WINCHESTER MIGHT have been out of luck in Saturday night's Breeders' Cup, but there will be no quick homecoming for the Dermot Weld-trained colt who remains in California to run in next month's Hollywood Derby.
Weld reported yesterday that the Grade One winner, who finished seventh to Conduit in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita, will be targeted at the €400,000 Grade One over a mile and a quarter on the turf.
"My fear before Saturday was that 10 furlongs is his right trip, and so it proved," he said. "It was a smashing race run at a pace that he just wasn't used to."
Despite Winchester's defeat, Weld had nothing but praise for Santa Anita's staging of the Breeders' Cup and described the controversial new synthetic surface as the way forward in America.
The Belmont Stakes-winning trainer said: "Cushion tracks are the way forward. They are part of the advance in safer surfaces and they do provide the level playing ground that we were hoping for.
"It was a great weekend's racing."
Weld's focus is on more mundane matters at Limerick this afternoon where he gives 10lb claimer Leigh Roche the chance to ride Luxie in the mile handicap.
The tough filly was a disappointment on her last start at the Curragh, but Roche's claim makes her worth checking out.
The Weld team will also fancy their chances in the opening maiden with Intimate Secret, who on breeding should be okay on the expected testing ground conditions.
She hasn't run since finishing behind Monivea at Leopardstown in July, but a repeat of that would be good enough.
Bolt Up is 15lb higher in the ratings for his last, eight-length win at Tipperary, but that shouldn't stop Pat Flynn's horse going close in the six furlong handicap.
