Irish Greyhound Derby Semi-Final Prediction, Betting Tips with Odds - 2024
| Timetable | 16th Nov 2024 |
| Prediction | Bockos Diamond to win! |
| Odds | Bockos Diamond to Win @ 2.25 |
| Bookmaker | BoyleSports |
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After four action-packed quarterfinal heats at the weekend, just 12 dogs remain in the hunt to become the 2024 Irish Greyhound Derby champion. These runners will compete in the semi-finals at Shelbourne Park on Saturday, 16th November, with BoyleSports Bob, Ballinabola Jim and the record-breaking Bockos Diamond among the favourites to reach the showpiece final.
In this detailed Semi Final prediction guide, we’re going to analyse the latest Irish Derby semi-final odds for the best betting sites while previewing the most likely winners next weekend!
📆 Irish Greyhound Derby Semi-Finals Date
As we’ve touched on, this years’ Irish Greyhound Derby semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Saturday, 16th November. A total of 12 runners will compete in the semi-finals, across two separate heats at Shelbourne Park. This will be the fifth round of Irish Greyhound Derby competition in 2024. The event commenced with 156 runners back on Friday 18th October, with a total of 26 heats contested over two thrilling days of action.
The draw for the semi-final heats has thrown up some interesting clashes, with outright favourite Bockos Diamond and Bombay Pat (who has won each of his previous six races) going head-to-head in Dublin.
The rapid Carrick Aldo will also compete in heat one, after producing the fastest time in the quarterfinals. Although the second heat is far more open, Cheap Sandwich and BoyleSports Bob will start among the favourites to prevail and qualify for the final. Ballinabola Jim is also one to watch here, especially as he has placed in the top two in each of his last eight races since September 14th.
🔍 Irish Greyhound Derby Semi-Final Betting Tips
The recent quarterfinals saw four incredibly close heats, with just 0.16 seconds separating the winners of each one. Former Irish Sprint Cup champion Carrick Aldo raced the quickest in just 29.15 seconds, while Bombay Pat and ante post favourite Bockos Diamond completed the 550 yard track in 29.19 seconds.
‘A Lucky Julie’ won the other heat in 29.31 seconds, with this her fastest time in the 2024 Irish Greyhound Derby so far. Each of these runners will be confident of qualifying for the event’s final, and ultimately competing for one of the sport’s biggest prizes! But which runners am I tipping to perform particularly well and book their place in the final?
Tip #1️⃣ Back to Carrick Aldo Each Way in Heat 1
Carrick Aldo only made his debut over 550 yards on October 4th, just two weeks before the first round of the 2024 Irish Greyhound Derby. However, this former sprint champion has placed in the top three on each of his five outings over the distance, including an impressive first place finish in his quarterfinal heat.
Although he only edged out BoyleSports Bob by 0.5 lengths in this race, he won in 29.15 seconds and produced the fastest run of the quarterfinals. This was a replica of his performance from the previous round too, when he was only beaten into a second by a record-breaking run from Bockos Diamond.
Ultimately, this Brendan Murphy-trained runner has already proven himself over the 550 yard distance, while he has continued to get quicker as the Irish Greyhound Derby heats have progressed.
So, although he has been handed a tough semi-final draw and must do battle with outright betting favourites Bockos Diamond and Bombay Pat, he offers excellent value to win his semi-final heat at a price of 6.00. He’s an even more appealing each-way pick, especially as he has ran faster than Bombay Pat in each of the last three races.
Tip #2️⃣ Pick Bockos Diamond to win his Semi-final Heat
At the time of writing, Bockos Diamond is priced at 1.62 to win the same semi-final heat featuring Carrick Aldo. While this price is arguably a little too short given the impressive performances of ‘Aldo’ and unerring consistency of Bombay Pat, his recent form make him hard to overlook in the semi-final win market.
In the four 2024 Irish Greyhound Derby heats contested so far, he has yet to race slower than 29.23 seconds. In the third round, he won his heat in an incredible 28.94 seconds to smash the Shelbourne Park track record, while he finished his second round race in 29.03 seconds and prevailed by six lengths from Tuono Charlie.
