Derby Betting / Darrell Williams / 28 May 2009 / Leave a comment

Darrell Williams is loving the Derby and the final is the highlight of his year as a pundit on the sport. Read his thoughts on Saturday's race here.

It's simply the greatest 30 seconds of the year for greyhound fans - The Derby final - and boy, oh boy, what a race we have in prospect!

Four weeks and over 50 qualifying races pale into insignificance - winning every heat or none at all is irrelevant - it's what happens at 10.12pm this Saturday night at Wimbledon that counts!

The shriek that went up when Fear Zafonic got trap one tells the story - I just loved Big Mac screaming 'thank me, I've made the Derby final' as he gave Charlie Lister's star the red jacket for the first time in the competition - and of course, he was right!

But is it a Derby winning draw which will give Lister a record equalling fifth success? Everyone knows Lister is a master at getting them out when it matters - and this is when it really does matter - but the woeful record of trap one in Derby finals is a story well told. It's well touted that Wimbledon in it's 25th year as Derby host has NEVER had a trap one Derby winner, but go back further and the records will tell you that the red coats have won only twice in over 40 years! Fear Zafonic may, of course, be the one to put the record straight, but will need all of Lister's skill and experience to 'get him out' and just seven days after he fell out in the semi-final. Back him, by all means, and I will take delight in congratulating the maestro if he wins. If you were looking at the race as a one-off contest, there's no way he should be [4.5] in my book.

Everyone has been talking about the Derby being won by the second bend, as they so often do, but I actually believe it may be over even quicker!

Pick up the card as if it was just the next race of the day, and Ballymac Ruso just screams out at you to be backed. It's hard to believe a greyhound could come into the Derby final in better form. After winning 'that race' with an incredible 04.77 split, leaving both Farloe Reason and Fear Zafonic as mere spectators at the boxes, Matt Dartnall's charge then repeated the feat in the semi-final.

It may be taking form study back to basics, but I can just see him flying out again, and it could be game over by the turn! Remember this dog was third in last year's Irish Derby and were it not for a stumble at the traps in the third round, he could easily be unbeaten in the event. Whatever else you've backed ante post, make sure you take some of that lovely [3.65]!

It was back in October that I suggested backing Wise Thought, and I rate him as a massive player, especially with the freedom of the outside as the only wide seed. Martin White, and Carly Philpott, can be proud of their achievements, especially as in the early rounds he looked like he might not reach this stage. He ran another great race behind 'Ruso' in the semi-finals, and should the inside runners congest at some stage, he undoubtedly would be there to take full advantage, but in a clean run race, I just believe Ruso as he did in the semis will prove too tough to catch, but a 2-6 forecast, partly reversed, could reap rewards.

Farloe Reason (pictured) has been in the shadows of Fear Zafonic, and before that Bandicoot Tipoki and Ninja Jamie, throughout the Derby at Team Lister, but what he's done to deserve being [8.4] is beyond me. His game performance to get within striking distance of Ruso in the quarter-final was fantastic, and he again overcome bumping and barging that would easily have excused his elimination in the semis. Admittedly, drawn to encounter potential trouble again, I firmly expect him to still be there fighting, at least for second place, off the last bend, and would again include him in forecasts behind 'Ruso'.

Glenard Sunrise was little known coming into the Derby, but we certainly know all about him now after just one defeat to get to this stage, and don't for a moment believe that he's badly drawn in trap four. He'll need a flyer to win it, and probably won't quite prove good enough, but to get two finalists at such an early stage of his career is testament to the skills of trainer Matt Dartnall.

Finally, I'm extremely pleased for Mark Wallis, who has at last got a Derby finalist, in Kinda Ready, to add to all his other achievements, and at [25.0] there's certainly no pressure on for the Champion trainer. He plans to enjoy every moment!

Get to Wimbledon to watch it live if you can, but otherwise make sure you're watching Sky Sports this Saturday at 10pm. It's the race of the year, you know!