# 2001 English Greyhound Derby

The 2001 William Hill Greyhound Derby Final took place during May and June with the final being held on 2 June 2001 at Wimbledon Stadium. The winner received £75,000. Rapid Ranger successfully defended his title and became only the third greyhound in history to win the Derby twice, he was owned by Ray White and bred by Martin Broughan. Two of the finalists Smoking Bullet and Countrywide Tams were owned by Vinnie Jones.

## Final result

At Wimbledon (over 480 metres):
| Position | Name of Greyhound | Breeding | Trap | Sectional | SP | Time | Trainer |
| 1st | Rapid Ranger | Come On Ranger - Rapid Vienna | 4 | 5.17 | 7-4 | 28.71 | Charlie Lister (Private) |
| 2nd | Sonic Flight | Frightful Flash - Westmead Flight | 3 | 5.34 | 10-11f | 28.97 | Nick Savva (Private) |
| 3rd | Castlelyons Dani | Spiral Nikita - Foxclose Daisy | 2 | 5.28 | 14-1 | 29.09 | Arthur Hitch (Private) |
| 4th | Countrywide Tams | Lassa Java - Persian Spark | 1 | 5.26 | 14-1 | 29.11 | John McGee Sr. (Private) |
| 5th | Smoking Bullet | Joyful Tidings - Aggies Vixen | 5 | 5.28 | 10-1 | 29.39 | Derek Knight (Hove) |
| 6th | Droopys Honcho | Top Honcho - Droopys Fergie | 6 | 5.30 | 7-1 | 29.41 | Paul Young (Romford) |

### Distances

3¼, 1½, head, 3½, head (lengths) The distances between the greyhounds are in finishing order and shown in lengths. One length is equal to 0.08 of one second.

### Final Report

Rapid Ranger soon led and won comfortably from the strong finishing Scottish Derby champion Sonic Flight who had found trouble at the first bend along with Smoking Bullet and Droopys Honcho. Castlelyons Dani finished well for third after crowding and Countrywide Tams had a clear run.

## Quarter finals

Heat 1 (May 22) :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Opus Magic | 9-2 | 28.83 |
| 2nd | Castlelyons Dani | 9-2 | 28.93 |
| 3rd | Smoking Bullet | 1-1f | 29.21 |
| 4th | Wallington Swift | 50-1 | 29.23 |
| 5th | Cillowen Maestro | 25-1 | 29.67 |
| 6th | Concorde Direct | 5-2 | 29.68 |
Heat 2 (May 22) :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Pinewood Blue | 8-1 | 29.01 |
| 2nd | Rapid Ranger | 1-4f | 29.07 |
| 3rd | Glengar Visit | 10-1 | 29.21 |
| 4th | Little Vintage | 50-1 | 29.25 |
| 5th | Farloe Florish | 5-1 | 29.29 |
| 6th | Blues Best Buzz | 66-1 | 29.55 |
Heat 3 (May 22) :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Micks Best Hero | 2-1jf | 28.97 |
| 2nd | Countrwide Tams | 2-1jf | 28.99 |
| 3rd | Droopys Honcho | 4-1 | 29.59 |
| 4th | Carhumore Cross | 9-2 | 29.62 |
| 5th | Thats Style | 8-1 | 30.10 |
| 6th | Top Redondo | 33-1 | 30.22 |
Heat 4 (May 22) :
| Pos | Name | SP | Time |
| 1st | Sonic Flight | 5-4f | 28.95 |
| 2nd | Rackethall Jet | 3-1 | 29.19 |
| 3rd | Proud Champ | 3-1 | 29.45 |
| 4th | Swervys Cushtie | 100-1 | 29.49 |
| 5th | I Will Yeah | 66-1 | 29.55 |
| 6th | Druids Highline | 8-1 | 29.81 |

## Semi finals

First Semi Final (May 26) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | SP | Time |
| 1st | Sonic Flight | 4-7f | 28.67 |
| 2nd | Droopys Honcho | 10-1 | 28.87 |
| 3rd | Castleyons Dani | 14-1 | 28.89 |
| 4th | Opus Magic | 6-1 | 29.23 |
| 5th | Rackethall Jet | 5-1 | 29.35 |
| 6th | Glengar Visit | 10-1 | 29.41 |
Second Semi Final (May 26) :
| Pos | Name of Greyhound | SP | Time |
| 1st | Rapid Ranger | 6-4f | 28.80 |
| 2nd | Smoking Bullet | 5-1 | 29.12 |
| 3rd | Countrywide Tams | 6-1 | 29.18 |
| 4th | Pinewood Blue | 5-1 | 29.32 |
| 5th | Micks Best Hero | 5-1 | 29.34 |
| 6th | Proud Champ | 12-1 | 29.50 |