Weld set to run two in Dubai

The majority of the country might be feeling the first stirs of Cheltenham frenzy, but despite having the Smurfit Champion Hurdle contender Stage Affair in his care, Dermot Weld's eyes are already focusing more on the flat game.

Jammaal could be the Curragh trainer's first flat runner of 2001 in Europe, as last year's Listed winner is being aimed at the Group Three Prix Edmond Blanc on March 31st. The St Cloud race is also the target of Godolphin's 1999 2,000 Guineas winner Island Sands.

A week before that, however, Weld will be in Dubai to watch the double American winner, Pine Dance, go in the $6 million World Cup and also the threeyear-old Lethal Agenda in the Group Three UAE Derby, worth $2 million.

Both horses are already in Dubai being supervised by Weld's son Mark. Aidan O'Brien is another Irish trainer represented at Nad Al Sheba, where Bach is his intended runner in the World Cup.

"A total of $8 million for two races will focus anyone's attention," Weld said yesterday before confirming Stage Affair on course for Cheltenham, although no jockey plans for him have been firmed up yet.

The immediate home racing focus, however, is on this afternoon's meeting at Clonmel, where the chase races have already bitten the dust and the level of overall talent remaining can be gauged from the fact that the most newsworthy runner is the first reserve in the last race.

Ultimate Accolade is one of four as yet unraced horses that Willie Mullins believes could ultimately be up to travelling to Cheltenham for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. Mullins's record in the festival race makes that an exceptionally significant statement and Ultimate Accolade could be the first of the four to appear.

Unfortunately, he has been made first reserve for today's bumper but should get a run, and if he does it's unlikely that any of the opposition will get in the way. The jockey to follow could be Charlie Swan, who appears to be riding as well as ever and has already notched a remarkable 45 winners this term. That's just 18 behind the leader, Ruby Walsh, and on such testing ground the stamina-laden Sitetanic can narrow that gap even further in the first.

Swan is on Keevers in the first division of the three-mile maiden and John Kiely's runner is hard to oppose; and Sigma Dotcomm looks the bet of the day in the first half of the other maiden.