Rio Quattro wins Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon
Last Updated: 27/06/15 9:55pm
Rio Quattro won the £250,000 William Hill Greyhound Derby for popular veteran owner and trainer Danny Riordan.
Breaking from trap one, Rio Quattro was able to tuck in behind odds-on favourite Farloe Blitz, who again showed an electric turn of foot to make the bend in front from trap two.
However, backers of the blue jacket would've been disappointed to see the stayer on his inside turn handy and when Rio Quattro got up on the inside at the penultimate bend, the favourite was soon beaten.
And so it proved as Rio Quattro gamely held off a late thrust from Tynwald Bish in the stripes, the six dog eventually settling for second having been sent off a 10/1 chance.
To his credit, Farloe Blitz kept going in the battle for minor honours but was just done for third by the strong-staying trap four, Eden The Kid (4/1), who weaved through to a podium spot on having been detached in last coming off the second bend.
Irish-born but British-based, Riordan has come close to winning the big race before in some 30 years as a trainer, but he considered leaving the sport after suffering a stroke 18 months ago.
"We made it, we made it, we made it - it's great," Riordan told Sky Sports.
"There's no words can explain it. It's a dream come true. We trained him especially for this race and I always had great faith in him.
"He gave us so much pleasure tonight. Once he turned handy, we had a race on down the back.
"We've been here a good few times, got to the semi-final stage. We've won the Consolation Derby a couple of times but this is the pinnacle. It's something all of us want but this is a dream come true."
Riordan said he'd named the winner after he ran in the fourth race in a set of schooling trials. "I can't say what it was, but he just took my eye," he said.
Richard Harkness, a long-time supporter of Riordan, added: "I can't believe it, honestly. I don't know what to say.
"The money's great, but it's winning the Derby that matters. To come from off the pace like that. From two to three (second bend to third bend) he was magnificent."
