Weld has high hopes for Bawaader

Curragh-based handler Dermot Weld hopes Bawaader can defy a higher handicap mark when he goes in search of back-to-back ladbrokes.com Irish Lincolnshire victories on Sunday.

The five-year-old won last year's race by an emphatic eight lengths, but now has 15lb more in the weights.

"At the moment he is a definite runner. It's worth €100,000, he won it last year, and it's the obvious race to run him in," Weld explained.

"We will see how he performs, then we will see how he comes out of the race and he might be considered for the English Lincoln as well.

"It would be a big ask to go and do the double but looking at Sunday's race he is as well as he was at this stage last year.

"He's a decent horse. He loves soft ground and comes to himself at this time of year. He's very fit and very well.

"He'll love the ground and he has a lot more weight to carry, but I think he is a stronger and better horse. He's won a couple of valuable handicaps and I expect a very big run from him on Sunday."

Also entered in this weekend's one-mile feature is stablemate Mutakarrim, but Weld stresses he is far from a certain starter.

"He's been a while off and he's a nice horse but he has got plenty of weight," he told At The Races.

"He's probably better over a longer trip and better ground and Bawaader is the more forward and better-fancied one.

"If we get any more rain then Mutakarrim won't run - it's likely that Bawaader will be my only runner."