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| Staff Writer |
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Dermot Weld is considering a last-minute decision regarding whether his top filly, Tahiyra, will participate in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Siyouni's daughter has triumphed in five out of six races so far, with her sole loss being to Mawj in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket back in May by a margin of half a length. Tahiyra has since achieved impressive victories at the Irish Guineas, the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, and the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.
Weld is eager to have her compete against the colts on Qipco Champions Day, but is concerned about the possibility of running on challenging terrain. Migration tackles challenging Balmoral for handicap victory.
“It’s pretty clear the filly herself has progressed from each of her Group Ones wins, I’m delighted with her and we want to run – but I do have to put in the caveat that she’s shown excellent speed on fast ground,” the trainer told Sky Sports Racing.
“She’s also won on soft ground and she’s a very adaptable filly, but I do have to advise that if the ground came up very heavy, she’s not a big filly and it would cause concern.
“She’s a brilliant filly and she will handle soft ground well, but I’m concerned about the weather forecast for that part of England, especially Friday night into Saturday.
“She will definitely travel over, (but) she is racing against some of the best colts in Europe and that (ground) is a concern.”
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Weld has trained a multitude of exceptional fillies. Among them, he firmly believes that Tahiyra stands on par with any that have come before her.
He added, “She’s right up there. Homeless Songs was a brilliant filly the year before when she won the Irish Guineas and Tahiyra’s half-sister Tarnawa won at the Breeders’ Cup for us.
“I don’t like comparing horses from year to year. On this year Tahiyra is a very brilliant filly.”
If Tahiyra decides not to participate in Ascot, she would still have the opportunity to compete in the Breeders' Cup in America. However, at this point, Weld is focused solely on the upcoming weekend and is not considering anything beyond that.
He said, “We haven’t even discussed that because it would be wrong to do so. Let’s concentrate on Saturday and let’s hope to be there.
“Champions Day has always been a very good day for me. Fascinating Rock won the Champion Stakes, we won the fillies’ and mares’ race with Sapphire and the Long Distance Cup I’ve won a couple of times with Forgotten Rules and Rite Of Passage.
“Ascot itself as a track has been very good to me. I think I’ve trained 19 Group winners at the Royal meeting and my horses always run extremely well at Ascot.
“Tahiyra is in great form, I couldn’t be happier with the filly, her final piece of work was excellent and her graph has gone the right direction throughout the year.
“I’m just very positive of a big run for Saturday.”