Diamond and Heiress will start Derby campaigns back-to-back

BOCKOS DIAMOND and Proper Heiress, the only two greyhounds quoted in single figures outright by the co-sponsor, will ensure an explosive start to the Star Sports/TRC English Derby with both in action within 20 minutes of each other on the opening night at Towcester on Thursday.

The pair met recently in the Juvenile over the 500m Classic course and distance with Mark Wallis' Proper Heiress coming out on top and he is the first to go when running from trap four - as in the Juvenile - in a tough-looking heat five.

Graham Holland's Irish Derby champion Bockos Diamond, who saw his winning sequence of 15 ended when he tired into third on his seasonal debut in the Juvenile last month, goes straight afterwards in heat six where Jimmy Fenwick's Greyhound of the Year Wicky Ned will have another crack at him having finished in rear in the Juvenile after a troubled run.

Holland's Irish Derby runner-up Cheap Sandwiches rounds off Thursday's action while Liam Dowling's reigning champion De Lahdedah begins his title defence on Friday with Holland's Bombay Pat and Maxine Locke's exciting prospect Headford Asher two of the Saturday standouts.

The first round draw was made at a special function at Towcester on Friday. There are 32 first round heats, 18 five-runner and 14 six-runner, with three qualifying from each.

Thursday has 10 heats, followed by 11 apiece on Friday and Saturday. Every race in every round of the competition is live on sisracing.tv.

Star Sports leading Derby prices: 7/2 Bockos Diamond, 9 Proper Heiress, 12 Bombay Pat, Cheap Sandwiches, 20 Droopys Plunge, 25 Barntick Bear, Bombay Birch, De Lahdedah, Headford Asher, Lennies Desire, arch On Freddie, Wicky Ned, 33 Randolph Scotts, 40 bar (e-w 1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6).

Star Sports/TRC Derby draw as it happened plus interviews