[5] The new sensation from Ireland Ballymac Ball was the Greyhound Racing Association's and White City's big hope for victory.
[6] During the first round the 1948 English Greyhound Derby runner-up Local Interprize [7] ran poorly and only finished in second place to Derrys Game.
A British bred bitch called Narrogar Ann won easily by four lengths, Narrogar Ann had won the British Bred Produce Stakes in 1948 when trained by Joe Farrand at Oxford before switching to Derby winning trainer Leslie Reynolds.
The heavily backed Whiterock Abbey lost out by one length to Narrogar Ann and Local Interprize struggled again going through by virtue of a third and final qualifying place in his heat.
[1] The first semi-final contained the 7-4 favourite, West End Dasher, and he went out after first bend trouble which allowed Glencloy Regent to win the race from Local Interprize and Dangerous Prince.