Latrobe
bids to become the first horse since the Michael Hurley-trained
Zarathustra in 1954 to win the Irish Derby and the Irish St Leger in the
same year on the second day of Longines Irish Champions Weekend at the
Curragh on Sunday.
Joseph O'Brien’s charge is one of six horses declared for the Comer Group
International Irish St Leger. O’Brien won the race as a jockey on the
recently retired Order Of St George in 2015 for his father Aidan who will
run early favourite Flag Of Honour, Idaho and Cyprus Creek in his bid for
a fifth win in the race.
John Gosden is a two-time winner of the Irish St Leger and will be
represented by Ebor runner-up Weekender while Twilight Payment will bid to
give Jim Bolger his first success in the final Classic of the season.
For the first time, there are four Group 1 races on the second day of
Longines Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh. The Derrinstown Stud
Flying Five Stakes makes its debut as a Group 1 for the first time and
has attracted a field of nine including Havana Grey for trainer Karl
Burke and the David Griffiths-trained Take Cover. Once again, Aidan
O'Brien is triple-handed with Sioux Nation, Battle Of Jericho and
Different League while Darren Bunyan runs Hit The Bid.
A terrific renewal of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes is on the cards
with the Charlie Appleby-trained Group 2 winner Beyond Reason and Mark
Johnston’s Main Edition, a winner at both Royal Ascot and the July
Newmarket meeting providing the main opposition for the more
locally-trained Skitter Scatter for Patrick Prendergast and owners Sonia
and Anthony Rogers.
The Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes has attracted a strong
field of seven runners headed by the Charlie Appleby-trained Quorto and
Anthony Van Dyck, winner of the Group 2 Galileo Irish EBF Futurity Stakes
at the Curragh, for Ballydoyle.
There are nine in the Group 2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford Stakes where
Eziyra will be fancied for Dermot Weld with Jessica Harrington set to be
represented by Beautiful Morning, successful in the Group 3 Manguard Plus
Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh last month and the more recent Group 3
Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes winner, I’m So Fancy.
The opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF ‘Bold Lad’ Sprint Handicap boasts a
field of 27 runners including the Johnny Murtagh-trained Urban Beat and
David O’Meara’s Summerghand while 20 runners will line up for the Irish
Stallion Farms EBF ‘Northfields’ Handicap with the Harrington-trained
Still Standing and the David Menuisier-trained Danceteria out to add to
recent successes.
A strong cross-channel raiding party led by the unbeaten Flashcard for
Andrew Balding and the Clive Cox-trained Getchagetchagetcha feature among
the 20 runners for the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Stakes.
Derek McGrath, CEO of the Curragh Racecourse, said: “The quality of
entries on Sunday certainly confirms the champion status of the day with
high quality runners from start to finish on an unprecedented racecard of
four Group 1s. This historic race day is certainly a fitting finale
to our 2018 season as Longines Irish Champions Weekend goes from strength
to strength.”
Prices for day
two of Longines Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh, supplied by Paddy
Power
Comer Group
International Irish St Leger
Paddy Power:
9-4 Flag Of Honour, Latrobe, 7-2 Weekender, 9-2 Idaho, 10 Twilight
Payment, 100 Cypress Creek
Goffs Vincent
OBrien National Stakes
Paddy Power:
5-4 Anthony Van Dyck, Quorto, 8 Christmas, 16 Land Force, 25 Highland
Fortune, 33 Mohawk, 40 Wargrave
Moyglare
Jewels Blandford Stakes
Paddy Power:
4-5 Eziyra, 5 Beautiful Morning, 15-2 I’m So Fancy, 10 Who’s Steph, 12
Broadway, 14 Panstarr, 20 Rionach, 25 Clear Skies, 33 Curly
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