Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is one who will relish soft ground at Ascot on Saturday and Ballydoyle's staying star looks set to get Champions Day off to a flyer for the Coolmore-Ballydoyle axis in the G2 Qipco Long Distance Cup. While he was only fourth when occupying market leadership in this last year, he has his preferred conditions this time and based on his impressive success in the G1 Irish St Leger at The Curragh on Sept. 10 and latest fourth in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly at the start of the month he sets a clear standard. “He ran very well in it last year when the line came a bit too soon,” O'Brien said. “There's been an extra week between the Arc and Champions Day this time and that would not be a disadvantage. We've been delighted with him all year and he looks to have a very good chance. This will probably be his last run of the year and then we'll look at next year with him.”
Having upstaged Order of St George in the June 22 G1 Gold Cup, Bill Gredley's Big Orange (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) has been denied similar conditions subsequently and was taken out of the G1 Prix du Cadran at the end of last month. Last seen finishing runner-up to Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the Aug. 1 G1 Goodwood Cup, the popular 6-year-old leaves trainer Michael Bell in his usual quandary. “It's a bit of a headache,” he explained. “Given the forecast and the ground is already soft, I'd say the ground is likely to be nearly heavy. I'd suggest we'll probably be having a team meeting on the course in the morning. That way we'll get to see how much more rain has fallen and how soft the ground actually is.”
Another who did not want to see the rain come is John Gosden, whose Stradivarius may be taken out if conditions worsen. Third in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster on Sept. 16, Bjorn Nielsen's star stayer in the making will be interesting if he can adapt to this ground. “He's been a revelation this year and his wins in the [G2] Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot and Goodwood Cup were fabulous,” his trainer said. “He ran a blinder in the Leger. He got a little bit left on his own racing on the rail. The race happened a little bit more in the middle of the track. I love the way in the last half a furlong he is coming right back at them again in what was probably the best Leger run in a very long time. He is a grand horse and will be a lot of fun in the Cup races next year.”
Behind Stradivarius and Big Orange when third in the Goodwood Cup was Desert Skyline (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), who capitalised on the absence of the big names in this division when winning the Sept. 15 G2 Doncaster Cup. He proved there he stays extreme trips and the ground will hold no fears. “It's a little bit ambitious, but then again so was running him in the Goodwood Cup and Doncaster Cup,” trainer David Elsworth commented. “He's run a series of good races this year, his Doncaster win coming after a fantastic effort at Goodwood Cup behind Big Orange and Stradivarius. We all know how good Big Orange is and Stradivarius showed his class in the St Leger. We will pull up stumps afterwards and next year come back and win the Goodwood Cup.”
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