Weld has high hopes for season

Dermot Weld has outlined his hopes for the new Flat season and in addition to an exciting younger brigade, believes last year’s Irish Derby winner Grey Swallow is better than ever.

After winning the Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial on his first start last term, the son of Daylami was campaigned at the highest level and displayed a terrific turn of foot to deny North Light a Derby double at the Curragh in June.

“He’s matured a lot over the winter and physically got very strong,” said Weld. “He’s a powerful individual and I’m very happy with his mental attitude, as he’s very switched off.

“He could start off in the Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh on May 2 as a prep for the Tattersalls Gold Cup (on Irish 1000 Guineas day, May 22).

“He’s carrying a shade more condition than I want at the moment as we have been easy on him recently due to the bad weather.

“It really depends on the weather as to how much we can do with him and it’s possible he could go straight for the Tattersalls.”

Another star in the Curragh-based handler’s team is Vinnie Roe, who last year landed an unprecedented fourth Irish St Leger.

“He’s more forward this year than in previous years and I am absolutely thrilled with him,” said Weld.

“He’s an amazing horse for his attitude and will to win and he ran a superb race when second in the Melbourne Cup last year as the form of that race has worked out very well since.

“He will start off this season in the Saval Beg Stakes (at Leopardstown on May 25) or he could go for the Yorkshire Cup.

“The Gold Cup at the Royal meeting at York is also part of his plan, along with the Irish St Leger and the Melbourne Cup again.”

Another stable stalwart, Media Puzzle, made a return to action last August having been sidelined since landing the 2002 Melbourne Cup.

However, he failed to recapture his form and could finish only 12th when revisiting Australia for another crack at the Melbourne Cup.

“He’s an eight-year-old now and we’ll revise plans for him a little later in the year,” said the trainer.

Weld has another potent weapon in last season’s American Derby winner Simple Exchange, and he hopes the colt will be a force to be reckoned with.

Weld said: “He loves firm ground and I hope he’ll come into his own in June around Royal Ascot at York time. He could go for races like the Arlington Million, while a trip to Australia later in the year for the Cox Plate is another possibility.”

Weld believes most of his better three-year-olds were backward last year as juveniles, but has high hopes for recent Leopardstown winner Bobs Pride and Merger.

“Bobs Pride won the Ballysax Stakes well and the plan is to go back to Leopardstown for the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial on May 8,” said Weld.

“The only proviso would be that if we keep getting wet weather he could be switched to the Irish 2000 Guineas. He may get a mile and a half and if that was the case, with his pace, he would be a serious proposition.”

Merger landed the odds in impressive style on his first start in 2004 before finishing runner-up to Albert Hall in the Beresford, and has raced only once this term,

“He’s a nice colt. He was beaten by a good horse (Indesatchel) on his reappearance over seven furlongs at the Curragh,” said Weld.

“He gives me the impression that he wants to go further and will run over 10 furlongs this weekend, either in a winners’ race at Naas or at Sandown (in the Betfred Classic Trial).”

Weld also has Cairdeas entered at Sandown on Saturday in the Betfred Gordon Richards Stakes, and both will travel or neither.