The Greyhound Derby is the most prestigious greyhound race in the world. The English Classic dates back to 1927 and its roll of honour includes some of the best dogs the sport has seen.

Here’s everything you need to know about the race ahead of this year’s contest.

Fromposttopillar Tops Betting in 2023

The betting on greyhound racing for the Derby in 2023 is headed by Fromposttopillar at 16/1. Rab McNair’s runner has an excellent record on the track as he has won seven of his opening nine races in his career.

The majority of Fromposttopillar’s appearances so far have come at Hove and Oxford. He ended his campaign in 2022 with a success in an open race at Hove, scoring by just over six lengths after getting off to a fast start to his contest.

Local trainer Patrick Janssens won the Greyhound Derby in 2021 with Thorn Falcon. The Towcester man has a good chance of regaining the trophy with Coolavanny Shado this year. Unlike many of his rivals, the dog already has a victory in an open race at Towcester, so he knows the track very well.

Coolavanny Shado has a 45.45% strike rate on the track through his opening 11 races. His fifth career win came at Nottingham back in November where he made every metre of the running from the traps to the finish line.

Another leading contender for the competition for Janssens in 2023 is Romeo Command. He is unbeaten through his opening five races, with three of those five successes coming at Towcester.

Romeo Command does not have as much experience as some of his rivals this year, but he is likely to appear in some open races in the early stages of 2023.

Towcester Now Home of Greyhound Derby

Towcester is now considered the home of the Greyhound Derby. It is the fifth different greyhound track to host the competition. It took over from Wimbledon in 2017 and, barring a two-year break between 2019-2020, it has held the event ever since.

The venue in Northamptonshire races over 500 metres. Last year Romeo Magico prevailed there to land the trophy after clocking a time of 28.95 in the final for Irish trainer Graham Holland.

This year’s competition begins at Towcester with round one in May, and it will run through to the final at the end of June.

Record Breakers

Only four greyhounds in history have won the Greyhound Derby more than once. Mick the Miller, Patricias Hope, Rapid Ranger and Westmead Hawk have all managed that feat. If Romeo Magico features in 2023, his connections will be hoping their dog can join that list.

Former leading trainer Charlie Lister holds the record for the most wins in the race with seven. He was first successful in 1997 with Some Picture. His last victory came in 2013 when Sidaz Jack prevailed in the final.

In total, there have been 75 British-trained winners of the Greyhound Derby and 16 winners from Ireland. The latter have had a lot of recent success as they were responsible for the winners in 2019, 2020 and 2022.

Expect this year’s competition to feature all the excitement, nerves and tensions that this event is known for. Whoever does come out on top in June will scoop the top prize of £175,000 and be considered the leading greyhound in the sport.