Weld biding his time before deciding on Guineas objective for unbeaten Tahiyra

Dermot Weld will take the wraps off Homeless Songs at Leopardstown on Wednesday but is keeping his options open for the filly he hopes may succeed her on the classic stage.

Tahiyra was crowned Europe’s top-two-year-old filly in 2022 after a spectacular Moyglare Stud Stakes victory in September.

She beat Aidan O’Brien’s star filly Meditate on that occasion and the Irish pair dispute favouritism for Newmarket’s QIPCO 1,000 Guineas in just over a month.

Both will make their seasonal debuts if lining up over the historic Rowley Mile but Weld is biding his time before committing Tahiyra to that Guineas task or potentially waiting for another.

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“We’ve made no decision yet which Guineas she may start off in. It may be the Irish Guineas, the French Guineas, the English Guineas. But no decision will be made until later in the month. It all depends on how she’s working.

“Some fillies come [to hand] earlier in the season, some fillies take a bit longer. If you get a nice, mind Spring it happens quicker. She’ll tell me when she’s ready, it’s not a question of the race,” he said.

The French Guineas, the Poule D’Essai des Pouliches, takes place at Longchamp a week after Newmarket (May 14th) while the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 is held at the Curragh on May 28th.

It is 20 years since Weld landed the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas with Refuse To Bend. He has also secured English classics with Harzand in the 2016 Derby and Blue Wind in the 1981 Oaks.

Homeless Songs was his 20th Irish classic victory in last year’s Curragh 1,000 Guineas.

Although the Moyglare Stud-owned daughter of Frankel failed to win in two subsequent starts, her 5½ lengths defeat of the subsequent Oaks winner Tuesday remained one of the signature performances of 2022.

She is one of eight declared for Wednesday’s Heritage Stakes over a mile, the Listed race highlight of Leopardstown’s Student Race Day.

A bumper official attendance of almost 8,000 was reported for last year’s meeting.

Joseph O’Brien will run his high-class colt Buckaroo against Homeless Songs on Wednesday and has committed his own Group One-winning classic prospect Al Riffa to a tilt at next month’s 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh.

Al Riffa was an impressive winner of last season’s National Stakes at HQ and is on track to step up to a mile in the Curragh Guineas.

“He’s obviously our flagship horse, he was a Group One-winning two-year-old and he’s the one we’re excited about.

“The plan is to go straight to the Irish Guineas and, at the moment, what I’m thinking is we’ll then either go for another mile race or go 10 furlongs. I don’t think he’ll go into a Derby.

“It depends how the Guineas goes, but I don’t see him as a real stayer. He’s a horse that showed speed on the track and shows speed in his training.

“I don’t think I’ve had a higher rated two-year-old and he has the frame to go on. Physically he’d stack up with any of those top horses we’ve had,” O’Brien said on Monday.

Al Riffa remains a 12-1 second favourite for the Epsom Derby with some firms behind Auguste Rodin.

During his short but stellar riding career, O’Brien won the Irish 2,000 Guineas three years in a row, starting with Roderic O’Connor in 2011.

As a trainer the 29-year-old landed the 2018 Irish Derby with Latrobe and has other Group One ambitions this season with the four-year-old Above The Curve.

She landed the Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp in 2022, subsequently landed the Blandford Stakes over Irish Champions Weekend, but failed to fire at the Breeders Cup behind Tuesday.

“She’s one of our top horses and has the option of running in the Prix Ganay or the Prix d’Ispahan and there’s also the Alleged Stakes at the Curragh and the Group Two in York [Middleton Stakes].

“She’ll start off in one of those and we’ll play it by ear, but she’s a Group One filly and very tough.

“The Pretty Polly would be an obvious first half of the season target and you can look at international options as well. There’s a good mile-and-a-quarter fillies’ programme through the year. She should be at least as good this year,” O’Brien said.

The trainer, based near Piltown, has also taken charge of the Group Three Jumbly who changed hands for 1.25 million Guineas out of Roger Charlton’s yard last season.

“Her main target will be the mile fillies’ race at Royal Ascot [Duke of Cambridge Stakes] – that will be one of her early season targets.

“She looks good and tough and hasn’t done anything wrong all her career. She’s a little bit behind some of mine, so she won’t have her first run for another few weeks and will just have a prep run for Ascot,” O’Brien added.

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