DERMOT WELD’S hopes of scoring a Melbourne Cup hat-trick in November have been dealt a big blow with the news that his progressive Galileo’s Choice has been ruled out of Australia’s most famous race by conditions the legendary Irish trainer yesterday described as “archaic.”
Galileo’s Choice has been rapidly on the upgrade in the last five weeks, winning over hurdles at the Galway Festival, easily scoring over an extended two miles on the flat at Killarney and stepping up to a Group Three success in last weekend’s Kilternan Stakes at Leopardstown.
However, Australian officials have told Weld that Galileo’s Choice is ineligible to run in the Melbourne Cup. The horse had been as low as 20 to 1 in ante-post betting for “the race that stops a nation” with both Paddy Power and Ladbrokes.
“There are about two pages of rules which are, in my opinion, outdated and as a result they are going to miss out on getting some of the best horses,” Weld said yesterday. “Although he has won three races in five weeks, including winning a Group Three at 10 furlongs, archaic conditions in the small print mean he isn’t eligible to run.”
The Irishman famously landed the Cup in 1993 with Vintage Crop and less than a decade later followed up with Media Puzzle.
Weld had also entered Sense Of Purpose in the Melbourne Cup but he has more immediate targets with the Moyglare Stud-owned mare, who will bypass Saturday’s Irish Field St Leger in favour of travelling to Doncaster for tomorrow’s Group Two Park Hill Stakes.
With ground conditions at the Curragh officially “soft” yesterday, Weld said: “We’ve decided to take a shot at Doncaster because we always look for fast ground with her and that’s unlikely at the Curragh.”
A total of seven will line up in the 14-furlong Park Hill including Aidan O’Brien’s Spin, another Irish hope in Goldplated, and The Queen’s Set To Music who is likely to start favourite.
Sense Of Purpose’s appearance at Doncaster means Vincent Ward’s Fictional Account now looks like being the most prominent home back-up to the hot favourite Fame And Glory in Saturday’s Curragh Leger.
Fictional Account turned over the heavy odds-on Fame And Glory in the Leger Trial at the track last month but Aidan O’Brien’s five-time Group One winner is edging towards starting an odds-on shot again this weekend.
Nevertheless a strong overseas challenge is forming to Fame And Glory including Mark Johnston’s Jukebox Jury who bounced back to form with an impressive success at Deauville last month. Godolphin are set to run Opinion Poll in the Irish Leger, while Duncan and Red Cadeaux are other cross-channel possibles.
Dermot Weld also indicated yesterday his good two-year-old Riviera Poet is odds against to run in Saturday’s Goffs National Stakes.
Sunday’s Curragh feature may see a clash between the Irish Oaks runner-up Banimpire and the rapidly progressing Bible Belt, who is being stepped up to Group Two class for the Tote-sponsored Blandford Stakes. A total of 16 entries in all remain in the Blandford and they include Aidan O’Brien’s Wonder Of Wonders, third to Blue Bunting in the Yorkshire Oaks on her last start.
Just 10 horses remain in the Group Three Solonaway Stakes, including Roger Charlton’s Cityscape who earlier this season chased home Canford Cliffs and Goldikova in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and whose general best form is on a soft surface.
Aidan O’Brien is chasing a fourth Doncaster St Leger success on Saturday with Seville and the Ballydoyle colt was cut to 8 to 1 in ante-post betting yesterday.
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