Battle Hungry

Very few stayers can manage to get into the frame in the Arc, but Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is no ordinary stayer as he bids to underline in Saturday's G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup. As always at this time of year, it is a question of whether exertions earlier in the season have taken their toll, but the 4-year-old seems to have a zest for racing that stands him in fine stead as he turns out for the third time in five weeks. Surprisingly beaten when attempting back-to-back successes in the G1 Irish St Leger at The Curragh Sept. 11, he has subsequently excelled when just 3 1/4 lengths off Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Chantilly feature 13 days ago. That effort can even be upgraded, as he was trying to defy a horrific draw and encountered late trouble-in-running as the pacemaker fell back into his lap. A repeat of his demolition of classy rivals in the G1 Gold Cup over 2 1/2 miles at the Royal meeting June 16 will see him tough to pass here and Aidan O'Brien has seen nothing but positive signs in the short spell since the Arc.

Even if Order of St George remains near a peak, he faces a serious rival in last year's G1 Fillies & Mares S. heroine Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), who is totally unexposed over this kind of trip. Stamina seems to be her strong suit, however, as she proved when winning last year's G1 St Leger and the G2 Park Hill S. over that same track and trip at Doncaster last time Sept. 8. Trainer Ralph Beckett has forsaken a return to the Fillies & Mares for this and said, “It was good effort at Doncaster. She got in trouble three down and got herself out and managed to get there in time. She showed all her old fire. She has to run against colts and geldings, but that doesn't really worry me. She gets the weight allowance, obviously. She stays so well that we're keen to go two miles, rather than drop back. For her, I always felt that this weekend was likely to be her target for the whole year.”

One who is also an unknown quantity at this distance is Litigant (GB) (Sinndar {Ire}), who is lightly-raced for his eight years and readily beat the future Irish Leger hero Wicklow Brave (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) in York's Ebor H. last August. Suffering a wide trip when ninth in this 12 months ago, he bounced back to impressively win the 12-furlong November H. at Doncaster when last seen and that form puts him in the mix. The 2014 winner Forgotten Rules (Ire) (Nayef) has plenty to find on his return second in the Listed Loughbrown S. over this trip at The Curragh Sept. 26, while the Sept. 9 G2 Doncaster Cup first and second Sheikhzayedroad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Quest For More (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) offer a firm base to the race's form. The latter has subsequently won a substandard renewal of the G1 Prix du Cadran over more than 2 1/2 miles at Chantilly a fortnight ago and trainer Roger Charlton commented, “He's come out of his win in France in very good form and this will be his last race before we look at Dubai in the spring. It's going to be a tough race to win with the Arc third, Order of St George, in there but life is life, you take on the best and this is what championship races should be. Quest For More is a game horse and there is a good prize money, so we will give it a go.”