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Kennel is key when selecting a Derby dog

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Darrell Williams advises on some pointers to consider before making a selection for the biggest greyhound betting event of the year - the English Derby

The entries are in, the draw is on Sunday and next Thursday we'll be off and running - its Derby time and I can't wait!

You often hear phrases banded about like 'the best Derby for years' but I honestly believe this one really is. You've only got to look at the class of the entries headed by last year's one-two Westmead Lord and Loyal Honcho, which features any number of potential winners, including a hugely powerful Irish contingent. Incidentally, I think the reason for the shortfall in entries is purely down to the quality factor, with owners of top class local graders simply believing they had little chance.

So, to the burning question - who wins the Derby? Well I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a little longer before I reveal my final shortlist - certainly until the draw is made, but as a starter here's a look at the kind of dog that wins the Derby based on previous trends.

The first place to start with has to be with trainer Nick Savva who, of course, has won the last three renewals, and with victory also in 1998, it means he has been responsible for four of the last ten winners. He's also had three other finalists, two in the last two years. This year Savva sends out just three runners, including defending champion Westmead Lord. With both Rapid Ranger and Savva's own Westmead Hawk both winning two Derbies since 2000, the 'champ' has a more than fair chance on the stats of scoring again. Kennelmate Dilemmas Flight, fourth last year, will also bid to become the third dual finalist (non winner) in the same period.

While Savva has been 'the man' in recent years, never under-estimate Charlie Lister, who has provided three winners since 2000, including a one-two in 2003. Although he has surprisingly sent out only one finalist in the past four years, Lister has a typically strong team, with Farloe Reason perhaps the most interesting given his win in the Blue Riband at Hall Green, a race also won by the kennel's Derby heroine Farloe Verdict five years ago. 2006 Blue Riband winner Westmead Joe incidentally finished fourth in that year's Derby, which also augurs well for the four other Blue Riband finalists also Derby bound.

Undoubtedly the other kennel to keep on your side is that of Seamus Graham, who has sent out the runner-up in the past two years, and also fielded two finalists in 2005. The fact that Graham has decided to send over last year's second Loyal Honcho has to be significant. More so, when you consider that he was third in the Scottish Derby, undoubtedly the best guide to the Derby itself, with Chart King achieving the double in 1999 and three Derby winners in the last decade including Westmead Hawk in 2006 having been finalists at Shawfield ahead of their Wimbledon victories. 2001 Scottish Derby winner Sonic Flight was also second at Wimbledon, which also has to be a positive for this year's Scottish 1-2 Tyrur Kieran and Bubbly Totti, also in the Derby entries.

The other race that has been a good guide to Derby glory has been the Easter Cup, another race that '99 champ Chart King also won en route to Wimbledon, while more recently 2005 winner Mineola Farloe, trained by that man Seamus Graham again, was fourth in the same year's Derby. This year's Easter Cup runner-up Advantage Johnny, and perhaps more significantly, the fifth Plough Lane, another trained by Graham, have Derby entries.