English Greyhound Derby Betting: The complete guide

Our complete review of the best English Greyhound Derby betting sites will take you through everything you need to know. We will look at the special offers bookies create for the event and the kind of odds prices you should expect, as well as provide you with some interesting facts and historical info about the widely acclaimed derby itself.

English Greyhound Derby Betting Offers & Promotions

Greyhound racing simply doesn’t get as big as the English Greyhound Derby, and as a result, bookmakers create all kind of special deals in order for you to bet with them. This could include money back if your greyhound loses to the SP favourite, or money back as a free bet as a first-time offer, as well as payouts even if your greyhound finishes third. In addition to this, betting sites such as Paddy Power offer special markets for this race. These include whether the winning greyhound will be either Irish or British, or a bitch or a dog, as well as guessing the time the winning greyhound will finish in and the top greyhounds from a particular trainer. As there are so many heats before the final race, there are many opportunities to bet on throughout the entire event. This is what makes the greyhound derby stand out as such an exciting competition.

English Greyhound Derby Odds Prices

The first thing that becomes abundantly clear with the English Greyhound Derby are the amount of antepost bets available on the event. While the final features only six dogs, there are six rounds in total, the first few rounds featuring several heats. This means that there are huge odds on these dogs to start with, going all the way to 500/1 outsider bets. This also means that even the favourites have extremely good odds, such as 6/1 or even 8/1 before the first round starts. These will eventually shorten as the final approaches, but is always worth considering. As for the final round, the overall odds prices seem to average at around 83%, but they ahve also been known to go up to a whopping 89% before, which is much, much more than your average race. Always check across a wide variety of bookmakers in order to find the best odds for you.

Some Interesting Facts

The prize money for the event is a British record-breaking £175,000, representing a huge increase from the original winnings of £1,000 back in 1928. The sponsor has also changed multiple times over the years. In 1973, Spillers dog food took over the sponsorship for ten years, before the tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror took over in 1983. They were the sole sponsor until 1990, when Sporting Life – the now defunct racing magazine – became co-sponsor. William Hill became the sponsor in 1998, but now the sponsor will be Star Sports. The prize money is usually increased year-on-year as the sponsors compete to make the race as big as possible. As well as sponsors, the distance of the race has changed. While the first race took place over 500 yards, it has also taken place from 480 metres to up to 525 yards. Nevertheless, the time for the race has usually been around the 30 second mark, although Taylors Sky (2011) holds the record at 28.17 seconds.

Race Information:
First held:	1927	Towcester Racecourse: race location Mick The Miller, famous greyhound
Distance:	500m
Number of rounds:	6
Grades:	Group 1
Date Held:	June-July
Prize Money:	£175,000

Charlie Lister OBE is widely considered to be the greatest greyhound trainer of all time. His English Greyhound Derby record reflects this, with a remarkable seven wins throughout his career, the last one dating back to 1997. For his efforts he was awarded the OBE by the Queen and is referred to as the Derby King. The private greyhound owner Nick Savva has also had great success in the Derby, winning four times, including three times in a row between 2005-2007. Additionally, while it may be called the English Greyhound Derby, there are many greyhounds and trainers that compete from Ireland as well. Trainers usually see the English Greyhound Derby as the summit of their careers, after the Scottish Greyhound Derby and the Irish Greyhound Derby. With the racing life of a greyhound only lasting around 3-4 years, there really aren’t many chances for a greyhound to win, thus making it such a closely watched contest.

Mick The Miller

When it comes to greyhounds, there are none that can even compete with the stature of Mick The Miller – by far the most famous British greyhound of all time. Born in Ireland and sold to England in the late 1920s, he instantly made an impression on the English Greyhound Derby, breaking the track record and becoming the favourite to win. During the first round he set a world record and was sold for the price of a house in Shepherd’s Bush at the time. He then easily won the final after the race was replayed due to a collision, then won again the next year. He is one of only four greyhounds to win the competition two times. His run went on for a record nineteen successive victories before he was injured in Wimbledon. He failed a third attempt at winning the English Greyhound Derby, but by this time he was already a popular icon. His final race, the St Leger Stakes in Wembley Stadium, was watched by a record 40,000 people. He went on to star in films and is considered one of the most famous animals in British sport, after perhaps only Red Rum.

Historical Info

The first race took place at White City over 500 yards, and remained there (apart from a brief spell at Harringay in 1940 due to WW2) until the huge Olympic 1908 Stadium shuttered in 1984. From there the race moved to Wimbledon, where it took place over 480 metres. It was there the competition celebrated a great run until 2016, when the stadium finally closed to make way for AFC Wimbledon’s new football stadium. From now on the race has a contract to run at the newly built Towcester Stadium in Nottingham. This is the first time in the races’ history that it has been located outside of London.

No dog has ever won the race more than twice. Those that have the honour of doing the double are Mick The Miller (1929, 1930), Patricia’s Hope (1972,1973), Rapid Ranger (2000, 2001) and Westmead Hawk (2005, 2006). Mick the Miller made it to the final in 1931 but was beaten, while Rapid Ranger was beaten in the early rounds of the 2002 Derby. Likewise, there was talk of Westmead Hawk entering the derby for a third time but he broke his hock a month after the second race and was put out to stud. Even after 90 years, trainers are still dreaming of that elusive three-time win at the English Greyhound Derby.