HOVE'S Smoking Bullet, owned in partnership by John Ward and ex-footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones, will strive for a permanent place in greyhound racing folklore when he runs from trap five in the final of the £50,000 William Hill Greyhound Derby (10.10) over 480 metres at Wimbledon tonight.

A host of celebrities, including Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White are fully paid-up members of his fan club and victory for the Derek Knight-trained ace could ignite the biggest party at SW19 since Wimbledon FC toppled mighty Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final.

Smoking Bullet, a winner of 14 races from 26 starts, is quoted at 8-1 with the sponsors and those odds could prove generous if he times the start to perfection .

Knight said: "He's capable of trapping better than he has been in the earlier rounds and I would be disappointed if he made the second corner in front and got picked up."

Derby final night has an atmosphere all of its own and a noisy rendition of Tina Turner's 'Simply The Best' will accompany the six finalists as they parade for the greatest greyhound race of them all.

Trap draw for the final with the latest betting.

1. Deerfield Sunset .......evens

2. Rapid Ranger..................7-2

3. Rackethall Jet ................9-1

4. Greenfield Deal.............16-1

5. Smoking Bullet...............8-1

6. Farloe Club......................9-2

RACEGOERS at Hove Stadium today can watch live coverage of the big race via the Sky cameras, and punters have an opportunity to place bets with the track bookmakers, Coral betting outlet and the inter-track betting service.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.