Sky Dogs: Third Round live on Saturday night

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"Barrie Draper could hardly have dreamt of a better make up with Ballymac Eske ideally housed inside ex-middle seed Farloe Buddy, which should make the ante post favourite’s job very straight-forward and he is not for taking on"

The Greyhound Derby cranks up another gear with the last forty-eight dogs doing battle live on Sky Sports on Saturday night. Darrell Williams casts his mind on the eight heats and predicts which dogs will live to fight another day.

19:34 Heat One
Undoubtedly the toughest race of the round with four of the top ten ante-post runners involved in a race of six railers. The draw in trap six however is not the worst spot to be in these situations and with winning form in Ireland in the stripes, Droopys Jet, fresh from a huge win last week might be able to 'cheat' the draw. His chance will be enhanced if Skate On (trap five) breaks in her usual electric style and makes an expected early move to her left. Tyrur Sugar Ray utilised the rails to great effort last week and will be popular from red again, especially with strong-running Teejays Bluehawk, who should again have the power to qualify alongside. Kereight King will need luck from trap four.
Select 6 - 1 - 2

19:49 Heat Two
Ballymac Vic and Liam Dowling could hardly have picked a better draw and it will be a huge shock if Ireland's big hope does not run riot and he is all but unopposable. With neither of Paul Hennessy's pair blessed with much early pace, 'Vic' should have few problems gaining control of the inside, although Cloheena Micky, who ran a 'PB' last week can again sit handy and qualify. Priceless Pilot, noted for his whirlwind finishes, has run Wimbledon better than kennelmate Ringtown Snowy and can pinch the third qualifying spot.
Select 3 - 5 - 1

20:04 Heat Three
Shaneboy Spencer has demonstrated exceptional early speed in both rounds so far, and with a vacant box alongside, should again take early control with main speed favouring rival Droopys Loner drawn out in trap four. That might not be quite the issue it appears however, given her three from six record over CD in the black box, and she should do enough to qualify. However Farloe Tango ran well behind Ballymac Eske last time and from his favoured trap three slot (five from five) while he can be hard to predict, might just have the race set up for him. Bouncy Bocko's strong finish means he is unlikely to be too far away and is reluctantly left out of calculations.
Select 3 - 1 - 4

20:19 Heat Four
Charlie Lister's youngster Sidaz Jack took another step forward last week and while the event might have come a little early for him, he is progressing quickly. His chance will be dependent on leading up Fermoy Henry, but given that rival's tendency to move off, he should enjoy a clear passage up the fence, while the latter, an improving youngster himself can also make the last twenty-four. However a chance is taken with more experienced Airlie Impact, who was not disgraced behind 'Jack' from an unfavourable draw last time to reverse the form, given their likely odds. Carkei Max will be ready to take advantage should either of the youngsters falter.
Select 5 -1- 2

20:34 Heat Five
A real humdinger of a contest with any number of possible outcomes. Benkaat Blue only just failed to hold the express finish of Priceless Pilot last week and is well drawn inside middle moving Bonamassa Rocks, which should at worse ensure qualification. But I'm prepared to take a chance with Boherna Rumble, who should be suited to the wider trap five draw, and has shown promise in both rounds to date. He will need to avoid strong running Hather George, who is likely to tack across on the run-up and whose six bend form makes him another likely to progress to the quarter-finals.
Select 5- 1 - 6

20:49 Heat Six
Barrie Draper is another who could hardly have dreamt of a better make up with Ballymac Eske ideally housed inside ex-middle seed Farloe Buddy, which should make the ante post favourite's job a very straight-forward one and he is not for taking on. Loughteen Blanco reminded us he is not yet ready for retirement last week and with Stonepark Crash likely to cut inside can soon put himself into a qualifying spot. Droopys Ed Moses, narrowly ahead of Islas Scolari last time, can confirm the form in a good battle for minor honours.
Select 1 - 4- 6

21:04 Heat Seven
A belter of a heat but a far from easy call between Farloe Warhawk and Screen Critic who both were among the most impressive winners in the second round. Both should qualify comfortably, but with the worry that Newinn Rocket edging off might interfere with 'Warhawk' early on, the tentative vote goes to Kev Hutton's wide-runner who refused to accept defeat last week and may improve again. Jaytee Hellcat is also hitting form at a track he obviously likes and can make the next round. 
Select 6 - 3 - 4

21:19 Heat Eight
Garryglass Rodge continues to trade at big prices ante-post and while his front-running style and desire to get to the rails may eventually find him out, it's unlikely to be here with Mark Wallis' charge likely to quickly grab control of the inside and he looks a big price to pull off the victory. Shaneboy Alley's own early pace and excellent form makes him hard to leave out, although quite how wide Bittles Bar will move from trap four is anybody's guess and he could prove a major early hazard. Holdem Spy will be hard to keep out of the frame. 
Select 3 - 6 - 5

Recommended Bets
Droopys Jet 19:34
Farloe Tango 20:04
Screen Critic 21:04
Garryglass Rodge 21:19