Racing/News and preview: Dimitrova will return to the USA next month to try and add to her Grade One triumph at Hollywood Park on Saturday night.
Dermot Weld is targeting the Beverly D Stakes at Arlington Park, Chicago,
on August 16th for the filly, who was triumphant on her first start
outside Ireland at the weekend.
Dimitrova won the $750,000 American Oaks over a mile and a quarter on turf under the top local rider David Flores. The filly, who was third to Yesterday in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, paid just over 11 to two and won from Sand Springs and Atlantic Ocean with the Kentucky Oaks runner-up Santa Catarina back in fourth.
"She's a very solid, very sound and mentally tough filly," said Weld on
Saturday. "I thought she was the right filly for the race and I picked the
right rider in Flores. He gave her a perfect ride."
Dimitrova was Weld's first runner in the US this year and added to Dress
To Thrill's Matriarch Stakes success on the track in December. Yesterday the Weld camp reported that Dimitrova has emerged unscathed and
could have a race in Europe before returning to America. Weld's son Kris
said: "The Beverly D is a definite target and we might give her a race in
Europe in between. It will depend on the timing." The John Oxx-trained Timarida (1996) is a former Irish winner of the Beverley D, which is run on the same day as the Arlington Million.
Stable jockey Pat Smullen could be back in the plate in Chicago after a
booking mix-up that ultimately saved Dimitrova's owner Joseph Higgins
$45,000 in riding fees. Smullen was named as the rider in the US after Flores had already been contacted and the stewards ruled that both riders would have to be paid if
Smullen rode. That saved Higgins $45,000 in percentage win fees. Flores revelled in the race, however, and afterwards said: "It's a privilege to ride a horse like this. Dermot told me to do whatever I wanted and this filly is capable of doing anything."
Aidan O'Brien has three horses left in Thursday's Darley July Cup at Newmarket and yesterday he said that Statue Of Liberty, Tomahawk and Salt Lake City all remain possible runners.
"We haven't decided yet but all three are possible. Colossus is not a definite for the July Stakes on Wednesday but we also have a colt (Hippocrates) in a maiden there on the same day," he said. Weld returns to more mundane fare at Roscommon this evening where Antigone represents him in the two-year-old maiden. Preference in this race, however, is for Catapila, who was previously third at Naas to Il Pirata.
The two-mile maiden features some well known jumping names and Say Again, winner of the Galway Hurdle last year, can take this on route to another try at the Ballybrit festival. Say Again's trainer Paul Nolan also looks to have the winning of the maiden hurdle with the Clonmel bumper winner Accordion Etoile.
Great Chaos was a decent fifth to the talented Selby Road at Leopardstown
in March, form that gives the Cunningham runner a big shout in the bumper.
