In 1940, the war prompted event organizers to move the finals to Harringay Stadium. By 1973, the Derby picked up its first sponsor: Spillers, the pet food company. The same year, Patricia's Hope won the Derby again, one of two dogs to win the event multiple times. By 1980, the prize purse had escalated to £35,000, and the event continued to grow in popularity.
In 1983, the Daily Mirror became the event's new sponsor. Whisper Wishes was the final winner of the Derby at White City Stadium in 1984.
In 1985, the event moved to Wimbledon Stadium, and over the next three decades, the English Greyhound Derby prospered with Sporting Life co-sponsoring in 1990, William Hill taking the sole sponsorship role by 1998, and Blue Square, another bookmaker, taking over sponsorship in 2006.
Bookmaker William Hill later returned to back the event at Wimbledon Stadium and remained the main sponsor until 2016, making it one of the most popular online sports betting sites.
By 2017, the Wimbledon stadium was closed for redevelopment by the site's owner, and the Derby relocated to Towcester Racecourse for five years. By 2019, Towcester's closure caused event organizers to schedule the event at Nottingham Greyhound Stadium and betting on greyhound racing tournaments continued.
The pandemic shuttered the 2020 Derby until Towcester Greyhound Stadium reopened in 2021, and the event joined a list of sports tournaments to restart operations.