Who is the English Greyhound Derby sponsor in 2026?

Star Sports. Star Sports has been the title sponsor since 2017 — one of the longest-running commercial sponsorships in British greyhound racing.

Where is the Greyhound Derby held?

Towcester Racecourse from 2021 onwards. Previously at Wimbledon (pre-2017) and rotating between Towcester and Nottingham (2017–2020).

How much is the Greyhound Derby prize fund?

£175,000 to the winner as of 2025. The 2026 prize fund is expected to match or exceed this, published via GBGB closer to the running.

When is the 2026 Greyhound Derby?

Typically late May or early June. Check GBGB and Towcester's official schedule for the confirmed 2026 final date.

Does Star Sports offer better prices on the Greyhound Derby because they sponsor it?

Star Sports typically opens antepost markets earlier than rivals and prices competitively on its sponsored races. Whether the prices are meaningfully better than Bet365 or Paddy Power varies by horse and timing — sponsorship does not guarantee better prices, though it usually means earlier pricing.

Who won the 2025 Greyhound Derby?

Droopys Plunge won the 2025 English Greyhound Derby at Towcester.

English Greyhound Derby 2026: Star Sports Sponsor Guide

The English Greyhound Derby

The English Greyhound Derby is British greyhound racing's flagship event — a £175,000 prize to the winner, staged annually at Towcester Racecourse. It is one of the most historically important races in the British greyhound calendar, previously held at Wimbledon before the track's 2017 closure, then rotating between Towcester and Nottingham before settling back at Towcester from 2021 onwards.

Star Sports has been title sponsor of the English Greyhound Derby since 2017 — the most visible and commercially significant of Star Sports' sponsorship properties. The sponsorship spans the build-up, the heats and semi-finals, and the televised final. Star Sports branding is prominent at the course and across the television coverage on Racing TV.

2025 context and 2026 outlook

The 2025 English Greyhound Derby was won by Droopys Plunge, continuing the recent competitive picture at the top end of the Derby ladder. Full fields, heats and semi-final entries for 2026 will be published closer to the running in the spring and early summer racing calendar.

When the 2026 final runs

The Derby final typically runs in late May or early June. Check the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) and Towcester's official listings for the exact 2026 final date.

How Star Sports covers the race

As title sponsor, Star Sports:

Prices antepost markets early. The antepost Derby market opens weeks ahead of the first-round heats — Star Sports is typically the first UK bookmaker to post meaningful prices.
Runs enhanced content around the race — Starters Orders morning reports and blog features on the build-up, heats, semi-finals and final.
Broadcasts the race prominently across its social and YouTube channels.
Sponsors Festival tickets — the Star Sports English Greyhound Derby Festival package of finals night hospitality and ticketing.

How to bet the Derby

The standard approach:

Antepost markets open in the weeks before the first-round heats. Early value often sits here before form through the heats has been fully absorbed.
Heats and semi-finals are run over a series of meetings at Towcester — markets price up race-by-race.
The final runs as the flagship event of the Derby Festival with six finalists.

For a £175,000 race, the Derby typically attracts the best open-age greyhounds in Britain and Ireland. Markets are competitive across all major UK bookmakers; Star Sports as title sponsor often has the earliest antepost prices up.

Why the Derby matters to Star Sports' brand

The Greyhound Derby sponsorship is foundational to Star Sports' "racing-first" identity. It predates the modern Star Sports online product — the sponsorship ran from 2017, when Ben Keith's firm was still largely an on-course and phone-betting operation. The continuity of the sponsorship (now into its ninth year in 2026) is one of the clearest signals of Star Sports' long-term commercial commitment to racing and greyhound sport, as opposed to the corporate-group strategy of treating sponsorships as shorter-term marketing investments.

For punters considering Star Sports specifically for greyhound betting, the Derby sponsorship is the clearest product signal — the operator genuinely prioritises greyhound racing as a product line, not just as a line item in the bookmaker coverage.

See our full Star Sports review for the wider product context, or our Star Sports antepost page for the antepost betting mechanics.