Trainer Profile

County Of Origin: Kildare

Date of licence: 1972

First winner: Spanner, Baldoyle, January 1, 1972

1,000th winner: Slane Castle (Michael Kinane) Phoenix Park, June 12th, 1985

2,000th winner: Fortune And Fame (Brendan Sheridan) Leopardstown, December 29th, 1993

3,000th winner: Fandango Dancer (Pat Smullen) Fairyhouse, August 22nd, 2004

4,000th winner: Sea Swift (Pat Smullen) Naas, June 22nd, 2016

Significant horses (selected): Ezeliya, Zhukova, Harzand, Fascinating Rock, Tarnawa, Tahiyra, Free Eagle, Voleuse De Coeurs, Emulous, Famous Name, Rite Of Passage, Vinnie Roe, Vintage Crop, Zagreb, Grey Swallow, Bethrah, Dance Design, Media Puzzle, Blue Wind, Princess Polly, Go And Go, Trusted Partner, Committed, Refuse To Bend, Ansar, Kiichi, Rare Holiday, General Idea, Perris Valley, Fortune And Fame, Search For A Song, Homeless Songs. 

Did you know:

The Weld name will always be associated with the Curragh, with Charlie Weld having established himself as a top-class trainer at Rosewell House before his son Dermot took over the reins in 1972. With the famous yard located just yards from the entrance to the Curragh racecourse, Dermot has consistently been among Ireland’s most successful trainers and is rightfully acclaimed as one of the best trainers in the world. Dermot saddled two winners on his first day as a trainer at Baldoyle on New Year's Day, 1972. Spanner was his first winner but he quickly followed up with Chevy Chase, who he rode himself, in the second division of the bumper.

A qualified vet, Weld was a very accomplished amateur jockey in his younger years. He is renowned for sending his charges all over the world to compete in the best races, becoming the first European trainer to saddle the winner of the prestigious Melbourne Cup in Australia, a feat he achieved with the brilliant Vintage Crop in 1993 and again with Media Puzzle in 2002. Vintage Crop also won the Irish St Leger in 1993 and 1994 as well as the Curragh Cup in 1993 and 1995 and this famous horse has a life-sized bronze statue of himself overlooking the parade ring at the racecourse itself.

Weld has won all five Irish Classics, with his first success coming with Blue Wind in the 1981 Irish Oaks having earlier captured the English equivalent, his first Classic victory. Dance Design gave him a second Irish Oaks in 1996 while he also captured the Irish 1,000 Guineas with Princes Polly in 1982, Trusted Partner in 1988, Nightime in 2006, Bethrah in 2010, Homeless Songs in 2022 and Tahiyra in 2023.

He won the Irish 2,000 Guineas with Flash Of Steel in 1986 and the Irish Derby with Zagreb in 1996, Grey Swallow in 2004 and Harzand, which became the 18th horse to complete the Epsom/Irish Derby double, in 2016.

Weld has a better record in the Irish St Leger which he has won on a record-equalling nine occasions. Vintage Crop was the winner in 1993 and 1994 while Vinnie Roe won the race on four successive occasions from 2001 to 2004 and in 2013, he struck with Voleuse De Coeurs. Search For A Song won back-to-back Irish St Legers in 2019 and 2020. 

He was also successful in the 2003 English 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket with Refuse To Bend and he gained his 23rd European Classic success and arguably his biggest win when Harzand won the Epsom Derby on June 4th, 2016. Weld is also the only European trainer to win a leg of the American Triple Crown after Go And Go sprang a surprise victory in the 1990 Belmont Stakes and he has consistently bagged big American races in recent years with the likes of Pine Dance, Dimitrova, Jazz Beat and Winchester. Additional Risk was the first winner of the Hong Kong Bowl at Sha Tin  in 1991.

The Chris Hayes-ridden Ezeliya became Dermot's 25th Irish and British Classic winner when successful in the Epsom Oaks in 2024. 

On August 22, 2004, Dermot Weld achieved a notable milestone when Fandango Dancer became the 3,000th winner of a truly magnificent career when winning under Pat Smullen at Fairyhouse. His 4,000th career success came at Naas on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 when Sea Swift, also ridden by Pat Smullen, landed the concluding fillies' maiden on the card.

Dermot became the fifth Irish trainer to land a Breeders' Cup success when Tarnawa and Colin Keane won the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland in November 2020.  

Updated: May 31, 2024