Dermot Weld is dreaming of a second Melbourne Cup success following Vinnie Roe's victory in the Jefferson Smurfit Memorial Irish St Leger at the Curragh on Saturday.
The Irish trainer sent Vintage Crop to become the first challenger from the Northern Hemisphere to take Australia's greatest prize in 1993 following the first of his two triumphs in the Curragh Classic.
And now he seeks to tread the same path to greatness with Vinnie Roe, who gave Weld, who trains close to the racecourse, his 14th Classic success and jockey Pat Smullen his first. For the Rosewell House handler it was his ninth domestic Classic winner.
The three-year-old colt headed last season's Doncaster St Leger hero Millenary in the last half furlong of the £225,000 event and the 5 to 1 shot had drawn two lengths clear of the 9 to 4 favourite at the line with Marienbard (5 to 2) a similar distance away third.
Weld's decision to keep Vinnie Roe at home for the Irish Leger rather than run him in the Doncaster version paid off handsomely, but the trainer admitted that it had been a tough call.
"It was a close decision but I wanted to see how he got on against older horses with Melbourne in mind," said Weld. "Michael Kinane used to say that Vintage Crop ran through the pain barrier and this horse is the same." This view is shared by Vinnie Roe's rider, Pat Smullen.
"If all horses had his courage they would be stars. He arrived going well and he was there for me when I really needed him in the last furlong," said Smullen (24) and champion jockey for the first time in Ireland last year.
Smullen, from the village of Rhode in Co Offaly, took over from Kinane two years ago and has not been found wanting.
He served his apprenticeship (landing two titles in 1995 and 1996) with Tommy Lacy and rode his first Group One winner on the Tommy Stack-trained Tarascon in the Moyglare Stud Stakes in 1997.
Vinnie Roe, owned by international film director Jim Sheridan, has 8st 5lb in the Tooheys New Melbourne Cup in November and Cashmans bookmakers slashed his odds to 14 to 1 from 40 to 1. David Elsworth still plans to send Persian Punch (9st 1lb) for the Flemington showpiece after his brave effort.
Millenary, ridden by Pat Eddery, tightened up Persian Punch in the final furlong but although the result was allowed to stand following an inquiry the latter's rider Richard Hughes felt that it had him cost him third place.
That position went to Marienbard, whose rider Frankie Dettori felt that the going was too fast for Godolphin's runner.
Dunlop and Eddery gained compensation for the defeat of Millenary when Invincible Spirit got up in the shadow of the post to short head Aidan O'Brien's Toroca in the Group Three Aon MacDonagh Boland Stakes.
"He loves this fast gound and if we still have the going in his favour we'll probably go for the Diadem Stakes at Ascot. We could keep him in training next season," said Dunlop.
Dermot Weld's Classic winners
1981 - Blue Wind (English and Irish Oaks).
1982 - Princes Polly (Irish 1,000 Guineas).
1986 - Flash Of Steel (Irish 2,000 Guineas).
1988 - Trusted Partner (Irish 1,000 Guineas).
1993 - Vintage Crop (Irish St Leger).
1994 - Vintage Crop (Irish St Leger).
1996 - Zagreb (Irish Derby).
1996 - Dance Design (Irish Oaks).
2001 - Vinnie Roe (Irish St Leger).
Other Classic winners: Again Tomorrow (1985 Premio Parioli), Gay Burslem (1988 Premio Parioli), Go And Go (1990 Belmont Stakes), In A Tiff (1992 Derby Italiano).
