This weekend at Champions Trials meeting
reland’s highest rated horses are among the entries for Irish Champions Weekend TRIAL’S meeting at the Curragh with Order Of St George and Fascinating Rock both set to line up this Saturday and Sunday.
Ascot Gold Cup winner Order Of St George looks likely to take a similar path to last season when contesting Saturday’s Group 3 Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger Trial, a race he won last season by seven and a half lengths before landing the Irish St Leger the following month.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained four-year-old heads a potential field of 14 for the Irish St Leger Trial and also included are potential Melbourne Cup entries Commissioned and Wicklow Brave.
On Sunday, the Tattersalls Gold Cup winner, Fascinating Rock head’s the field in the Group 3 Kilfrush Stud Royal Whip Stakes for Dermot Weld and in what looks a high class renewal of the race he is set to meet Epsom Derby runner-up US Army Ranger.
The Group 2 Galileo EBF Futurity Stakes has attracted 12-entries including Royal Ascot winner Churchill, while the Group 2 Breast Cancer Research Debutante Stakes saw 21 stand their ground at Tuesday’s forfeit stage with Brave Anna, Promise To Be True and Rhododendron all left in by Aidan O’Brien.
Looking ahead to the weekend O’Brien said; “Order Of St George had a break after Royal Ascot and is just back ready to start. The plan with him after Ascot was to start back at the Curragh this weekend and we’ll get over that first, but hopefully then he will go back for the Irish St Leger.
“US Army Ranger is similar in that he is after having a good long break and is just ready to start back. We are happy with him since Epsom but he is just ready to start off and he’ll improve a lot for the run at the weekend.
“Churchill seems to be in good form after Leopardstown and he is the main one in the Futurity Stakes and we will decide later in the week what else will run with him and in the Debutante Stakes, Rhododendron is a possible to go there as is Hydrangea who won at the Curragh last time and we might have something else to run as well but we will take a look closer to the weekend.”
O’Brien added; “With Irish Champions Weekend coming up this is a great weekend which is very well placed in the calendar as it is great to get the horses out before Champions Weekend.”
Derek McGrath, CEO The Curragh Racecourse, added; “We are thrilled with the entries following Tuesday’s forfeit stage. The Palmerstown Irish St Leger Trial on Saturday is a terrific race and features Order Of St George who will be a big attraction and Sunday’s card is out of the top drawer. The two juvenile races, the Galileo EBF Futurity Stakes and the Breach Cancer Research Debutante Stakes both lead nicely on to the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and the Moyglare Stud Stakes, while the Kilfrush Stud Royal Whip Stakes will rate as a Group 1 by the looks of the horses that are planning to run in it”
The ground is currently good to firm on the straight and good to firm, firm in places on the Round Course. The Round Course is currently being watered and with rain forecast on Wednesday and Friday, the racecourse will monitor the ground before racing.
