But this isn’t about the financial rewards, it’s about the honour of having a runner in the final of what many believe is the toughest race in the world - no matter which hound comes out on top he would have more than earned his corn.

Talking to and going through the comments of the trainers involved we were encouraged to read that Charlie Lister OBE alluded to the fact that he has a bit in hand with defending  champion Taylors Sky, and interesting also to read to that the Irish dog, Judicial Ruling, has been the subject of a major gamble all week who could become a “bad result” for the sponsor, William Hill.

The chances of Judicial Ruling would be improved if he turned left at the first bend tomorrow and not right as he did in the semi-finals a week ago. Not only the subject of a big punt but the subject also of an injury concern, the fact that trainer Michael O’Donovan has brought him this far suggests that the problem is not too serious – he clocked 28.19sec. when winning his second  round heat!

Coolavanny Bert is as reliable at the start as some pensions once were and it would not be the biggest surprise of the competition if he turned in front at the first bend. The youngest finalist is, according to his owner-trainer John Gardner, “staying on better” so a fast break and bother behind would put him firmly into the reckoning.

Matt Dartnall’s Farloe Ironman flew in the semi-finals and appears to break better from a middle draw, how he copes with trap one will be interesting to see. He is the biggest four-bend potential improver in the line-up and he could hardly be in better hands for a big race final than in the Dartnall camp, especially with dad El Tel in the not so far away background!

Like Lister, the Westmead man Nick Savva has been here many time before and won the Derby on four occasions, just two behind our Charlie. In Westmead Adonis he has a gutsy, come from behind performer who is the only finalist not to have won in the qualifying rounds, but don’t let that put you off, Savva is a master trainer.

Blonde Snapper represents Mark Wallis and is the worst drawn dog in a race of four railers and two middles out in six. But he won his semi-final wearing the stripes and demonstrated that he is not averse to gobbling up William Hill-sponsored prizes when winning the £25,000 Classic at the Sunderland Festival last July. He is the senior member of the party but knows all the tricks.

We are not in the tipping business but would hope, like all of you out there, for a clean race with the best dog on the night winning the greatest honour of all. Good luck to each and every one of them.

Great if you’re the winner, but spare a thought . . .

THAT hoary old chestnut of also-ran money will rear its ugly head again on Saturday when, in the Derby final of all races, there is, in our opinion, a complete imbalance of prizemoney distribution.

In total, but excluding the rewards for the winning trainer, breeder and kennelstaff, £145,000 will be shared by the owners of the finalists and the lion’s share of that, £125,000, will go to the winner.

Great if you own that winner of course but spare a thought for connections of the last two dogs across the winning line, they will receive the princely sum of £2,500 each.

The runner-up at the weekend will earn £8,000, the third £4,000 and the fourth £3000, which means that the five beaten finalists will share just £20,000 of the pot even though they have gone through nigh on five weeks of fiercely competitive combat!

Agreed, everyone loves a winner and he will deserve every penny he gets, but we are not alone in feeling that the also-ran prizemoney in the Derby final borders on the ridiculous, not to mention insulting.

For Derby sponsors William Hill, to whom the sport is indebted, a win prize of £125,000 looks wonderful, but so too would £100,000, why not in future chop the winner’s prize by 25k and spread that amongst the also rans? It has been mooted that winner next year could be on £150,000, perhaps the also-rans will get a look in then in twelve months’ time.

*The Derby-winning trainer will receive £2,000, the breeder £1,500 while £500 will go to the kennelstaff of the successful trainer.

The irony is that the Irish dog will be back for the final, but not Jayfkay or the second long odds favourite Bubbly Phoenix, who was just behind that first-bend debacle and found himself with nowhere to go. Thanks to the attentions of Judicial Ruling the competition lost its two brightest lights.

And at this point spare a thought for Irish trainer Dolores Ruth, not only did she suffer the bitter disappointment of Jayfkay’s elimination but also the demise of her two other semi-finalists, Razldazl Rioga and Razdazl Bugatti.

With three runners in the semis Miss Ruth might have hoped that at least one would qualify for the final, but it wasn’t to be and if the lesson needed to be read again it is that in this business of greyhound racing nothing can be taken for granted. It would have been a long boat ride home for Ms Ruth this morning.

The two hounds who were away and gone here were Farloe Ironman, skipping clear at the first bend and beating Coolavanny Bert more than three lengths and in the process giving every clockwatcher in the house food for thought as we approach the final. Matt Dartnall’dog clocked 28.16., which we make just one length outside Jayfkay’s clock and the second ever fastest time in any Derby at Plough Lane.

The second semi-final was pinched on the line by Blonde Snapper and, as the only wide seed in the final, must have more than a squeak. His winning time was 28.41sec. in beating reigning champion Taylors Sky a short-head; much more like it from Sky but is he still fast enough to win next Saturday?

But for being crowded on the run-up he may have won this Saturday and never put anything past Lister.

In this second eliminator, the only bitch left in the competition, Droopys Loner, ran her usual game race, leading the pack round to the run-in but running out of steam going home and eventually finishing fourth for Dean Childs.

She will win plenty of races this one but she does need a slightly bigger engine and, surely, a somewhat shorter pick-up than there is at Plough Lane. She has been out on her feet coming home at Wimbledon and then subjected to that ‘marathon’ after the line; we wonder just how many other dogs in the Derby have been affected similarly?

There was plenty to take out of Wimbledon on Saturday however, especially for GOBATA. No fewer than four of our committee members/trainers are through to the final, Matt Dartnall (Farloe Ironman), Blonde Snapper (Mark Wallis), Charlie Lister OBE (Taylors Sky) and Nick Sava (Westmead Adonis).

Some winced when Taylors Sky drew the four box in the final but the man from Newark is quite laid back about the draw. “It’s not the best box obviously,” he said, “but I don’t think it will bother him, I reckon he’ll go down to the bend in a straight line and then it’s up to him. But if I don‘t win then let’s hope that one of the other GOBATA boys does, that would make it a double celebration.”

If it were to be Nick Savva on the podium with Westmead Adonis on Saturday it would be his fifth Derby winner, just one behind Lister’s six victories, now there’s a thought!

Saturday’s draw: 1 Farloe Ironman, 2 Coolavanny Bert, 3 Westmead Adonis, 4 Taylors Sky, 5 Judicial Ruling (m), 6 Blonde Snapper (w).