.

There are no negatives to be found, and King Memphis is more than worthy of his lofty position in the ante-post betting. Like all of the runners in the Derby, he will need his share of good fortune. Providing he can stay away from the trouble spots, he will be hard to keep out of the qualifying positions and could go all the way.

4. Crafty Shivoo: Best price 40/1

The last time a bitch won the Derby was in 1979 when Sarah’s Bunny prevailed. The record books show Farloe Verdict as ‘winning’ the 2003 Derby, but that came on the back of the actual winner being disqualified for a breach of the rules earlier in the competition.

Sarah’s Bunny – the 1979 Greyhound Derby winner prevailed at a time when the Playboy brand was at the height of its popularity pic.twitter.com/VZlizc667f

— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) May 3, 2020

Including Farloe Verdict, there have been just five bitches that have won the Derby in the 92 finals to have been run. However, Champion Trainer Mark Wallis has won the Derby twice. Crafty Shivoo represents one of his best chances of notching a hat-trick in the event since then.

She was a brilliant winner of the Irish Oaks at Shelbourne Park in Dublin last June and joined Wallis’s team shortly afterwards. In the 15 races Crafty Shivoo has contested in the UK, she has suffered just four defeats. The latest came in the £10,000 Brighton Belle final at Hove at the end of April after uncharacteristically getting her timing all wrong at the start.

Crafty Shivoo has shown a distinct liking for the Derby course and distance and is unbeaten in six races at Towcester. She possesses electric early speed and is usually foot-perfect at the start, which is vital in the Derby. If reaching the Star Sports Greyhound Derby decider at the end of June, she will have every chance of landing the trophy.

5. Romeo Command – Best price 25/1

Second in last year’s Derby, Romeo Command has already proven himself one of the best greyhounds in training. He possesses an impressive CV: Never out of the first three since joining trainer Patrick Janssens towards the end of 2022, winning a remarkable 21 races and taking second on seven other occasions.

Romeo Command is also 13 from 17 at Towcester. The four occasions he has been second at the Northamptonshire venue were in the Racing Post Juvenile invitation, the semis and final of the Derby, and the Blue Riband final in January.

He was brilliant in the first two rounds of the Blue Riband and had set new figures for the Derby course at the end of December. Romeo Command is the all-round greyhound ideal for the toughest tests and will likely prove hard to keep out of the headlines.

It is not easy to find a reason not to include Romeo Command in ante-post bets for a greyhound that is so well-suited to the track. Only bet365 is brave enough to offer 25/1 odds – and they will likely evaporate if, as predicted, the home-trained dog progresses through the opening round.

1. Paul Hennessy (trainer), (November 25, 2023), Wikipedia, Retrieved May 5, 2024.
2. Cluedo lands top honours at GBGB Awards (March 7, 2024), GBGB, Retrieved May 6, 2024.