Following last year’s memorable renewal, the 2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby is set for its usual summer slot, beginning in August and concluding in September at Shelbourne Park , where the finest hounds from Ireland and the UK battle it out for the most prestigious prize in Greyhound Racing.
The reigning Champion is Cheap Sandwiches , who delivered a brilliant performance to win the 2025 event for trainer Graham Holland, claiming a record fifth Irish Derby in the process. The Graham Holland runner went off the 4/5 favourite and justified that market confidence in dominant fashion to land the €125,000 first prize.
Cheap Sandwiches will likely be entered again for 2026 but faces a very different challenge as a more exposed dog, and the market reflects that with a range of exciting young contenders now leading the betting. Bouncing Monarch heads the market, with the Liam Dowling pair of Ballymac Setanta and English Derby runner-up Ballymac Deniro also prominent among the early pace-setters.
BIGD Schedule
BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Dates
1st Round: Friday 7th & Saturday 8th August 2nd Round: Friday 14th & Saturday 15th August 3rd Round: Saturday 22nd August Quarter-Finals: Saturday 29th August Semi-Finals: Saturday 5th September FINAL: Saturday 12th September
Outright Odds
BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Odds
Dog | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Bouncing Monarch | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Ballymac Setanta | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Ballymac Deniro | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Ballydoyle Tina | 14/1 | 6.7% |
Ballycowen Frank | 14/1 | 6.7% |
Lennies Dynamic | 14/1 | 6.7% |
Ballymac Kamala | 16/1 | 5.9% |
Lennies Eddie | 16/1 | 5.9% |
Im Here | 20/1 | 4.8% |
Bockos Gold | 20/1 | 4.8% |
Bar | 25/1 | 3.8% |
BIGD Favourites
BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Favourites
Bouncing Monarch
Bouncing Monarch - 8/1
Heading the market jointly is Bouncing Monarch , whose odds of 8/1 represent an 11.1% chance of landing the classic for trainer Michael O'Donovan .
Trained in Ireland by O'Donovan for owner Dave Fradgley , he underlined his claims when winning the 2026 Con & Annie Kirby Memorial in a stunning track-record time of 27.77 at Limerick — one of five dogs to dip under 28 seconds at the venue that night after having already blitzed his quarter-final by three lengths in 28.29.
He races from the front and rarely gives his rivals a sniff, showcasing the electric early pace that makes him so dangerous around Shelbourne's tight circuit.
Ballymac Setanta
Ballymac Setanta – 8/1
Sharing top billing at 8/1 (11.1%) is Ballymac Setanta , the latest star out of Liam Dowling 's Co. Kerry kennel.
Long spoken of as a superstar in the making, he won his first seven races over four bends before a first defeat in last November's Irish Laurels final, then opened his 2026 campaign with a fine run behind Cheap Sandwiches at Shelbourne's Winter Racing Festival.
He was subsequently runner-up to Bouncing Monarch in the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial before trying his luck in the English Derby , where he exited at the second-round stage which was no disgrace given the strength of that field, and he arrives home with the form to be a major player.
Ballymac Deniro
Ballymac Deniro – 12/1
At 12/1 (7.7%), Ballymac Deniro gives Liam Dowling a second leading hope.
One of three Dowling finalists in this year's English Greyhound Derby alongside litter brothers Ballymac Duffle and Ballymac Ralf , Deniro clocked the fastest time of the quarter-finals (28.21) before finishing runner-up in the Towcester final, beaten just three-quarters of a length by Lennies Eddie .
A dog clearly approaching the peak of his powers, he arrives into the Irish Derby with as strong a piece of form as anyone in the field.
Ballydoyle Tina
Ballydoyle Tina – 14/1
At 14/1 (6.7%) is Ballydoyle Tina , trained by Graham Holland the same Riverside Kennels operation behind defending champion Cheap Sandwiches .
Tina announced herself as a serious talent by landing the Gourmet Island Puppy Oaks at Shelbourne as the 7/4 favourite, and has since built a rivalry with fellow Derby fancy Ballymac Kamala , finishing runner-up to her old sparring partner in both the semi-final and final of that competition.
She progressed well through this year's Con & Annie Kirby Memorial rounds, and with Holland 's big-race know-how in her corner, she'll take plenty of beating if that Puppy form translates to the Derby stage.
Ballycowen Frank
Ballycowen Frank – 14/1
Also at 14/1 (6.7%) is Ballycowen Frank , stablemate of market leader Bouncing Monarch under Michael O'Donovan .
A son of Ballymac Cashout , Frank set a new track record at Tralee in a warm-up for the Race of Champions and landed the TIME Dundalk International , form that persuaded connections Debbie Doyle and Dean Harpur to send him straight to Shelbourne for a Derby tilt.
He was also to the fore in the Con & Annie Kirby Memorial back in April and travels strongly enough from off the pace to trouble all of these in the shake-up.
Lennies Dynamic
Lennies Dynamic – 14/1
Completing the 14/1 (6.7%) trio is Lennies Dynamic , part of Paul Hennessy 's powerful string.
Dynamic has been on trainers' radars since the spring, when he featured among the Con & Annie Kirby ante-post shout, and he took his place in this year's English Greyhound Derby , where he came up against fellow finalist Ballymac Stud in round two.
With Hennessy 's kennel already responsible for the reigning English Derby champion (see below), there's no shortage of firepower coming out of that yard. Dynamic looks the value angle for punters prepared to side with the second string.
Lennies Eddie
Lennies Eddie – 16/1
Also 16/1 (5.9%) is Lennies Eddie , for Paul Hennessy and he arrives with the best form of anyone in the field.
Eddie is the reigning English Greyhound Derby champion , having made every yard of the running to score in 28.20 at Towcester in June, beating Ballymac Deniro by three-quarters of a length. It was a third English Derby for Hennessy and even more remarkably, at a third different venue ( Wimbledon in 2016 with Jaytee Jet , Nottingham in 2019 with Priceless Blake , and now Towcester ), a feat unmatched in the race's history.
Bred by John Kennedy out of Good Cody and Portumna Marina , he brings the clearest Classic-winning form in the field, the question is whether that speed transfers to Shelbourne's tighter circuit.
Perhaps the most eye-catching name in the whole market at 14/1 is Lennies Eddie , who arrives at Shelbourne Park as the reigning English Greyhound Derby champion after his front-running triumph at Towcester in June.
Ballymac Kamala
Ballymac Kamala – 16/1
Out at 16/1 (5.9%) is Ballymac Kamala , a third string to the Liam Dowling bow alongside Setanta and Deniro .
The daughter of Droopys Sydney went into this year's Irish Oaks final unbeaten, dipping under 28 seconds three times through the rounds, including a stunning 27.89 going off 11/10 favourite, but was run out of it in the closing strides to finish third behind Paul Hennessy 's Lennies Ash . She bounced back with an impressive success at the BOYLE Sports Champion Stakes soon after.
Kamala also has a long-standing rivalry with fellow Derby fancy Ballydoyle Tina , having held off her old rival in both legs of last season's Puppy Oaks, and a repeat meeting at this level would be one of the stories of the competition.
*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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Bill is as passionate about Irish football as they come, with an agonising longing to see his country grace a World Cup stage. A League of Ireland devotee and lifelong Man United fan, he knows better than most what sporting heartbreak feels like, and brings that perspective to the BOYLE Sports Blog. With roots in greyhound racing and a curiosity spanning politics, snooker, WWE and beyond, there is rarely a sporting conversation he cannot add to.
