Roe has Melbourne target after Curragh success

Dermot Weld is dreaming of a second Melbourne Cup success following Vinnie Roe`s victory in the Jefferson Smurfit Memorial Irish St Leger this afternoon.

The Curragh 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 his 14th Classic success and jockey Pat Smullen his first.

The three-year-od colt headed last season`s Doncaster St Leger hero Millenary in the last half-furlong of the #225,000 event and the 5-1 shot had drawn two lengths clear of the 9-4 favourite at the line with Marienbard (5-2) 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 last year.

Vinnie Roe, owned by international film director Jim Sheridan of 'In The Name Of The Father' fame, has 8st 5lb in the Tooheys New Melbourne Cup in November and Cashmans bookmakers slashed his odds to 14-1 from 40-1.

David Elsworth still plans to send Persian Punch (9st 1lb) for the Flemington showpiece after his brave effort.

'Though he hasn`t won, he`s run a fantastic race and run out of his skin. It`s a pity the race wasn`t over a furlong further,' said the Whitsbury trainer.

John Dunlop was also delighted with Millenary`s run. 'He`s run a great race. He travelled well all the way through,' he said.

'I thought that when he followed Persian Punch I thought he was going to be okay but then I saw the three-year-old going pretty well and he`s won well, all credit to him.'

The Arundel trainer has not ruled out running Millenary again this season.

'We`ll see how he comes home. I suspect we may run him somewhere else this year and he could well stay in training next year.'

Millenary, ridden by Pat Eddery, tightened up Persian Punch in the final furlong but although the result was allowed to stand following an inquiry Persian Punch`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.

The same can be said of the other British raider, Mark Johnston`s Yavana`s Pace. Second for the last two seasons, he was only seventh of the eight runners.