Order Of The Day

Aidan O’Brien’s decision to re-route Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) from Doncaster to Sunday’s G1 Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger at The Curragh was based on the heavy rain that is due in Kildare, and the proven mudlover will be tough to beat if the forecast is true. Impressive when beating Sea Moon (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) by 7 1/2 lengths in the G3 Irish St Leger Trial S. over this track and trip Aug. 23, he looked an improved performer than when a short-head second to the promoted St Leger winner Bondi Beach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on good ground in the June 28 G3 Curragh Cup here. “Order of St George had a setback at Derby trial time. He was going to go to Lingfield instead of [stablemate] Kilimanjaro, but he got a temperature and we just had to give him a bit of time off,” his trainer explained. “We had been very happy with him up until that point. We were very happy with him going to the Curragh and he handled the ease in the ground well. Obviously he won very nicely and we were delighted. He has form on good and fast ground, but he is one of those horses that handles ease very well.” Last year’s winner Brown Panther (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) returns off a five-month injury-induced break, having been second in the G2 Yorkshire Cup May 15, but trainer Tom Dascombe is happy with where the 7-year-old is at. “He won it last year and the timings have worked out. After Sunday, we’ll see if we run him again,” he said. “He’s in the Melbourne Cup–that’s a possibility. He’s also in the stayers’ race at Ascot on Champions Day. That might be a more logical race.”

Merry Fox Stud’s Second Step (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) has been one of the season’s most improved performers, and beat an in-form Telescope (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})) in the G2 Jockey Club S. at Newmarket May 2 and annexed the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten Aug. 9 either side of a second under a penalty in the G2 Princess of Wales’s S. on the July Course July 9. “He’s had a very good season so far and has won at The Curragh before, so he likes the track,” trainer Luca Cumani commented. “He goes there with every chance.” In a strong renewal, the lightly-raced Agent Murphy (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) adds further weight after an impressive five-length win in the G3 Geoffrey Freer S. over an extended 13-furlong trip at Newbury Aug. 15, while Dermot Weld has the easier ground conditions required for Forgotten Rules (Ire) (Nayef) to show his best. Moyglare Stud’s homebred came to the fore when winning the G2 British Champions Long Distance Cup over two miles at Ascot in October, and returned to add Navan’s 14-furlong G3 Vintage Crop S. to his tally May 17 before losing his perfect tag in the G1 Gold Cup at the Royal meeting June 18. Far from disgraced when third there, he was disappointing when fourth as the odds-on favorite behind the Ballydoyle 3-year-olds Bondi Beach and Order of St George in the Curragh Cup over this course and distance, but has enjoyed a subsequent rest.