What’s more, Bockos Diamond has now won 15 consecutive races since May 10th, including all six over 550 yards. The two-year old has already beaten semi-final rival Carrick Aldo in this years’ Irish Greyhound Derby too, so he’s heavily fancied to extend his winning streak on Saturday.
All things considered, there’s value in backing Bockos Diamond to win his semi-final heat outright, despite his relatively prohibitive odds. Just don’t increase your unit bet too much, as he’ll face some serious competition in the form of Aldo, Bombay Pat and even ‘A Lucky Julie’.
Tip #3️⃣ Back BoyleSports Bob to win the Second Heat
While the first semi-final heat features the two ante post betting favourites and the in-form Carrick Aldo, the second is a little more open and tougher to call. Cheap Sandwiches is the betting favourite here at a price of 2.88, but both BoyleSports Bob and Ballinabola Jim offer significant value at around 4.50.
The latter has arguably been in slightly better form of late, although his seven-race winning streak was snapped by Bombay Pat in their quarterfinal heat. He has also ran faster than Cheap Sandwiches during the 2024 Irish Greyhound Derby heats so far, recording an average finish time 29.36 seconds (compared to 29.49 seconds for his opponent).
However, BoyleSports Bob has outperformed both runners according to this metric, producing an average run time of 29.33 seconds across his last four races. In placing second to the rapid Carrick Aldo in his quarterfinal heat, he also finished in just 29.18 seconds, with this representing his fastest run in the competition so far.
Because of this, the Paul Hennessy’s trained runner offers significant value to win his semi-final heat. Once again, you could also place an each-way bet at odds of 4.50 to help maximise your chances of winning.
BetinIreland.ie's Prediction: Bet on Bockos Diamond to win. 🏆
💯 Irish Greyhound Derby Outright Betting Odds
Before we take an even closer look at the semi-final competitors, it’s important to appraise the outright Irish Greyhound Derby odds for 2024. These prices can offer an insight into the best and most fancied runners, with Bockos Diamond currently established as the heavy betting favourite.
The Graham Holland-trained runner has seen his odds shorten further after the quarterfinals too, from 2.38 to 2.25. The new price implies a 44.44% probability of Bockos Diamond emerging as the eventual Irish Greyhound Derby winner, despite 11 other runners remaining in contention for the crown.
However, despite winning his quarterfinal heat by 4.5 lengths from Callaway Knegare, Bockos Diamond’s winning time of 29.19 seconds was noticeably slower than his third and second round performances. So, you may want to consider backing the 9.00-shots Bombay Pat or Cheap Sandwiches to prevail, especially if you’re in the market for potential value bets.
Interestingly, Carrick Aldo can be backed to win outright at a distant 13.00, despite recording the fastest time in the quarterfinal heats. He’s undoubtedly a contender to win this years’ Irish Greyhound Derby, notwithstanding his relative lack of experience over the 550 yard distance. Here’s a summary of the latest outright odds:
| Runner |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bockos Diamond | 2.25 | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Bombay Pat | 9.00 | 9.00 | 9.00 |
| Cheap Sandwiches | 9.00 | 9.00 | 10.00 |
| BoyleSports Bob | 11.00 | 13.00 | 13.00 |
| Carrick Aldo | 13.00 | 9.50 | 13.00 |
| Callaway Knegare | 13.00 | 13.00 | 13.00 |
| Da Bold Falcon | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| March On Freddie | 15.00 | 13.00 | 13.00 |
🎁 Free Betting Promotions
While just 12 runners will compete in the 2024 Irish Greyhound Derby semi-finals, there are plenty of ways in which you can wager on the two heats.
You can also back one of these runners in the outright market, but regardless of how you intend to wager, we’d recommend that you check out the latest bonuses from Betinireland’s recommended sportsbooks. We’ve outlined the best promotional offers in detail below!
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Lewis Humphries
A business and iGaming copywriter from the UK, who has a passion for sports betting and remote casino betting. He's reviewed some of the world's leading casino platforms while creating blog posts and landing page content for various sports betting brands. His content has also been featured on a number of different sites, including Life Hack, Investopedia, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider. He also pens regular sports features for sites including 90 Minutes, Think Football Ideas and Sportsblog.