Racing: Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen are on the Derby trail again but this time the Grey Swallow team are targeting the Arlington version in Chicago on Saturday night with Simple Exchange.
Last year's Stakes winner has had just the one run this season when a closing fourth to Moscow Ballet in Royal Ascot's Hampton Court Stakes.
However, Simple Exchange is now on a path well-worn by Weld trained horses in the past and he will take part in the Grade Two American Derby over nine furlongs on turf.
Evolving Tactics won the race for Weld and Smullen last year and the Curragh trainer also landed the pot with the Eddie Ahern-ridden Pine Dance in 2000. "Simple Exchange will run and Pat Smullen will ride," confirmed Weld yesterday.
As well as those two winners, Weld also finished second in the American Derby in 2002 with Jazz Beat who also went on to be narrowly beaten in the Grade One Secretariat Stakes at the same track the following month.
The Chicago track has been a happy hunting ground for Irish horses with Aidan O'Brien winning the Secretariat in 2000 with Ciro and also the 2002 Breeders' Cup Turf with High Chaparral.
Weld will be represented in Saturday evening's home feature, the Group Three Meld Stakes at Leopardstown, with Medicinal.
The 2002 Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle had been targeted for a long-awaited comeback in the Meld but that has now been postponed.
"He is in super form and I couldn't be happier with him. But there is no rush with Media Puzzle. The only race I am really interested in with him is on November 2nd," he said.
Weld reported his Irish Derby hero Grey Swallow in good form and everything is on target for his return to action in the Irish Champion Stakes but all but ruled out One More Round from Saturday's valuable International Stakes at Ascot.
"He ran a great race in the Minstrel Stakes at the weekend and this might come too soon for him," he said.
The TG4 sports team announced yesterday that for the first time they will cover the final three days of this year's Galway festival.
With RTÉ covering the first four days it means terrestrial viewers will be able to have coverage of each of the seven days at the festival. TG4 had previously covered only the Friday of the seven-day festival.
"Audience reaction to our coverage of Galway has been overwhelming and we can look forward to another festival of top class racing," said the TG4 sports editor, Ronan O'Coisdealbha.
TG4 declared they will cover seven races on each of the last three days with commentary by Mícheal Ó Sé and and Brian Tyers.
A total of 11 horses have been left in Saturday night's Tyros Stakes and they include the David Wachman-trained Indesatchel who ran third to Oratorio in Sunday's Anglesey Stakes.
Johnny Murtagh has postponed his return from injury until Friday. The jockey was stood down for two days after getting a bad kick in the face at the Curragh last Sunday but he was due to be back in action tomorrow.
However, Murtagh has decided to take a couple of extra days off so that he is fully fit for the weekend action. Murtagh's agent Ray Cochrane said: "He won't be riding until Friday. He had that bad kick on Sunday and was stood down for 48 hours as he was concussed but his neck is sore and stiff and he has a bit of a headache".
