As ever, there are a number of high quality affairs on a stellar undercard.

Queen Joni has looked the class act in the Derby Plate (20:22) and she’ll be odds-on to take that consolation, while last year’s Derby runner-up Romeo Command put in a serious performance in the Champion Stakes (21:39) last weekend and is another favourite that appears hard to oppose.

Coonough Crow and Queen Georgia are two of the best stayers in Britain at the moment and the pair will face off in the Mark Siddall Prime Beef Challenge Trophy (20:40) with the former bidding to gain revenge for a surprise defeat two weeks ago.

Droopys Clue (18:01) missed the Derby due to injury but we’ll see potentially what could have been when Seamus Cahill’s star makes a much awaited comeback in the Maurice Newman Trophy.

Let’s take a closer look at the Derby finalists...

21:15 Star Sports and TRC English Greyhound Derby Final (500 metres)

1 WHYAYE MAN

• bebd d Droopys Jet – Droopys Megan (Jan 21)
• Best recent time: 28.98 (8 June)
• Trainer: Mark Wallis
• Owners: MWD Partnership

Bought out of Robert Gleeson’s kennels in Ireland – the 2023 Derby was arguably the aim but that campaign was to falter in the second round before redemption was achieved in the Derby Plate.

Dorotas Wildcat (2017) won that prize before returning a year later to scoop the big one so some of the antepost prices that were available about him graduating were perhaps a little insulting on reflection.

Mark Wallis is one of the most decorated handlers in the sport with 14 championships and two previous winners of the competition, and his son of Droopys Jet has supped regularly at the top table. Reaching the finals of four Category 1 competitions over the last calendar year, he was fifth in the Blue Riband over course-and-distance.

A winner of one round and runner-up in a further three, the punters haven’t necessarily bought into him for win purposes. Although early pace isn’t his forte, he’s trapped out diligently and tracked wisely and has no questions to answer in regard to stamina. Wallis famously sent out rank outsider Kinda Ready to win the 2009 final at chunky odds and this dog rates a much better formbook prospect.

2 BALLYMAC GIZMO

• bd d Ballymac Cooper – Ballymac Arminta (Jul 22)
• Best recent time: 28.90 (1 June)
• Trainer: Liam Dowling (Ire)
• Owner: Liam Dowling

It wouldn’t be a Derby final without the Ballymac prefix being in the mix and though Ballymac Gizmo is yet to get his head in front in this series, tonight is the night when the big cheque is cashed.

A son of the redoubtable Ballymac Cooper and a litter sibling of the highly touted Ballymac Danica, the puppy burst onto the scene with a wide-margin win at Enniscorthy on debut and was to reach the finals of that competition and latterly, the Shelbourne Open 600, a couple of months later.

Astute Missile (2017) and Salad Dodger (2014) proved that it is possible to win a Derby without striking in any of the earlier heats and Ballymac Gizmo will bid to become the youngest winner since Sidaz Jack obliged at the age of 23 months in 2014.

The market anticipated a big run from him in the semi-finals (backed from 25/1 into 7/1) and while never looking like landing that punt, he belied inexperience to keep on powerfully into the qualification slots. The clock suggests he has it to do but if he can cope with the hullabaloo associated with the occasion, stranger things have happened.

3 KING MEMPHIS

• bk d Droopys Sydney – Queen Beyonce (Dec 21)
• Best recent time: 28.65 (15 June)
• Trainer: Liz McNair
• Owners: K.S.S. Syndicate

Twelve months ago the market suggested that the K.S.S. Syndicate held all the aces with Frompostopillar but nothing is ever certain and their dog was sensationally eliminated in the very first round.

History thankfully hasn’t repeated itself, and the 2023 RPGtv Puppy Derby winner and long-term antepost favourite heads into the boxes on Saturday with an impressive record of victories across the first four rounds and a runners-up berth in the semi-finals.

It’s been a monumental year for connections as they’ve been cleaning up the big prizes in England and this will be the McNairs' fourth finalist in the Derby, King Memphis’s mother being Queen Shakira – a daughter of Eden The Kid – the dog that reached the 2015 final for connections.

Troubling the track record in the opening round isn’t normally a recipe for success on Finals night though this dog is far from a one-trick pony. Unable to dominate proceedings with his trademark early pace form the boxes in the semi-finals, he showed plenty of resolution to pick his way through from a location that wasn’t ideal.