Scottish Greyhound Derby Betting: Everything that you need to know

Our complete review of the best Scottish Greyhound Derby betting sites will tell you everything you need to know about betting on the esteemed event. We will guide you through the kinds of offers you can expect bookies to make and the odds prices for the race, as well as some interesting facts and historical info.

Scottish Greyhound Derby Betting Offers & Promotions

As the Scottish Greyhound Derby is by far one of the most important events in UK racing, and the single-most watched race in Scottish dog racing, there are naturally many offers you can expect for this event. Along with the many great welcome offers bookmakers give first-time bettors, there are also many different specials that can be expected specifically for this event. Deals such as money-back specials if your greyhound comes second, returns on third or fourth placed greyhounds and even money-back as a free bet if your greyhound loses are just some deals you can expect for an event such as this. As the event is sponsored by the Racing Post you should be also able to watch it all on Racing Post TV, something the best operators such as William Hill provide. Remember to look across all operators in order to find a deal that you think is best for you.

Scottish Greyhound Derby Odds Prices

Scottish Greyhound Derby betting is massive, and as a result, betting sites act accordingly and slash their odds prices more than usual. For the great race itself, the odds prices usually add up to around 80% – with swings between 75% to 85% – which is far better than your average meet. As the Derby has many rounds before the big event, it is always worth putting on an antepost bet for the overall winner. There are usually massively increased odds for both the outsiders and even the favourites to win the entire thing. Another great option is to combine the odds and win great money via Forecast and Tricast bets, with grand totals of £129.70 and £239.04 being doled out respectively in 2016. Speculative bettors will see some great value here. As always, take a look across all the bookmakers in order to find the kinds of odds prices you think work for you.

Some Interesting Facts

As the race takes place over 280m is it usualy finished in under 30 seconds. Nevertheless, many dogs have managed to complete the race in under 29 seconds. The track record is held by the Charlie Lister-trained Fear Haribo, who managed to win the race in a remarkable 28.76 seconds. Only one greyhound has ever won the race twice, the legendary Olives Best, trained by Wembley’s finest Arthur ‘Doc’ Callanan, easily taking the victory between 1935-36.

Race Information:

First held:	1928	Shawfield Racecourse: race location Charlie Lister OBE
Distance:	480m
Number of rounds:	6
Grades:	Group 1
Date Held:	May
Prize Money:	£20,000

The race is known for its big surprises. The 2016 race saw the huge favourite, Ballymac Matt – winner of the 2015 Irish Greyhound Derby, and with odds of 5/4 – beaten by a head by outsider Hot Pipe (at 25/1) and Fair Taxes (5/1). The relatively short distance of the race, combined with the high pedigree of the dogs involved means that this event is never short of surprises.

Charlie Lister OBE

With his epic win this year with Dorotas Woo Hoo, Charles Lister OBE surely cemented himself as the greatest greyhound trainer of all time. Marking his seventh win in the Scottish Greyhound Derby overall – a tradition dating back all the way till 1997 – he has now equalled his English Greyhound Derby record. He still remains the only person involved in Greyhound racing to ever be given an OBE by the Queen. He has also won the Trainers Championship six times and Greyhound Trainer of the Year four times. What is more impressive is that he isn’t attached to any racecourse, preferring to work privately.

Historical Info

The Scottish Greyhound Derby has had many locations over the years. Originally held at Carntyne stadium in Glasgow between 1928 to 1968, the race moved to Shawfield Stadium in South Lanarkshire from 1970 to 1985. For a brief period it moved to the now defunct Powderhall stadium at Edinburgh before going back to its rightful home back at the Shawfield Stadium.

The race is never alone, usually taking place on the same day as the Puppy Final – with a total prize of £2000 – and the Racing Post Greyhound TV 500 Final – with also the same jackpot. Additionally, Derby Day has a score of other races to make up the evening’s entertainment. We thoroughly recommend both visiting the racecourse and betting on this event online as it is such a huge meet and simply can’t be missed! Head back over to the main greyhound events page to discover even more show-stopping racing!