2025 English Greyhound Derby Betting Tips & Preview
Matt Newman 
Scott McGlynn
The 2025 English Greyhound Derby is fast approaching, bringing top-class racing back to Towcester - and with it, greyhound derby tips for punters looking to get ahead.
With a strong field and high stakes, Matt Newman, the Racing Editor of Greyhound Racing UK, has put together a focused preview to guide your betting before the opening rounds.
We’ll also highlight some of the top betting sites for placing your wagers and where to find the best free bets ahead of this year’s Derby.
Key Contenders for the 2025 Greyhound Derby
The 2025 Star Sports/TRC Greyhound Derby gets underway on Thursday, May 8.
Made up of 63 races across six weeks at Towcester, the final is on Saturday, June 14. Each race will see the first three qualify for the next round, so early on, it’s all about just making it through - check out the full Greyhound Derby Schedule.
Since claiming the Irish Derby last November, Bockos Diamond has been the market leader to do the double. Only one dog has ever done so in the history of the two races, and that was Toms The Best. ‘Wildcat’, as he is known at home, with trainer Graham Holland, has only been seen once in action so far in 2025, beaten in the Juvenile at Towcester.
That was his first taste of race action at the Derby track, not trapping as well as he can, but still going toe to toe with the top British hope of Derby glory, Proper Heiress. The lack of a run told on him from about three-quarters distance, fading into third, but it was still a run that marked him down as a serious contender for outright honours.
Proper Heiress already has the Winter Derby and Kent Plate titles in the bag in 2025 for Mark Wallis. Add to that his win in the £10,000 one-off Juvenile, and he has been the dog of the year to this point. Is sheer class and it would be a surprise not to see him going deep in the competition.
Only four dogs have won the English Derby twice. They are Mick The Miller, Patricias Hope, Rapid Ranger and Westmead Hawk. The Liam Dowling-trained De Lahdedah will bid to join those greats. He moved well in a recent trial at Towcester after defeats in his only two 2025 races so far at Shelbourne. Last year, he arrived off a very similar campaign of only three starts in March, but history suggests that he will find things more difficult than he did last year.
Runner-up in the 2024 English Derby was Boylesports Bob. He made the Irish decider as well behind Bockos Diamond, proving himself to be one of the most consistent dogs in training in the process. A strong runner, he is just the type to continue doing enough to keep on qualifying.
The current track record holder is Barntick Bear. He is all power from halfway, but his lack of early gears can get him into trouble against the absolute top-notchers. His stamina should see him picking up qualifying spots into the second half of the competition at least for trainer Patrick Janssens.
Cheap Sandwiches and Bombay Pat are two more for the Graham Holland camp, who look set to play a big part in this competition overall. Like Bockos Diamond, they are both runners with a wide tag, which is not always the right place to be at Towcester.
The former was runner-up to his kennelmate in the Irish Derby at Shelbourne last November. He was the winner of a trial stake on Juvenile Day at Towcester. Although the time was not as quick as a few of his rivals have produced, he was the only winner from trap six during an afternoon when those on the rails were favoured.
The latter was a semi-finalist at Shelbourne, just not quite able to trap well enough to keep with the quickest of the dogs on the run to the first bend. Shelbourne is more of a speed test than Towcester is, and this big gallop has been suiting him well. He was just 0.16 of a second (two lengths) off Barntick Bear’s track record in a recent trial stake, so he arrives in flying form.
One of the least exposed in the field is Maxine Locke’s Headford Asher. A female trainer has not won the English Greyhound Derby since Dolores Ruth with Shanless Slippy in 1996 at Wimbledon, but Locke is following up a career year in 2024 with an exceptional start to 2025.
She has a powerful team for the event, primarily owned by the J R Racing Syndicate. They include this young puppy who has only run three times in his life. They were all in the Puppy Cup at Hove, where he went unbeaten, just 0.21 off the track record in the final. That is a monster of a run for a pup, and while he lacks experience, Sidaz Jack had only run once before winning the 2013 Derby.
Romeo Empire is a very similar type to Barntick Bear. He lacks a bit of early pace, but he is a powerhouse from halfway. He has only finished out of the first three once in nine starts since arriving in the UK and joining the kennel of Patrick Janssens, so he is another who could just keep qualifying.
One at a massive price is Ballymac Rapid for Liam Dowling. He has had five races in his life, all at Tralee, but has impressed with both of his trials at Towcester. He has been unfortunate enough to draw a tricky-looking heat on Thursday, but he looks like a very smart type in the making.
He strikes as similar to another that Dowling trained in Ballymac Fairone, who arrived in 2021 off just three runs. A 125/1 outsider ante-post, he went off a 9/4 joint-favourite for the final, where he finished fifth.
2025 Greyhound Derby Betting Tips
It’s an incredibly competitive field, so it is worth backing a few at various price points.
Three of the top four in the ante-post market with greyhound betting sites are wide runners, which is a tricky place to be at Towcester.
Thorn Falcon won the 2021 final from trap six, but the striped jacket has just a 12% strike rate at the track in 2025.
That leaves Proper Heiress as the one to make the most appeal of the favourites at a general 8/1. Eighteen of his 21 career starts have seen him finish in the first three.
Headford Asher could be too special to ignore. He has been the subject of plenty of each-way support, but there is still 33/1 out there for a dog who could be anything.
Finally, 200/1 could be a crazy price for Ballymac Rapid for a trainer who rarely wastes time sending runners over that he doesn’t feel can win.
Latest Greyhound Free Bets
Don’t forget, we have free Greyhound Tips on-site every day of the week, including for every round of the Greyhound Derby.
Plus, the top Greyhound free bets and betting offers below can be used ahead of the upcoming action at Towcester.
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