RACING:DERMOT WELD could attack this Sunday's Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan in force after leaving in a trio of Moyglare Stud-owned horses at yesterday's forfeit stage, including the top-class hurdler Unaccompanied.
She is one of 13 entries left in the Listed event and although the Gold Cup hero Fame And Glory is among them, Aidan O’Brien has already revealed Leopardstown’s Saval Beg Stakes is a more likely date for the star stayer’s opening race of 2012.
“He’s doing well, but the Saval Beg is where he will probably run first,” he said earlier in the week.
Fame And Glory won the Vintage Crop last year, just the latest in a list of star names to win the €40,000 race with Yeats successful in both 2007 and 2008 and the subsequent Irish Leger winners, Alandi (2009) and Kastoria (2006) also victorious.
Weld will be especially keen to win a race named after his most famous horse though and Unaccompanied, a double Grade One scorer over jumps, returned to action with a good win on the flat at Navan last month.
Weld has also left in his Group Three winning filly Sense Of Purpose and Notable Graduate, who hasn’t been seen racing since finishing last behind Treasure Beach back in the 2011 Irish Derby.
Rite Of Passage though remains Weld’s top-rated stayer on the flat and is rated an 8 to 1 shot by bookmakers to regain the Ascot Gold Cup crown he won in 2010.
He is reportedly also likely to reappear in the Saval Beg.
Jessica Harrington has left both Bob Le Beau and Steps To Freedom in the Vintage Crop while top British trainer Mark Johnston has kept open the option of running Eternal Heart, an unlucky fourth to Ile De Re in last week’s Chester Cup.
