Weld slams Derby entries system
by Johnny Ward, 12 May 2008
Dermot Weld strongly criticised the process for entering a horse in the Vodafone Derby after Casual Conquest's Derrinstown rout at Leopardstown on Sunday.
The Hernando-bred produced perhaps the best performance of any contender for the Epsom Classic when winning by six lengths - but he is not entered in the Derby.
Casual Conquest may yet be supplemented for the race, but Weld spoke after Sunday's contest of his dismay at the means of entering a horse for the race.
"You either enter a horse as a yearling for the Vodafone Derby or you have to pay £8,000 to enter this spring. I don't know how British owners put up with the system.
"We had a very wet and cold spring and it was impossible to know at the end of March whether or not you might have a Derby horse. It costs €5,000 to enter for the Arc and Casual Conquest has been entered for that race. We could supplement him to the Epsom race but that costs £75,000.
"We'll talk to Walter Haefner [owner of Moyglare] and see what he wants to do, but, fortunately we don't have to go to Epsom.
"There is the Prix du Jockey Club and the Irish Derby to consider and my first reaction is that Casual Conquest will probably go to Chantilly."
Regarding the colt's emphatic success, the trainer added: "I'm not one bit surprised. He is potentially a very good horse who had a little hold-up early in the year.
"He was quite backward in the spring but I knew he had come forward well in the past ten days or so. His last bit of work for today's race was very good and I was expecting a big run from him today [Sunday]."