Changing times for the King of Galway

Dermot Weld in focus:  Naturally enough, Dermot Weld's focus is on today's big race, but amid the festival hoopla yesterday the undisputed "King of Galway" came to a significant conclusion, writes Brian O'Connor.

"The day of me having 10 or so winners at this place every year are gone, totally gone," he said. Ironically, that statement came in the winner's enclosure, following Direct Bearing's success yesterday.

"There are three reasons. The conditions of the races have completely changed. The competition here is way keener than it used to be, which is great for Galway and great for racing. And thirdly, there are so many other opportunities in Ireland now, with great prize-money," he declared.

Not that those Rosewell House inmates who will arrive at the track for the rest of the week will be in any way back numbers. It's a different kind of focus but still a focus, which makes Weld's view on his two Galway Hurdle runners as significant as ever.

It's one of the few races here that he might have a mixed view of. Three victories, Spanner (1975), Strathline (1985) and Ansar (three years ago), have mixed with some hard luck stories.

Saibot was beaten by a short head under Richard Dunwoody in 1996 and Darialann looked the winner three years later only for a last flight blunder that handed success to Perugino Diamond.

Last year Mutakarrim was edged out by Say Again and Weld has a hunch that the horse's chance of Galway Hurdle glory may have been left behind.

"Mutakarrim handles the track very well and has won a Listed race on the flat and a hurdle race here. But he has plenty of weight. In fact I think he has possibly too much weight," he said.

"Direct Bearing won well today and blinkers will give him confidence and make him concentrate better. We had trouble getting a jockey but eventually we got hold of Jim Culloty," he added.

More trouble, however, could be provided if the weather forecast is correct. Rain is the last thing either Mutakarrim or Direct Bearing want and the same thing goes for most of Weld's team.

"When it's testing, my horses seem to change their actions and that's when problems occur. Ridge's Journey for instance on Tuesday pulled muscles. It's not the track's fault. It's just what horses do with themselves when they don't like the going," Weld said.

Weld's only winner over the first two days here was the flying two-year-old Grey Swallow who is now a contender for the Guineas and the Derby.

Proof that while the quantity might be down, the quality certainly isn't. That could be significant come 3.45 this afternoon.