Irish Derby draw throws up red-hot Friday night clash for starters

THE trap draw for the opening round of the 2025 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby took place shortly after noon on Monday at Shelbourne Park, setting the stage for what promises to be a spectacular opening weekend of Ireland's premier greyhound racing competition.

Every race in every round is live on sisracing.tv and the draw delivered a series of fascinating contests, with a total of 144 greyhounds entered for this year's classic vying for the €125,000 winner’s prize and ensuring a full complement of 24 opening round heats, with 12 heats scheduled for Friday 7th August and a further 12 heats on Saturday 8th August.

The first four finishers in each heat will progress to the second round, leaving 96 runners in pursuit of Derby glory.

The draw featured 18 wide seeds and 26 middle seeds, with the remaining runners allocated as inside seeds, creating a number of intriguing match-ups throughout the two nights.

Among the standout contests is undoubtedly heat 10, which is one of the races of the opening round.

Kennel companions and namesakes Bockos Diamond, the 2024 Irish Greyhound Derby champion, and Bockos Gold, a finalist in this year's Con & Annie Kirby Memorial, have been drawn together in a race packed with quality. Both represent record five-times winning trainer Graham Holland.

The star-studded lineup also includes Getup The Boy, winner of the 2025 Juvenile Derby, Slick Sanctuary, a Puppy Derby finalist, and Glengar Silent, a 2025 Irish Derby finalist.

Add the early pace of Scott Phelan’s Harlequin Gee Up and the race stands out as a truly exceptional first-round clash.

Another major talking point is the participation of Con & Annie Kirby Memorial champion Bouncing Monarch, trained in Tipperary by Michael O'Donovan, who has been drawn in heat 13 on Saturday ensuring racegoers and fans will have another headline act to look forward to on the second night of opening-round action.

With an outstanding entry, exceptional depth of quality and a host of compelling match-ups thrown up by the draw, anticipation is already building for the start of the 2025 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park.