Conquest has Canadian option

IRISH ST LEGER NEWS:CASUAL CONQUEST was a sick horse when failing to fire in last weekend's Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown but Dermot Weld has the option of a Canadian stage next month for his Group One performer to bounce back to form.

The $2 million Canadian International at Woodbine in Toronto on October 17th is among a series of possible next stops for the Moyglare Stud-owned colt who trailed in seventh of nine behind Sea The Stars four days ago.

Afterwards a trachea scope discovered mucus in Casual Conquest’s lungs but Weld is hopeful that this season’s Tattersalls Gold Cup winner will quickly recover and prove a potent operator during the autumn.

“We will see how he is and maybe decide where we go next by the end of the week. But Canada is a possible for him and the International is in his sights. He scoped badly after Saturday and didn’t show his form.

“He had a very heavy head cold,” the Curragh trainer said yesterday.

Weld’s other star older-horse Famous Name was a gallant runner-up to Aqlaam in Sunday’s Prix Du Moulin at Longchamp and could again target a Group One race later this month in Ascot’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

“Famous Name never lets us down and he ran another great race in France. The QEII on September 26th is a definite possible for him,” he added.

Profound Beauty is a general second favourite for Saturday’s Irish Field St Leger, but Weld reported yesterday that he is prepared to pull the mare out of the Group One for a second year running if he considers ground conditions aren’t suitable.

“I doubt we would be able to race at the Curragh today and if the ground doesn’t improve we won’t be running,” he said.

“I took her out last year and it didn’t make any difference to her going to Melbourne.

“The forecast is supposed to be better but if it stays the way it is we won’t run.”

Soft ground, however, would delight English trainer Roger Charlton who plans to give his filly, Clowance, a first start in over a year in the final Irish Classic of 2009. The one-time Oaks fancy has proved difficult to train but Charlton indicated yesterday she is likely to bypass Doncaster’s Park Hill Stakes in favour of the Irish alternative. “At the moment the Curragh ground is nearly heavy but it is due to stop raining and it could be good to soft by the weekend. We need soft ground and hopefully it will be,” Charlton said.

“She has had a series of little irritating things go wrong. Its 15 months since her last race and she will definitely need the run but there are some very nice targets for her in the autumn,” he added.

Charlton also intends to run Border Patrol in Sunday’s Group Three Solonaway Stakes at the Curragh and he could end up facing John Oxx’s Rayeni who also figured among the 14 entries left in the race at yesterday’s forfeit stage. Rayeni hasn’t been seen since chasing home Masttercraftsman in the Irish Guineas and he will face older horses for the first time if lining up on Sunday.