Dermot Weld smashed his own record for winners at the Festival as he saddled his 13th winner of the week courtesy of Rainforest Magic. The 5-4 favourite struck on the level at Ballybrit on Tuesday and he enhanced his tally with a bloodless four-and-a-half-length success in the Guinness (Q.R) Handicap Hurdle. Weld sent out 11 [...]
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Galway wizard Dermot Weld dominated the Thursday card with a four-timer. Having saddled seven winners at this year’s Festival before racing began, Anam Allta (6-5 favourite) landed some hefty bets when recording victory number ten under Pat Smullen in the Arthur Guiness EBF Fillies Handicap. Daffern Seal, Rock Critic and Teach Nua had earlier struck [...]
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Dermot Welds double came courtesy of the Pat Smullen-ridden pair Maunsells Duke and Font Of Wisdom. The latter, his seventh of the meeting, never had a moment’s worry when striding to an effortless five-length win in the concluding maiden. Visiting ATR presenter Matt Chapman was a guest commentator for this race, and called it in [...]
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Stunning View swamped brave front-runner Royal Blue Star in the final strides to land the Topaz Mile EBF Handicap for Dermot Weld, the feature event on the second day of the Galway Festival. Trainer Dermot Weld had not won the €115,000 event since 1998 but Stunning View comprehensively ended that drought in the hands of [...]
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The Topaz Mile European Breeders Fund Handicap takes centre stage on day two of the Galway Festival, and Joseph Murphy’s Ask Jack attempts to repeat last year’s success. Joseph Murphy’s charge has a 14lb higher mark to contend with and will find this a lot tougher The three-year-old Defining Year is on the upgrade and [...]
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Dermot Weld is eyeing a step up in class for Riviera Poet after he claimed the claregalwayhotel.ie & Ramada Hotel Card Club EBF Maiden. Sent off a 2-1 shot, Riviera Poet had finished behind Aidan O’Brien’s subsequent Coventry Stakes winner Power on his racecourse bow and he was trailing another Ballydoyle inmate, Learn, inside the [...]
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The Galway Festival 2011 starts today, and below are some course notes that should serve you well if kept close to hand. Galway is a unique track, and places demands on horses that no other racecourse in the world can rival. It is also, of course, a place of ribald revelry and marathon drinking and [...]
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A field of twenty will go to post for the feature race on day one of the Galway Festival this evening, the carlton.ie/galwaycity Qualified Riders Handicap. Rebecca Curtis, whose partner Gearoid Costello is a nephew of the legendary Tom, sends across Praxiteles with Derek O’Connor booked to ride. The son of Sadler’s Wells comes here [...]
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The track at Ballybrit was watered again last night ahead of the seven day Festival meeting which gets underway at 5.05pm today. The track is currently still on the firm side of good, and with a favourable weather forecast, it was decided to put a further 5mm on the track yesyerday evening. The Galway course has [...]
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A two-day Ballinrobe meeting kicks off at 5.50 on Monday with the Paddy Smyth Memorial Maiden, in which a clutch of winning bumper performers takes on Clarach. The Tony Mullins-trained mare is a smart National Hunt recruit in her own right and made a promising start to her Flat career behind Steps To Freedom at [...]
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Maybe remains unbeaten as she took the Group Three Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown, but the 1000 Guineas market leader had to work hard for the victory. Joseph O’Brien was always travelling well on the Chesham winner (2-7 favourite) and everything seemed to be going to plan as he swept into the lead approaching the furlong [...]
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Dermot Weld and Ruby Walsh won yesterday’s featured EBF Novice Hurdle at Sligo with the ex-Mark Johnston trained Sulwaan. The four-year-old was having his first start over hurdles and went off a relatively weak 4/1 third favourite in the four-runner field. The son of King’s Best was held up off the pace by the former [...]
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Dermot Weld`s Cannon Hill failed in his bid to land the Grade 2, American Derby (the second leg of the Mid America Triple) at Arlington Park Racecourse on the outskirts of Chicago on Saturday. The son of Holy Roman Emperor ridden by Pat Smullen raced in second early on but when the pace was injected four [...]
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In a major surprise at the five day declaration stage, Rite Of Passage, last year’s winner and ante-post favourite to repeat the dose, was absent from the runners for this year’s Ascot Gold Cup. Dermot Weld’s reigning champion finished third on his seasonal debut behind fellow Gold Cup contender, Fame And Glory, in the Saval [...]
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Trainer Dermot Weld has stated that it is not likely that his charge, Royal Ascot champ Rite Of Passage, will have a jumps campaign this season. He has had three starts over timber, scoring two victories, with the six year old suffering his only loss to Peddlers Cross at the Cheltenham Festival. Remaining undefeated on [...]
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After nine victories from twenty-one career starts, the Dermot Weld trained mare Profound Beauty has ended her racing career. Dermot Weld The nine victories of the six year old include a trio in Group company and four Listed level events. “She’s been retired honourably to stud and she’s been a wonderful mare to train,” Weld [...]
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With a strong ride by jockey Pat Smullen, Midnight Music gave an impressive performance to snatch a victory in the final strides in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Median Auction Maiden at Navan. Her debut at the Curragh in August saw the Dermot Weld trained filly finishing in third place and this time [...]
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Dermot Weld charge, Emulous has had a comfortable victory, under jockey Pat Smullen, in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Garnet Stakes (Listed Race) at Naas. Owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah, the race favourite with the guidance of Smullen, tracked the leaders on the outer, increasing the pressure to lead over one furlong out, [...]
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After being given the target to start in the Emirates Melbourne Cup next month, Profound Beauty will begin her Australian journey when she leaves on Sunday. This will be the Dermot Weld trained mare’s second bid at the valuable handicap, with her last start in the Cup resulting in a fifth place behind Viewed in [...]
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Dermot Weld charge Dubai Prince proved to be a clever newcomer scoring under Pat Smullen for a victory in the concluding Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Maiden at Gowran. Making the running was the race second favourite, the Aidan O’Brien trained Obligation, but he was challenged and overtaken by the Sheikh Mohammed owned colt [...]
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