Racing

Dermot Weld has sights set on 25th success in Galway juvenile maiden with Truth Be Told

Irish raiders no match for French favourite Mqse De Sevigne in Deauville Group One

Jockey Chris Hayes with trainer Dermot Weld after winning the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Glencairn Stakes with Tarawa at Leopardstown last month. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire STRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Jockey Chris Hayes with trainer Dermot Weld after winning the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Glencairn Stakes with Tarawa at Leopardstown last month. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire STRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Brian O'Connor
Sun Jul 28 2024 - 16:26

Dermot Weld is targeting a landmark 25th success in the Galway festival’s opening day maiden for two-year-olds with Truth Be Told.

For 30 years the world-renowned racing figure ruled the festival roost at Galway as leading trainer until finally toppled by Willie Mullins in 2016.

However, it remains the case that no one knows better what’s required for success around Ballybrit and Weld has never been shy of running top juveniles around the testing circuit.

Irish Derby hero Grey Swallow famously showed the first glimpses of his Classic-winning talent when landing Monday’s race by 10 lengths on his debut in 2003.

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The last of Weld’s 24 previous wins in the same race was Blue For You four years ago.

This time he relies on Truth Be Told, who blew his Naas debut at the start earlier this month only to be noted running on well to finish a close fifth to Swagman.

Joseph O’Brien’s Viking Invasion was runner-up on that occasion but had had the benefit of a previous run.

A hark back to that Grey Swallow race 21 years ago comes through Ballydoyle hope Rock Of Cashel, a half-brother to the dual-Oaks heroine Snowfall that was ran out of the money on his Curragh debut.

He is the latest to carry the evocative name and a different Rock Of Cashel, a full brother to Rock Of Gibraltar, was the one that chased home Grey Swallow over two decades ago.

Weld also runs the Fairyhouse winner Brosna Town in the 1½ mile handicap, although Ephesus might be one to side with on the back of breaking his maiden at the Curragh.

In other news, Joseph O’Brien’s Rogue Millennium had to settle for third in Sunday’s Group One Prix Rothschild at Deauville behind the French favourite Mqse De Sevigne. Rogue Millennium was a place ahead of the Willie McCreery-trained Ocean Jewel in fourth.

It was a fourth top-flight success for Mqse De Sevigne who in May landed the Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp and was winning the Rothschild for a second year in a row. The odds-on favourite had a length in hand of another local runner Excellent Truth.

The Andre Fabre-trained winner was cut to 20-1 in some lists for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe over 1½ miles at Longchamp in October.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column