Weld delighted to add Derby to CV Legendary trainer Dermot Weld admitted that he had needed to add an Investec Derby winner to his glittering CV. Weld has broken down barriers across the world with landmark victories in Australia and America but he had never won the blue riband event at Epsom. That all changed on Saturday when Pat Smullen partnered the 13-2 chance to a famous victory over US Army Ranger, despite the colt suffering an injury scare on the way over. Weld told At The Races: "We've been fortunate and these are the big races you want to win, I think we've won 23 Classics and this was a very special one. "Life is an amazing thing, every day you value it but we had a very stressful, very exciting day. It all started when he pulled his shoe off at Dublin airport. "I told Pat at the start if he wasn't happy to say so, it didn't matter to me if it was a maiden or a Derby. "It was a long old day, with four hours of ice but with the help of colleagues we saved the day. "When he won the Ballysax, beating Idaho, who I really rate, there were five Group horses in that and I felt that was good enough form to go for the Derby." Before Harzand's participation at Epsom was confirmed Smullen rode Midterm in the Dante, and it was mooted he would have been on board but Epsom, but Weld never entertained those thoughts. "When Pat rode Midterm in the Dante nothing special went through my mind, the fact he might be on him in the Derby never entered my head. He's my retained jockey, we've a long association, he rides my horses and hopefully will as long as I'm training," said Weld. "Pat can ride in England and other parts of the world when I don't require him, that's in his contract and our understanding, he has zero problem with that. "Pat has been highly successful for me since he took over from Michael Kinane, I've only had those two in 30 years. Both outstanding riders who had the freedom to ride for others when I didn't require them. They are two brilliant riders. "I think the hoof problem is done and dusted, at the moment he's on his way to Holyhead and we'll have a look at him when he gets home this evening. "Time will reveal all, he's a lovely colt, he could be an ideal English Leger horse or indeed if it was a wet autumn a lovely horse for the Arc but that's all for the future. "He's a lovely improving colt and I think the quality and courage came out yesterday. Determination from both horse and rider. "He's a very tough horse, that's what won the day, when the challenge went down and the die was cast, that's what won the day. "The staff gave me a wonderful reception, it's a team effort here, I defy anybody to have a better team then I have here, we've won nearly 4000 races and it is based on team effort all the way through every member of my staff. "I think I had to put the Derby on my CV."
