Weld to saddle two in Bumper

by Michelle Fortune , 01 March 2010

Elegant Concorde and Hidden Universe will both represent Dermot Weld in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham on Wednesday fortnight.


Weld trained Rite Of Passage to be third in the National Hunt Flat Race 12 months ago and he will be hoping for similar luck with his two representatives this time after confirming the pair on course for the March 17 feature.

Both horses worked at Leopardstown on Monday morning with Hidden Universe, in the hands of Pat Smullen, finishing upsides his stable companion in the 12 furlong spin.

"People keep asking me which is the better. This morning was the third time they have worked together and they again showed they are difficult to separate. For that reason we are going to let both of them run at Cheltenham," Weld confirmed to the Racing Post.

"Hidden Universe has a preference for easy ground while the better the ground, the more Elegant Concorde will like it.

Just last week Smullen spoke of his desire to ride one of Weld's horses in the Bumper and the Master of Rosewell has all but confirmed the former Irish champion Flat jockey will partner Hidden Universe.

"We'll wait a bit before finalising riding plans, but I would imagine that Pat will be on Hidden Universe and that Robbie McNamara will ride Elegant Concorde," he added.

Subscribe to Setanta

Setanta Sports broadcasts exclusively live coverage of the best premium football, rugby and motorsport including Barclays Premier League, Rugby World Cup 2011, French Top 14, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, League of Ireland, Rabobank Pro12 and Golf from around the World.

Edit Web Part Contents