Bockos Gold and Bouncing Monarch emerged as the semi-final winners of the 2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park on Saturday night, securing their places in next Saturday’s €125,000-to-the-winner final.
With the field reduced from twelve to six, racegoers were treated to two exceptional semi-finals as Bockos Gold (trained in Golden Co. Tipperary by five time winning trainer Graham Holland) produced a stunning late surge to land the opening heat, while Bouncing Monarch (also trained in Tipperary, this time in Tipp Town by Michael O’Donovan, who himself is a previous Derby winning trainer) maintained his flawless record in the competition to continue his march towards Derby glory.
Golden Display from Bockos Gold
The opening semi-final looked wide open and it was the outside runners who immediately made their presence felt. Bockos Gold and Hackney Dancer (also trained by Michael O’Donovan, Tipp Town) broke smartly and moved into prominent positions approaching the opening bend, while several rivals found themselves short of room.
Hackney Dancer and Bockos Gold disputed the early lead before Im Here (trained by Mooncoin, Co Kilkenny trainer Peter Cronin) came with a strong challenge to move to the front entering the back straight. At halfway, Im Here held a narrow advantage from Hackney Dancer, with Bockos Gold poised in third and waiting for an opportunity.
That opportunity arrived between the final two bends. As Hackney Dancer challenged the leader, Bockos Gold spotted a gap along the rails and produced a devastating turn of foot. The Graham Holland-trained son of Coolavanny Hoffa and Newinn Cuckoo powered home up the inside to claim victory by half a length in 29.37.
Hackney Dancer finished second, while Im Here kept on well to secure the final qualifying position in third.
Monarch Marches On
The second semi-final saw Derby favourite Bouncing Monarch maintain his unbeaten run through the Classic with another hugely impressive performance.
Despite facing a challenging draw in trap four, the Michael O’Donovan-trained star displayed his trademark early pace to seize control approaching the first bend. Sleight Of Hand (trained and owned by Laurence Jones, Co. Monaghan) led briefly in the opening strides, while Wi Can James (trained in Cloughjoran, Co. Tipperary by Pat Guilfoyle – also a previous title winner of the Irish Greyhound Derby) was also prominently positioned, but neither could prevent Bouncing Monarch from taking command.
Once in front, the son of Deerjet Sydney and Lemon Elsa was always travelling strongly. Sleight Of Hand gave chase throughout, with Glengar Phantom, Priceless Romeo and Wi Can James battling for the remaining qualifying places.
Bouncing Monarch stretched clear down the back straight and was never in danger thereafter, crossing the line a comfortable two-length winner in 29.35. Sleight Of Hand held second, while Wi Can James produced a determined late run to snatch third place on the line and complete the list of qualifiers.
The victory was Bouncing Monarch’s fifth successive win in the Derby and he now heads into the final as the clear favourite to complete an unbeaten campaign.
Derby Final Line-Up Confirmed
Following Saturday’s semi-finals, the draw for the 2026 BOYLE Sports Irish Greyhound Derby Final is:
Trap 1: Sleight Of Hand
Trap 2: Bouncing Monarch
Trap 3: Wi Can James
Trap 4: Hackney Dancer
Trap 5: Bockos Gold
Trap 6: Im Here (Wide)
With six deserving finalists now confirmed, anticipation is building for next Saturday night’s showpiece at Shelbourne Park, where Bouncing Monarch will bid to complete a remarkable unbeaten run, while Bockos Gold and the other finalists will be determined to deny him in one of the most eagerly anticipated Derby Finals in recent years.
Door as Shelbourne Park open from 4.30pm with racing due to commence at approximately 7.36pm. The final will be broadcast on Virgin Media TV 2 and all details can be found on www.ShelbourneParkGreyhoundStadium.ie
