Aidan O’Brien’s Order Of St George faces five rivals in Irish St Leger trial at the Curragh
Aidan O'Brien's five-year-old stayer will be making his first appearance on the track at the Curragh since his narrow defeat in the Ascot Gold Cup behind Big Orange.
ORDER OF ST GEORGE makes his first appearance since the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot when he runs in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh on Saturday.
Aidan O'Brien's latest star stayer won the Gold Cup and this Group Three prize last summer before suffering a shock reverse in the Irish Leger itself three weeks later.
Order Of St George went down by just a short head after a titanic tussle with Big Orange in defence of his Gold Cup crown in June and is set to follow the same route as last season, with Irish St Leger redemption on September 10 top of O'Brien's agenda.
"He had a break and he's ready to run," said the Ballydoyle handler.
"He'll improve a bit from it but I'd be disappointed if he doesn't run a big race,
"He's well forward to run a big race because the next one after that is the Irish Leger."
Wicklow Brave beat Order Of St George in the Irish St Leger last September and is in opposition once again.
Ireland's perennial champion National Hunt trainer Willie Mullins also saddles Aussie Reigns and Renneti.
The field is completed by Jim Bolger's Twilight Payment and the Joseph O'Brien-trained Rekindling, who touched off Wicklow Brave in the Curragh Cup in early July.